Nancy Kass

Nancy Kass is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she also holds the Phoebe R. Berman Professorship in Bioethics and Public Health. She serves as Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education at Johns Hopkins University and is the Interim Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. Additionally, she is Deputy Director for Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and co-directs the Johns Hopkins Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program.

• ScD, Johns Hopkins University, 1989
• BA, Stanford University
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University

Dr. Kass’s research focuses on the ethical dimensions of public health policy and research, with particular expertise in bioethics, research ethics, public health ethics, informed consent, learning health systems, and global health ethics. Her work addresses ethical challenges in HIV/AIDS, obesity prevention, genetics, and international research. She has developed influential frameworks for ethical oversight in public health and clinical research.

Her recent publications (2024–2025) reflect a strong focus on modernizing clinical research ethics, including optimizing informed consent, integrating clinical trials with medical practice, and enhancing data infrastructure. These works emphasize ethical governance, patient-centered decision-making, and the alignment of research with real-world healthcare delivery. Her scholarship spans high-impact journals such as JAMA and Implementation Science, demonstrating sustained scholarly leadership.

• GBFFR Annual Award, Global Forum on Bioethics in Research, 2016
• Member, National Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine), 2008
• Fellow, Hastings Center, 2007
• Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, 1996
• AMTRA (Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Award), Johns Hopkins, 1996

Dr. Kass has played a pivotal role in education and mentorship, having directed the PhD program in Bioethics and Health Policy for 15 years. She currently leads the Fogarty-funded African Bioethics Training Program, advancing global bioethics capacity. She has served on numerous national and international advisory bodies, including the National Cancer Institute’s central IRB, the National Academy of Medicine, and the WHO Ethics Review Committee. Her leadership extends to chairing the national Precision Medicine Initiative central IRB.

She is actively involved in research projects such as the CDC Informed Consent Project, Bioethics of Quality Improvement, and Demonstrating Respect and Acceptable Consent Strategies in patient-centered outcomes research. These initiatives underscore her commitment to ethical innovation in public health and clinical practice.