Elisa Hurley

Elisa A. Hurley, PhD, is Executive Director of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing ethical standards in research involving human subjects and animal care. She is also affiliated with the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at Western University and was formerly an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario.

Education:

• BA in Philosophy – Brown University
• PhD in Philosophy – Georgetown University
• Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics and Health Policy – Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics & Georgetown University Kennedy Institute of Ethics

Research Interests:

Hurley’s scholarly work spans moral philosophy, bioethics, research ethics, metaethics, moral psychology, and feminist ethics. Her earlier research explored the intersection of value theory and philosophy of mind, investigating how emotional states contribute to moral understanding and agency, with implications for psychopharmacological interventions. More recently, her work has focused on human subjects protections, regulatory reform, and public trust in research.

Scientific Awards & Fellowships:

• Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics and Health Policy

Leadership & Grant Activity:

At PRIM&R, Hurley oversees strategic, programmatic, and operational initiatives that shape national policy and best practices in research ethics. She directs educational programming, professional development, and public policy initiatives impacting both human subjects protections and animal care and use communities. Her leadership involves convening stakeholders, developing guidance documents, and influencing regulatory reform such as the modernization of the Common Rule.

Labs & Teams:

Hurley collaborates with multidisciplinary teams at PRIM&R and engages with the Rotman Institute’s network of scholars working in public health policy and research ethics.