Josephine Johnston
| Position | Lecturer |
|---|---|
| Department | Bioethics Centre |
| Qualifications | LLB(hons) MBHL |
| Research summary | Ethical, legal, and policy implications of genetics, reproductive medicine, and neuroscience |
| Teaching | Bioethics, medical law, science policy, health policy |
Research
Josephine Johnston works on a variety of ethical, legal, and policy issues in medicine and science, with a particular focus on the implications of emerging technologies in human reproduction, psychiatry, genetics, and neuroscience. She also teaches medical law and ethics to medical, dental, and pharmacy students and is conducting research on legal and policy issues related to the New Zealand government’s COVID-19 response.
A New Zealand-trained lawyer with a master’s degree in bioethics and health law from the University of Otago, Josephine worked as a grant-funded bioethics researcher in North America for twenty years. She held research positions at Dalhousie University in Canada and the University of Minnesota, USA, and taught bioethics and health law at Columbia University in New York. She has also worked as a lawyer in both New Zealand and Germany. In addition to her position at the University of Otago, Josephine is a Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, an independent bioethics research institute in Garrison, New York.
Josephine’s scholarly work has appeared in medical, scientific, policy, law, and bioethics journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Science, Nature, Hastings Center Report, and Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics. She is co-editor of Human Flourishing in an Age of Gene Editing (Oxford University Press, 2019) and Trust and Integrity in Biomedical Research: The Case of Financial Conflicts of Interest (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010). Her public-facing commentaries have appeared in Stat News, The New Republic, Time, Washington Post, and The Scientist.
Publications
Lee, S. S.-J., Caruncho, M., Chung, W. K., Johnston, J., Tabb, K., & Appelbaum, P. S. (2023). Individualized interventions for rare genetic conditions and the research-treatment spectrum: Stakeholder perspectives. Genetics in Medicine, 25(6), 100832. doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2023.100832
Johnston, J., Hyun, I., Neuhaus, C. P., Maschke, K. J., Marshall, P., Craig, K. P., … Wilkerson, A. (2022). Clarifying the ethics and oversight of chimeric research. Hastings Center Report, 52(6, Suppl. 2), S2-S23. doi: 10.1002/hast.1427
Johnston, J., & Matthews, L. J. (2022). Polygenic embryo testing: Understated ethics, unclear utility. Nature Medicine, 28, 446-448. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01743-0
Johnston, J., Baylis, F., & Greely, H. T. (2021). ISSCR: Grave omission of age limit for embryo research. Nature, 594, 495. doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01697-2
Johnston, J. (2020). Shaping the CRISPR gene-editing debate: Questions about enhancement and germline modification. Perspectives in Biology & Medicine, 63(1), 141-154. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2020.0011
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (Eds.). (2019). Human flourishing in an age of gene editing. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 240p. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190940362.001.0001
Edited Book - Research
Murray, T. H., & Johnston, J. (Eds.). (2010). Trust and integrity in biomedical research: The case of financial conflicts of interest. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press, 267p.
Edited Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2019). "Good parents" can promote their own and their children's flourishing. In E. Parens & J. Johnston (Eds.), Human flourishing in an age of gene editing. (pp. 112-125). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190940362.003.0009
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J., & Zacharias, R. L. (2019). US stem cell research policy. In A. Atala, R. Lanza, A. G. Mikos & R. Nerem (Eds.), Principles of regenerative medicine. (Third ed.) (pp. 1309-1329). London, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-809880-6.00075-8
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2017). Traumatic responsibility: Victor Frankenstein as creator and casualty. In D. H. Guston, E. Finn & J. S. Robert (Eds.), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Annotated for scientists, engineers, and creators of all kinds. (pp. 201-208). Cambridge, USA: MIT Press. doi: 10.7551/mitpress/9780262533287.003.0006
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2016). If thy leg offend thee, cut it off: Surgery, consent and the criminal law. In M. Henaghan & J. Wall (Eds.), Law, ethics, and medicine: Essays in honour of Peter Skegg. (pp. 147-169). Wellington, New Zealand: Thomson Reuters.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J., & Parens, E. (2015). Neuroethical issues in the diagnosis and treatment of children with mood and behavioral distrubances. In J. Clausen & N. Levy (Eds.), Handbook of neuroethics. (pp. 1673-1688). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-4707-4_147
