About

My name is Marsha Michie, and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. My background is in cultural anthropology and empirical bioethics, with extensive work in ethnography, qualitative health research, and qualitative analysis. Much of my work has focused on the experiences and decision-making of patients and research participants, specifically in the context of genetic/genomic research, technologies, and diagnoses. Much of my current research examines the translational process, from research to clinical care, for new technologies for genetic screening, stem cell gene transfer, and gene modification, with a particular emphasis on the perspectives of patients and patient advocates. My research also explores issues related to reproductive ethics and justice, including infant mortality and the health of pregnancy-capable people. In all my work I have a particular interest in health disparities related to race, disability, and other social and structural factors. I am the Associate Director of the Bioethics Center for Community Health and Genomic Equity (CHANGE) at Case Western Reserve University.

My research on patients and research participants has dealt with issues in informed decision-making in both research and clinical care, including the ways that their health care decisions and their understanding of their own role in research may be shaped by therapeutic misconceptions, assumptions about duty and social contracts, identifying with a particular health condition (especially inherited conditions that affect multiple family members), and concerns for family members and future reproduction.

I also teach and mentor students in the Department of Bioethics and the School of Medicine, especially on topics related to reproduction, genetics, and research ethics. I co-direct the PhD program in Bioethics and also direct the Research Ethics Concentration for the MA program in Bioethics and Medical Humanities.

Overall, my work explores intersections of identity, genetics, and disability, recognizing that all of us are on a continuum between ability and disability—and that our identities vary across parts of ourselves, our families and communities, and our lives over time.

More information about me:

Case Western Reserve University Bioethics Department profile page

Blog posts and profile for the Prenatal Information Research Consortium (PIRC)

NIH (National Institutes of Health) bibliography

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6631-828X

Profile on Google Scholar