Amy Lynn McGuire, J.D., Ph.D.

Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director

(713) 798-2029

Email

amcguire@bcm.edu

Positions

Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director: Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX, US

Member: Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Education

Ph.D. from University Of Texas Medical School At Galveston: 01/2004 - Galveston, Texas, United States

J.D. from University Of Houston: 01/2000 - Houston, Texas, United States

B.A. from University Of Pennsylvania: 01/1995 - Philadelphia, PA, United States

Honors & Awards

Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Faculty Excellence Award for Educational Leadership: 2009

Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching and Evaluation: 2008

Baylor College of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Educators: 2008-2013

National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research: Member, 2011-2015

National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research, Genomics and Society Working Group: Member, 2012-2016

Hastings Center Fellow: 2020; The Hastings Center

Greenwall Foundation Board of Directors Member: 2021 - present; Greenwall Foundation

Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholars Program Committee Member: 2015 - present; Greenwall Foundation

Professional Interests

Ethical and policy issues raised by emerging neurotechnologies
Research ethics, informed consent, and confidentiality
Ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics and human genetics
Ethics and regulation of psychedelics

Professional Statement

Amy McGuire, J.D., Ph.D., is the Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. She researches ethical and policy issues related to emerging technologies and innovative therapeutics, with a particular focus on genetics and genomics, neuropsychology, and the clinical integration of novel neurological devices. She receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health and is the founding director of the Ethical Legal Implication of PSychedelics in Society (ELIPSIS) program. Dr. McGuire has received numerous teaching awards at Baylor College of Medicine, was recognized by the Texas Executive Women as a Woman on the Move in 2016, and has been invited to give two TED talks: 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. She has served as a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research and as an advisor to the X Prize in Genomics. Currently, Dr. McGuire is on the board of the Greenwall Foundation, is a Hasting’s Center Fellow, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Geisinger Research, The Morgridge Institute for Research, and Nurture Genomics.

Websites

Research Profile

Videos

TEDX Talk 2022: Can creating moments of meaning improve mental health?

We are in the midst of a mental health crisis and in need of a public health response. But there may be something that each of us can do to improve our collective mental health. And that is to create deeper connections and to cultivate more moments of MEANING in our lives that help us bridge the difficult times and celebrate the joy. Amy McGuire, J.D., Ph.D., is the Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research focuses on ethical and policy issues related to the use of emerging technologies to improve health and promote well-being. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Selected Publications

Holm IA, Agrawal PB, Ceyhan-Birsoy O, Christensen K, Fayer S, Frankel LA, Genetti CA, Krier JB, LaMay RC, Levy HL, McGuire AL, Parad RB, Park PJ, Pereira S, Rehm HL, Schwartz TS, Waisbren SE, Yu TM, The BabySeq Project Team, Green RC, Beggs AH. " The BabySeq Project: implementing genomic sequencing in newborns " BMC Pediatrics. 2018 Jul ; 18 : 225.
Ram N, Guerrini CJ, McGuire AL. " Genealogy databases and the future of criminal investigation. " Science. 2018 Jun ; 360 (6393) : 1078-1079.
Pubmed PMID: 29880677.
Lazaro G, Yoshor D, Beauchamp MS, Goodman WK, McGuire AL. " Continued access to investigational brain implants. " Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2018 Jun ; 19 (6) : 317-318.
Pubmed PMID: 29686310.
Clark DL, McGuire AL, Raphael JL. " HEADS4: Social Media Screening in Adolescent Primary Care. " Pediatrics. 2018 Jun ; 141 (6)
Pubmed PMID: 29716979.
Guerrini CJ, Majumder MA, Lewellyn MJ, McGuire AL. " Citizen science, public policy " Science. 2018 Jul ; 361 (6398) : 134-136.
Pubmed PMID: 30002244.
Guerrini CJ, Robinson JO, Bloss CC, Bash Brooks W, Fullerton SM, Kirkpatrick B, Lee SS, Majumder M, Pereira S, Schuman O, McGuire AL.. " . Family secrets: Experiences and outcomes of participating in direct-to-consumer genetic relative-finder services. " Am J Hum Genet.. 2022 Mar 3; 109 : 486-97.
Pubmed PMID: 35216680.
Kostick-Quenet K, Mandl KD, Minssen T, Cohen IG, Gasser U, Kohane I, McGuire AL.. " How NFTs could transform health information exchange " Science. 2022 Feb 4; 375 (6580) : 500-02.
Pubmed PMID: 35113709.
Pereira S, Smith HS, Frankel LA, Christensen KD, Islam R, Robinson JO, Genetti CA, Blout Zawatsky CL, Zettler B, Parad RB, Waisbren SE, Beggs AH, Green RC, Holm IA, McGuire AL.. " Psychosocial Effect of Newborn Genomic Sequencing on Families in the BabySeq Project: A Randomized Clinical Trial. " JAMA Pediatr. 2021 Nov 1; 175 (11) : 1132-41.
Pubmed PMID: 34424265.
Guerrini CJ, Wickenheiser RA, Bettinger B, McGuire AL, Fullerton SM.. " Four misconceptions about investigative genetic genealogy. " J Law Biosci.. 2021 Jan ; 8 (1)
Pubmed PMID: 33880184.
Caulfield T, McGuire AL. " Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Perceptions, Problems, and Policy Responses. " Annu. Rev. Med.. 2012 Feb 18; 63 : 23-33.
Pubmed PMID: 21888511.
McGuire AL, Gabriel S, Tishkoff SA, Wonkam A, Chakravarti A, Furlong EEM, Treutlein B, Meissner A, Chang HY, López-Bigas N, Segal E, Kim JS. " The road ahead in genetics and genomics. " Nat Rev Genet.. 2020 Oct ; 21 (10) : 581-596.
Pubmed PMID: 32839576.
Antommaria AHM, Gibb TS, McGuire AL, Wolpe PR, Wynia MK, Applewhite MK, Caplan A, Diekema DS, Hester DM, Lehmann LS, McLeod-Sordjan R, Schiff T, Tabor HK, Wieten SE, Eberl JT.. " Ventilator Triage Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic at U.S. Hospitals Associated With Members of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors. " Ann Intern Med. 2020 Aug 4; 173 (3) : 188 - 94.
Pubmed PMID: 32330224.
McGuire AL, Aulisio MP, Davis FD, Erwin C, Harter TD, Jagsi R, Klitzman R, Macauley R, Racine E, Wolf SM, Wynia M, Wolpe PR.. " Ethical Challenges Arising in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Overview from the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD) Task Force. " Am J Bioeth. 2020 Jul ; 20 (7) : 15 -27.
Pubmed PMID: 32511078.
Tolat ND, Naik-Mathuria BJ, McGuire AL.. " Physician Involvement in Promoting Gun Safety. " Ann Fam Med. 2020 May ; 18 (3) : 262 - 64.
Pubmed PMID: 32393563.
Guerrini CJ, Wagner JK, Nelson SC, Javitt GH, McGuire AL.. " Who's on third? Regulation of third-party genetic interpretation services. " Genet Med. 2020 Jan ; 22 (1) : 4-11.
Pubmed PMID: 31402353.