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Jodi Halpern
MD, PhD at UC Berkeley
Jodi Halpern, MD, PhD, is a prominent figure in the field of bioethics and medical humanities at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Chancellor's Chair and serves as a Professor in both the Joint Medical Program and the School of Public Health. Halpern is also a co-founder and co-lead of the Berkeley Group for the Ethics and Regulation of Innovative Technologies, which focuses on the ethical implications of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and gene editing.
Education and Background
Halpern received her MD and PhD in Philosophy from Yale University, where she was awarded the Porter Prize for her outstanding dissertation. She completed her residency in psychiatry at UCLA and has been influential in integrating insights from psychiatry, philosophy, and decision science into her research. Her work emphasizes how innovative technologies reshape human relationships and societal dynamics.
Research Interests
Her research spans several areas:
- Ethics of Innovative Technologies: Examining the implications of AI, gene editing, and neurotechnology.
- Emotions and Decision-Making: Investigating how emotions influence healthcare decisions.
- Empathy in Healthcare: Focusing on how empathy can transform medical practice.
- Public Health Ethics: Addressing issues related to distributive justice and patient autonomy.
Publications
Halpern is the author of From Detached Concern to Empathy: Humanizing Medical Practice, which has been recognized as a seminal work in medical education. She is currently working on two additional books: Remaking the Self in the Wake of Illness, which explores identity shifts following health crises, and Engineering Empathy, which looks at technology's role in emotional relationships.
Achievements
Her contributions to bioethics have garnered her numerous accolades, including:
- The Guggenheim Fellowship in Health and Medicine (2022).
- Fellowships from prestigious institutions like Princeton University’s Center for Human Values.
- Recognition for her role in shaping discussions around ethics in innovative research practices.
Halpern's work not only contributes to academic discourse but also influences practical applications in healthcare policy and ethics, making her a key figure in contemporary bioethical discussions.
