Samia Hurst

Samia Hurst is a Full Professor and Director of the Institute of Ethics, History, Humanities (IEH2) and the Department of Community Health and Medicine at the University of Geneva’s Faculty of Medicine. She serves as a consultant to the Clinical Ethics Council of Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and holds leadership roles in national and international ethics bodies, including vice-president of Switzerland’s National Ethics Commission and membership in the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences Senate. Her research focuses on biomedical ethics, health policy equity, and vulnerable populations. She previously conducted postdoctoral research at NIH (2001–2003) and played a key role in Switzerland’s pandemic response through the National COVID19 Science Task Force (2020–2022).

Education: Trained as a physician and bioethicist, she holds academic positions overseeing biomedical ethics education across faculties. She teaches courses on biomedical ethics, business ethics, and postgraduate medical ethics programs.

Research Interests: Her work addresses ethical challenges in clinical practice, personalized medicine, and global health equity. She leads the 'Biomedical Ethics' research group and contributes to 'Ethics and Science' initiatives. Key themes include implicit bias in healthcare, end-of-life decision-making, and ethical dimensions of pandemic management.

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles and books, including influential works on consent frameworks, vulnerability analysis, and healthcare cost ethics. Notable awards include the ABIM Foundation 2014 Professionalism Article Prize for her 2013 JAMA contribution.

Awards: Recognized for contributions to medical ethics through the ABIM Foundation Prize and leadership in national/international ethics committees.

Advising & Grants: Supervises doctoral theses in bioethics and contributes to funding initiatives like the Swiss National Science Foundation’s PNR80. Active in shaping ethical guidelines for clinical practice and public health policies.

Labs/Teams: Heads the Biomedical Ethics research group and collaborates with global networks like the European Clinical Ethics Network. Co-organizes interdisciplinary conferences on bioethics and global health challenges.