Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Ph.D., M.A.

Cullen Professor of Medical Ethics, Center Associate Director

(713) 798-3785

Email

jennifer.blumenthal-barby@bcm.edu

Positions

Cullen Professor of Medical Ethics, Center Associate Director: Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Addresses

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy (Office): One Baylor Plaza
Suite 310D
Houston, TX, 77030
United States

Education

M.A. from Bowling Green State University: 05/2004 - Bowling Green, Ohio, United States

Ph.D. from Michigan State University: 05/2008 - East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Honors & Awards

Elected a Hastings Center Fellow: (01/2023)

Associate Editor for The American Journal of Bioethics: (01/2022)

Associate Editor for Journal of Medical Ethics: Journal of Medical Ethics (01/2019)

Nominated as Member, American Philosophical Association Committee on Philosophy and Medicine: (07/2014 - 07/2017)

Summer Seminars in Neuroscience and Philosophy (SSNAP) Fellowship: 2016; Duke University

Greenwall Faculty Scholar in Bioethics: (01/2011 - 12/2014)

Fulbright & Jaworski L. L. P. Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching and Evaluation: (07/2014)

Fulbright & Jaworski L. L. P. Faculty Excellence Award in Educational Leadership: 2014

Pfizer Bioethics Fellowship Recipient: (01/2011 - 12/2014)

Character Project Summer Seminar: Wake Forest University (06/2013 - 06/2013)

Junior Scholars in Bioethics Program: Wake Forest University (09/2011 - 09/2011)

Professional Interests

Moral Psychology and Moral Philosophy
Ethics
Behavioral Economics
Medical Decision Making
Psychiatry

Professional Statement

Jenny Blumenthal-Barby, Ph.D., M.A. is the Cullen Professor of Medical Ethics and Associate Director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy, with a specialization in bioethics, from Michigan State University in 2008.

Dr. Blumenthal-Barby is a philosopher whose research focuses primarily on the ethical issues raised by research on human judgment and decision-making (e.g., decisional biases and heuristics, behavioral economics). Dr. Blumenthal-Barby has been the recipient of a prestigious Greenwall Faculty Scholar Award in Bioethics, a Pfizer Bioethics Fellowship, and has served as the Principal Investigator on four awards from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study and improve decision making in advanced heart failure. Most recently, she received funding as a Co-Principal Investigator to study ethics and decision making in pediatric deep brain stimulation through the NIH BRAIN initiative. She has also received funding as Principal Investigator from AHRQ to study the utilization of an AI/machine learning system that predicts personalized risks using big data. She has published one book and more than 150 articles in bioethics, philosophy, and medical journals as well as served on several expert panels and committees related to bioethics and medical decision making. She is an Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member for The American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB) and on the Editorial Boards of: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Biomedical Ethics Series Editor), Journal of Medical Ethics (where she served as Associate Editor 2019-2025), and JME Practical Bioethics. Previously, she served as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) and the American Philosophical Association Committee on Philosophy of Medicine.

She directs the undergraduate medical education ethics pathway at BCM, has taught courses and advised graduate students in ethics at Rice University, and co-directs (on the BCM side) the Rice-BCM Health, Humanism and Society Scholars Program for undergraduates.

Websites

Personal Website

Academia Website

VIICTR Publications List

Good Ethics and Bad Choices THE RELEVANCE OF BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS FOR MEDICAL ETHICS

