Amy McGuire, JD, PhD, is the Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). She researches ethical and policy issues related to emerging technologies and innovative therapeutics, with a particular focus on genetics and genomics, neuropsychology, artificial intelligence, and the clinical integration of novel neurological devices. Dr. McGuire is the founding director of the Ethical Legal Implications of Psychedelics In Society (ELIPSIS) program, which conducts research to inform responsible policy translation for psychedelic medicines. She has received numerous teaching awards at BCM, was recognized by the Texas Executive Women as a Woman on the Move in 2016, and has been invited to give a TEDMed talk titled “There is no Genome for the Human Spirit” in 2014 and a TEDx talk titled “Can Creating Moments of Meaning Improve Mental Health?” in 2022. Dr. McGuire has served as a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research and subject matter expert for the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. She is co-chair of the BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group, on the board of the Greenwall Foundation, is a Hasting’s Center Fellow, and is an advisor to Geisinger Research and The Morgridge Institute for Research.
Amy McGuire, JD, PhD, Chair
- Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics
- Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
- Baylor College of Medicine
Committee Member Q & A
We asked each Committee Member four questions to gain insight into who they are and what they value in bioethics scholarship and the Faculty Scholars Program.
What professional activity or accomplishment are you most proud of?
In the four years that I have been Director of our Center we have increased our operating budget by almost 200%, including an 80% increase in external research funding. We have doubled our Center’s faculty from 6 to 12 and have increased the total size of the Center from 14 faculty and staff in 2012 to 40 in 2016. Most importantly, we have been able to recruit and retain some of the best talent, both at the faculty level and on our administrative and research teams.
In your work, how have you engaged with people who face bioethics dilemmas in their professional activities or personal lives?
With compassion and humility. All of my research is conducted in close collaboration with clinicians and scientists who are struggling with bioethics dilemmas in their own work. It requires a high degree of trust and respect for us to be able to work together. I feel honored to have colleagues who care more about doing the right thing than about getting ahead as quickly as possible.
Who has been affected by your work in bioethics?
I hope that my work has contributed to larger policy discussions in the area of genomics and emerging technologies. However, one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do is the opportunity to have a positive impact on students and other trainees.
What do you view as the greatest strength of the Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program?
As an alumna, I am forever indebted to the Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program. The mentorship I received from the Program Committee, the friendships and collaborations I made with fellow scholars, and the growth that I experienced as a bioethicist and as a person have made the Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program the single most important influence of my academic career.