New piece in The Atlantic! We always hear that AI will cure cancer, and I would immediately benefit if it did. Still, I argue that racing ahead on generalist AI models creates unclear benefits for cancer that are outweighed by broader societal harms. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

This year I finished my MD/PhD and started residency, but the thing I am proudest of is having brought this little human into this beautiful world. Her name is Lyra Louisa and she is the light of our lives.

New episode of Bio(un)ethical is out now, with @jbcarmody.bsky.social! Bryan Carmody: Are doctor shortages real? We discuss: - Why people think there aren't enough doctors - Why many access problems reflect misallocation (vs shortages) - What models projecting shortages miss - AI (the 🐘 in the 🏥)

The WHO guidance on the ethics of health research priority setting is out today! It was a privilege to be a part of the expert writing group (led by Joe Millum) over the past two years. I think the guidance is practical and important, especially now. Short thread + link below!

Friends of Cornwall

Proud to have graduated from Harvard’s MD/PhD program, and to join the physicians and researchers committed to building a brighter future.

"It is high time that the default question shift from 'is this payment too much?' to 'is this enough?' in clinical trials." A new call to bring sense to IRB approaches to paying research participants. @1daysooner.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Pursuing Fair and Just Compensation for Research Participants: An Open Letter to the Research Ethics Community

Published in The American Journal of Bioethics (Ahead of Print, 2025)

tandfonline.com

The US government recently flagged my scientific grant in its "woke DEI database". Many people have asked me what I will do. My answer today in Nature. We will not be cowed. We will keep using AI to build a fairer, healthier world. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

My ‘woke DEI’ grant has been flagged for scrutiny. Where do I go from here?

My work in making artificial intelligence fair has been noticed by US officials intent on ending ‘class warfare propaganda’.

nature.com

"Pausing" scientific research is like "pausing" a car in the middle of the highway—it's liable to have catastrophic, long-term effects that restarting it won't fix.

Every episode of Season 2 is now available wherever you get your podcasts! We're taking a short break before making further episodes, so now is a great time to submit feedback or requests (e.g., guests or topics) at biounethical.com. Also, we heard you: transcripts are coming!

Hi Bluesky! We're Bio(un)ethical, the podcast questioning existing norms in medicine, science, and public health via long-form interviews with philosophers, policymakers, physicians, and other experts. Seasons 1 + 2 are available on all platforms and our website: www.biounethical.com

Bio(un)ethical | Bioethics Podcast

Bio(un)ethical is a podcast miniseries where Leah Pierson and Sophie Gibert interview experts on bioethical issues, and question existing norms in medicine, science, and public health.

biounethical.com

Have been dreaming about this day for 7 years!!! #Match2025

The final episode of Biounethical season 2 is out now! Rachel Fraser: How your social world shapes what you know We discuss whether experiences of oppression give people special insight, whether this insight can be shared, and what policy implications this might have. Links ⬇️

The final episode of Biounethical season 2 is out now! Rachel Fraser: How your social world shapes what you know We discuss whether experiences of oppression give people special insight, whether this insight can be shared, and what policy implications this might have. Links ⬇️

The two most recent episodes of #BioUnethical with David Thorstad, Emily Largent, and @govindpersad.bsky.social were very (very!) good. Hosts @leahpierson.bsky.social and Sophie Gibert may be doing reflective discussion better than anyone — outstanding stage setting, questioning, improvising, etc.

Bio(un)ethical | Bioethics Podcast

Bio(un)ethical is a podcast miniseries where Leah Pierson and Sophie Gibert interview experts on bioethical issues, and question existing norms in medicine, science, and public health.

biounethical.com

New blog post! The $500,000 Gap Year In honor of #Match2025, I wrote about whether the fourth year of medical school needs to exist. www.leahpierson.com/blog/the-500... If you have feedback, I'm eager to hear it, and good luck to everyone matching next week!

The $500,000 Gap Year

It’s an open secret in medicine that fourth year medical students do very little medicine or school. So why do we have a fourth year of medical school (M4)? And do we need one? ​ Why M4 exists...

leahpierson.com

Our new episode of Biounethical Podcast is out today! Emily Largent and Govind Persad: Is Bioethics Okay? (Writing questions for this was frankly a blast.) Available wherever you get your podcasts. Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4Veq... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

‘I would like to see bioethics as a field be more oriented around fixing things rather than problematizing potential solutions.’

Leah Pierson@leahpierson.bsky.social · 2y ago

I was interviewed about Bio(un)ethical for the @hsph.harvard.edu website! hsph.harvard.edu/news/student...

I was interviewed about Bio(un)ethical for the @hsph.harvard.edu website! hsph.harvard.edu/news/student...

Student podcast brings bioethical issues to the public | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Leah Pierson, MD-PhD ’25, co-founded the Bio(un)ethical podcast to explore important issues in science, medicine, and public health.

hsph.harvard.edu

We interviewed David Thorstad on Bio(un)ethical about epistemic issues related to longtermism and existential risk. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0dXR... Our website: www.biounethical.com/episodes/epi...

EPISODES | Bio(un)ethical

biounethical.com

We interviewed former CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Bio(un)ethical about US public health infrastructure, lessons learned from COVID, and how prepared we are for the next pandemic. Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0oDt... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1... biounethical.com

It’d be cool if there was a Center for Progress-Oriented Bioethics, an institution that treated scientific and medical progress as an ethical imperative, and aimed to study ethico-regulatory barriers and reform excessive ones.

New Bio(un)ethical episode is out! Quayshawn Spencer: What is race? We discuss the philosophy of race, why he’s a radical racial pluralist, and the implications of his views for scientific research and medicine. Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1EBb... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

New piece in Nature: @leahpierson.bsky.social and I argue that philanthropic funders should shield science from cuts the Trump administration may make to climate science, infectious disease, etc. Free access link: rdcu.be/d6aul Longer version on my website: shorturl.at/muwts

We recently wrote an article responding to commentaries on our Views in Bioethics Survey (VIBeS). Next month, four of us will have a conversation on Bio(un)ethical about the state of bioethics, and how to address its challenges. (You can submit questions!) x.com/leah_pierson...

New column out today in @bostonglobe.com's "Ideas" section! Prof. Joshua Greene and I make the case for applying a balanced approach to charitable giving, backed by recent research: www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/18/o...

This giving season, give with your heart and your head - The Boston Globe

There’s no right way to give to charities, but there’s a better way.

bostonglobe.com

Our new episode of Bio(un)ethical is out today! Jeff McMahan: On the ethics of choosing our children's genes Some things we discuss: - whether/when/how we should control the genetic outcomes of our children - treatment vs enhancement - reproductive technologies and injustice Links below ⬇️

My cat, Lulu, participated in a cookie contest (submission: Lulu Lemons)

Episode 14 of Bio(un)ethical is out now! James Diao: When should race be used in medical algorithms? Some things we discuss: - Criteria for the inclusion/exclusion of race in clinical algorithms - The implications of removing race from two algorithms - Common themes + failure modes (Links below)

I just got the kids down for naptime so I wanted to take a second to point out two key problems (and a few areas of agreement) I see with this morning’s @emmagoldberg.bsky.social @nytimes.com article about effective altruism: 🧵 bsky.app/profile/nyt...