Selected Publications

Unguru, Y., Diekema, D., Blumenthal-Barby, J., & Johnson, L.-M. " Parental Refusal of the Best Treatment: Nudges and Trust in Pediatrics " Pediatrics. 2026 ; 185 (5) : doi: 10.1542/peds.2026-076448.
Pubmed PMID: 42833660.
Reardon, I., Abraham, R., Hanson, L., & Blumenthal-Barby, J.. " Individualizing Informed Consent: For Whom, and How Far? " Am J Bioeth. 2026 ; 26 (10) : 1-4.
Pubmed PMID: 42758628.
From Data to Duty: An Ethical Framework for Handling Consent-Related Incidental Findings in Bioethics Research.. " Ethics & Human Research. 2026 ; Forthcoming
Hurley, M. E., Kostick-Quenet, K., Smith, J. N., Smolenski, J., Dexter, R., & Blumenthal-Barby, J.. " In Algorithms We Trust? Stakeholder Perspectives on Algorithmic and AI-Based Survival Calculators " AJOB Empir Bioeth. 2026 ; 17 (3) : 160-173.
Pubmed PMID: 42622567.
Blumenthal-Barby J, Bibler T, Kaplan H, Omelianchuk A, Smolenski J.. " Can I Get a Witness? The Ethical Dimensions of Family Presence in Patient Suffering " Hastings Cent Rep. 2026 ; 56 (4) : 19-24.
Pubmed PMID: 42475125.
What Can We Ask of Hospitals? Conceptual Foundations for an Ethics of Healthcare Organizations " Am J Bioeth. 2026 Sep ; 26 (9) : 20-34.
Pubmed PMID: 41758605.
Liao, S. M., & Blumenthal-Barby, J.. " AI Ethics 2.0: Why Frontier AI Demands a New Governance Agenda for Healthcare " Am J Bioeth. 2026 Jul ; 26 (7) : 4-6.
Pubmed PMID: 42060382.
Peoples N, Blumenthal-Barby J. " Dual Public Health and Regulatory Dilemmas of “Relational” Artificial Intelligence " NEJM AI. 2026 ; 3 (1) : DOI: 10.1056/AIp2500983.
Moore, B., Blumenthal-Barby, J., & Nelson, R. H.. " Substituted Judgment and Uncomfortable Truths " Am J Bioeth. 2025 Nov ; 25 (11) : 1-2.
Pubmed PMID: 41108228.
Blumenthal-Barby J.. " 'Death' Is Like 'Health' " Am J Bioeth. 2025 Sep ; 25 (9) : 1-2.
Pubmed PMID: 40825302.
Lang, B. H., Kostick-Quenet, K., Smith, J. N., Hurley, M., Dexter, R., & Blumenthal-Barby, J. " Should Physicians Take the Rap? Normative Analysis of Clinician Perspectives on Responsible Use of ‘Black Box’ AI Tools " AJOB Empir Bioeth. 2025 May 12; Online ahead of print
Pubmed PMID: 40354225.
Blumenthal-Barby J. " Suffering at the Margins: Non-Experiential Suffering and Disorders of Consciousness " Camb Q Healthc Ethics. 2025 Mar 18; Online ahead of print : 1-9.
Pubmed PMID: 40098393.
Goodman KE, Blumenthal-Barby J, Redberg RF, Hoffmann DE. " FAIRS - A Framework for Evaluating the Inclusion of Sex in Clinical Algorithms. " New England Journal of Medicine. 2025 Jan 23; 392 (4) : 404-411.
Malek, J., Levchenko, A., Robinson, J. O., Fong, J., Lin, C. R., Jackson, G. R., Blumenthal-Barby, J., Shulman, J. M., & McGuire, A. L.. " Dilemmas in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease: The peril and promise of self-fulfilling prophecies " J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 ; 105 (3) : 736-739.
Pubmed PMID: 40255038.
Kelley A, Blumenthal-Barby J. " Digital Doppelgängers, Grief Bots, and Transformational Challenges " Am J Bioeth .. 2025 ; 25 (2) : 1-2.
Pubmed PMID: 39878737.
Dexter R, Kostick-Quenet K, Blumenthal-Barby J.. " A multi-site study of clinician perspectives in the lifecycle of an algorithmic risk prediction tool " SSM Qual Res Health. 2025 Jun ; 7 (100562) : DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2025.100562.
Pubmed PMID: 40438351.
Smith, J., Barnhill, A., Savulescu, J., Liao, M., McCoy, M., Blumenthal-Barby. J.. " 'Why Do You Ask?' Revisiting the Purpose of Eliciting the Public's Moral Judgments About Emerging Technologies " AJOB Empir Bioeth. 2025 Mar ; Online ahead of print (24) : 1-13.
Pubmed PMID: 40126216.
Hurley ME, Lang BH, Kostick-Quenet KM, Smith JN, Blumenthal-Barby J.. " Patient Consent and The Right to Notice and Explanation of AI Systems Used in Health Care " Am J Bioeth. 2025 Mar ; 25 (3) : 102-114.
Pubmed PMID: 39288291.
Nelson, R. H., Kious, B., Largent, E., Moore, B., & Blumenthal-Barby, J. " Is Suffering a Useless Concept? " Am J Bioeth. 2024 Jun ; Online ahead of print (6) : 1-8.
Pubmed PMID: 38842351.
Sonig, A., Deeney, C., Hurley, M. E., Storch, E. A., Herrington, J., Lázaro-Muñoz, G., Zampella, C. J., Tunc, B., Parish-Morris, J., Blumenthal-Barby, J., & Kostick-Quenet, K.. " What patients and caregivers want to know when consenting to the use of digital behavioral markers " NPP Digit Psychiatry Neurosci. 2024 Dec 6; 2 (1) : 19.
Pubmed PMID: 41361531.

