Ruth R. Faden

Ruth R. Faden, PhD, MPH, is the founder and inaugural Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Biomedical Ethics at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. She served as the Institute’s Director from 1995 to 2016 and as its inaugural Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director (2014–2016). Currently, she works part-time at the FDA’s Office of the Commissioner. Her research focuses on structural justice theory, global food ethics, pandemic preparedness, women’s health, and ethical challenges in biomedical research.

Education: PhD and MPH from the University of California, Berkeley; MA from the University of Chicago; BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Research interests include structural justice, ethical challenges in food systems, learning health systems, vaccine policy, and advancing equitable inclusion of pregnant women in biomedical research. She co-authored Structural Injustice: Power, Advantage, and Human Rights (Oxford University Press, 2019/2024) and Social Justice: The Moral Foundations of Public Health and Health Policy.

Awards: Recipient of ASBH and PRIMR Lifetime Achievement Awards (2011), elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and fellowships at the Hastings Center and APA.

Leadership: Founded the Berman Institute, co-launched the Global Food Ethics & Policy Program (7 by 5 Agenda), and co-founded the Hinxton Group and Second Wave initiative. Key projects include PHASES, PREVENT, and the eSchool+ Initiative during the pandemic.