The Georgetown University Center for Neuroengineering (CNE) is proud to announce the appointment of Christine Grady, MSN, PhD, as a core member and lead neuroethicist. Dr. Grady, a pioneer in the field of clinical research ethics and former Chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, joins the University to bridge the gap between cutting-edge neural technological development and the complex ethical questions and frameworks required to govern them.
“The technical challenges of neuroengineering are immense, but they are matched—if not exceeded—by the ethical responsibilities we carry as we develop tools that can interface directly with the most intimate part of being human: the brain,” said Max Riesenhuber, PhD, Co-Director of the Georgetown Center for Neuroengineering. “Neuroethics is not an afterthought; it is a fundamental pillar of responsible neuroengineering. Welcoming a scholar of Dr. Grady’s caliber marks a significant expansion of the Center’s mission to not only advance technology to restore neural function but to ensure these innovations are guided by an ethical compass focused on human dignity and care for the whole person.”
Further emphasizing the importance of this cross-disciplinary appointment, Dan Sulmasy, MD, PhD, Director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, noted the significance of Dr. Grady’s return to Georgetown. “Christine Grady is one of the leading lights in bioethics, and we are thrilled to have her join the Georgetown bioethics community,” said Dr. Sulmasy. “She will focus her research on issues in neuroethics and, with joint appointments in the Department of Neuroscience and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics (KIE), will forge interdisciplinary links between science and philosophy; between medicine and ethics; between practice and scholarship. Working with the Center for Neuroengineering and the KIE, she will be charged with growing a world-class program in neuroethics. We will all benefit from her intellect, her vision, and her energy.”
Dr. Grady brings decades of experience at the intersection of medicine, nursing, and bioethics. Her work has been instrumental in shaping international standards for the protection of human subjects in research. At Georgetown, she will collaborate with engineers, neuroscientists, clinicians, and students to proactively examine relevant ethical issues and incorporate ethics early in the design and development phase of new neurotechnologies.
“Georgetown has long been a leader in both neurobiology and bioethics,” said Dr. Grady. “I am honored and delighted to join the Center for Neuroengineering, where we have the unique opportunity to integrate ethical inquiry directly into the laboratory. Our goal is to ensure that neuroengineering breakthroughs serve the best interests of patients and society, safeguarding the very essence of personhood that these technologies aim to support.”