Memberships

American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Medical Decision Making Affinity Group: Co-Founder and Chair

American Philosophical Association Committee on Philosophy and Medicine: Member

Journal of Medical Ethics: Associate Editor for Journal of Medical Ethics (01/2019 - 01/2024)

Funding

Ethics and Decision Making in Translational Neurological Device Research: NIH BRAIN Initiative (R01), Co-MPIs Drs. Sameer Sheth and Parag Patil (neurosurgery); This study will identify and address pressing ethical issues related to decision making about enrollment and participation in first-in-human translational research. We collaborate with and draw upon NIH-funded early and first in human translational research that represents growing areas of translational research with broad application and significance to patient populations: closed loop deep brain stimulation for a.) refractory and chronic pain and b.) treatment resistant mood disorders. (2026-2029, PI)

Improving Shared Decision Making in Early Use of Neurotechnologies Across Different Disease Stages: NIH BRAIN Initiative; This study will provide in-depth new knowledge regarding neuroethical issues around shared-decision making and decisional needs of patients and clinicians associated with the early use of neurotechnology, and address these issues by developing and testing a patient-centered decision aid (PtDA) for advanced neurotechnology. (2024-2028, Co-I)

Neuroscience and Society Summer Internship Program: The Dana Foundation; This program aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue within neuroscience and related fields, bridging disciplines like philosophy, psychology, sociology, and law. By bringing together students from diverse academic backgrounds and setting up opportunities for networking and collaboration, the program encourages interdisciplinary discussions and perspectives on complex ethical dilemmas in neuroethics. (2024-2027, PI)

Ethical and Human Factors Impacting Successful Translation of Perceptual Computing to Improve Clinical Care: NCATS-Ethical Issues in Translational Science; (2022-2026, Co-I)

A Multi-Site Trial To Test Benefits of adding a personalized risk calculator to an online decision aid for left ventricular assist device (PI): $1,960,847.00; Grant funding from AHRQ; This project tests the impact of a personalized, electronically integrated clinical decision support system for heart failure patients contemplating left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. The study involves utilization of an AI/machine learning system that predicts personalized risks using big data. Our study focuses on the ethical issues raised and how patients and clinicians use this information to make decisions. This work is funded by the AHRQ (2020-2025)

Ethical Perspectives Towards Using Smart Contracts for Patient Consent and Data Protection of Digital Phenotype Data in Machine Learning Environments: NIH Bioethics Supplement; (2022-2023, Co-I)

Pediatric Deep Brain Stimulation: Neuroethics and Decision Making (Co-PI with Lazaro-Munoz, Storch): $1,733,920.00 (09/18/2019 - 08/31/2023); Grant funding from NIH BRAIN Initiative (R01); Identify and address neuroethics issues and decisional needs related to pediatric deep brain stimulation for intractable movement disorders and psychiatric disorders.

Dissemination and Implementation of a Patient-Centered Decision Aid for Ventricular Assist Device Placement (PI): $490,000.00 (09/01/2018 - 09/01/2020); Grant funding from Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Award

Development and User Testing of a Decision Aid for Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Placement (PI): $1,343,703.00 (01/01/2014 - 01/01/2017); Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute; Creating a patient-centered decision aid that presents outcomes, risks, experiences, and uncertainties about ventricular assist device placement in a clear, comprehensive, scientifically valid and unbiased manner.

Family and Clinician Perceptions Regarding Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: $5,000.00; TIRR Memorial Hermann; In collaboration with Sunil Korhari MD, director of the Disorders of Consciousness Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann, this study sought to understand (through qualitative interviews) the views of family members and clinicians of/for patients with disorders of consciousness (persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious states) regarding consciousness and its moral significance. Do they match how philosophers and neuroscientists think about consciousness? (2015-2016) (PI)

Ethically Responsible Choice Architecture in Medical Decision Making: $110,058.00; The Greenwall Foundation; In collaboration with Dr. Robert Volk (decision scientist), we sought to provide normative guidelines for the responsible use of choice architecture in medical decision making using case studies in a.) early stage prostate cancer, b.) tracheostomy placement in children with devastating neurological injuries. (2014-2016) (PI)

Integrating Ethics into the Science of Behavior Change: An Ethical Framework for Clinicians and Policymakers (PI): (07/01/2011 - 07/31/2013); Pfizer Fellowship in Bioethics, Medical and Academic Partners (MAP) Fellowship; A nationally competitive award to support the career development and promotion of talented researchers early in their careers.