Faculty Scholars Program

Anna Wexler, PhD

Class of 2028
  • Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
About
Scholar Project

Anna Wexler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She studies the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding emerging technology, with a particular focus on neurotechnology, direct-to-consumer health products, and do-it-yourself medicine. Dr. Wexler is the recipient of a 2018 National Institute of Health (NIH) Director’s Early Independence Award and a senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics. Her research has been funded by the NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the Dana Foundation. She is on the Board of the International Neuroethics Society and an Associate Editor at the American Journal of Bioethics - Neuroscience. She received her Ph.D. from MIT in the HASTS (History, Anthropology, Science, Technology & Society) Program. Her essays have been published in outlets such as the The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Slate, and STAT. Prior to academia, Dr. Wexler worked as a documentary filmmaker and science/travel writer; she co-directed and co-produced the feature documentary film Unorthodox (2013).

For more information, visit https://ldi.upenn.edu/fellows/fellows-directory/anna-wexler-phd/

Research Ethics in the Development of Implanted Brain-Computer Interfaces for Communication

Grant Cycle: 2024 - 2025

Implanted brain-computer interface (iBCI) research is advancing rapidly, with clinical trials aiming to restore communication for individuals with severe disabilities. However, many companies are simultaneously exploring both therapeutic and augmentative applications, creating complex research ethics challenges. Prof. Wexler’s project aims to critically evaluate the ethical dimensions of iBCI research intended for both medical and non-medical applications and create an ethical framework to guide responsible research in this domain. Her research seeks to directly impact funders who support iBCI research, researchers who conduct it, regulators who oversee it, and patients who participate in it.    

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