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J., & Scheinerman, N. (2015). Protecting research, preserving trust: The importance of managing industry relationships in psychiatric research. In J. Z. Sadler, W. van Staden & K. W. M. Fulford (Eds.), Oxford handbook of psychiatric ethics (Vol. 1). (pp. 1026-1042). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198732372.013.12
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2011). US stem cell research policy. In A. Atala, R. Lanza, J. A. Thomson & R. Nerem (Eds.), Principles of regenerative medicine. (2nd ed.) (pp. 1131-1143). London, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-012369410-2.50082-6
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2010). Financial conflicts of interest in biomedical research. In T. H. Murray & J. Johnston (Eds.), Trust and integrity in biomedical research: The case of financial conflicts of interest. (pp. 3-32). Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Davis, M., & Johnston, J. (2009). Conflict of interest in four professions: A comparative analysis. In B. Lo & M. J. Field (Eds.), Conflict of interest in medical research, education, and practice. (pp. 302-357). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Miller, P. B., & Johnston, J. (2009). Consent and private liability in clinical research. In O. Corrigan, J. McMillan, K. Liddell, M. Richards & C. Weijer (Eds.), The limits of consent: A socio-ethical approach to human subject research in medicine. (pp. 39-56). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199231461.003.0003
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2008). Conflict of interest in biomedical research. In M. Crowley (Ed.), From birth to death and bench to clinic: The Hastings Center bioethics briefing book for journalists, policymakers, and campaigns. (pp. 31-34). Garrison, NY: Hastings Center. Retrieved from https://www.thehastingscenter.org/briefingbook
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2008). Intellectual property and biomedicine. In M. Crowley (Ed.), From birth to death and bench to clinic: The Hastings Center bioethics briefing book for journalists, policymakers, and campaigns. (pp. 93-96). Garrison, NY: Hastings Center. Retrieved from https://www.thehastingscenter.org/briefingbook
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnston, J. (2008). US stem cell research policy. In A. Atala, R. Lanza, J. A. Thomson & R. M. Nerem (Eds.), Principles of regenerative medicine. (pp. 1354-1365). London, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-012369410-2.50082-6
Chapter in Book - Research
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2008). Mental health in children and adolescents. In M. Crowley (Ed.), From birth to death and bench to clinic: The Hastings Center bioethics briefing book for journalists, policymakers, and campaigns. (pp. 101-106). Garrison, NY: Hastings Center. Retrieved from https://www.thehastingscenter.org/briefingbook
Chapter in Book - Research
Elliott, C., & Johnston, J. (2006). Bioethics: Practice. In Encyclopedia of life sciences (eLS). John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005892
Chapter in Book - Research
Elliott, C., & Johnston, J. (2009). Bioethics: Practice. In Encyclopedia of life sciences (eLS). John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005892.pub2
Chapter in Book - Other
Lee, S. S.-J., Caruncho, M., Chung, W. K., Johnston, J., Tabb, K., & Appelbaum, P. S. (2023). Individualized interventions for rare genetic conditions and the research-treatment spectrum: Stakeholder perspectives. Genetics in Medicine, 25(6), 100832. doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2023.100832
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., Hyun, I., Neuhaus, C. P., Maschke, K. J., Marshall, P., Craig, K. P., … Wilkerson, A. (2022). Clarifying the ethics and oversight of chimeric research. Hastings Center Report, 52(6, Suppl. 2), S2-S23. doi: 10.1002/hast.1427
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2020). Shaping the CRISPR gene-editing debate: Questions about enhancement and germline modification. Perspectives in Biology & Medicine, 63(1), 141-154. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2020.0011
Journal - Research Article
de Graeff, N., Jongsma, K. R., Johnston, J., Hartley, S., & Bredenoord, A. L. (2019). The ethics of genome editing in non-human animals: A systematic review of reasons reported in the academic literature. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374, 20180106. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0106
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., Lantos, J. D., Goldenberg, A., Chen, F., Parens, E., Koenig, B. A., members of the NSIGHT Ethics and Policy Advisory Board. (2018). Sequencing newborns: A call for nuanced use of genomic technologies. Hastings Center Report, 48(Suppl. 2). doi: 10.1002/hast.874
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., & Zacharias, R. L. (2017). The future of reproductive autonomy. Hastings Center Report, 47(Suppl. 3), S6-S11. doi: 10.1002/hast.789
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., Banerjee, M. P., & Geller, G. (2015). Trustworthy research institutions: The challenging case of studying the genetics of intelligence. Hastings Center Report, 45(Suppl. 1), S59-S65. doi: 10.1002/hast.501
Journal - Research Article
Wasserman, D., & Johnston, J. (2014). Seeing responsibility: Can neuroimaging teach us anything about moral and legal responsibility. Hastings Center Report, 44(S2), S37-S49. doi: 10.1002/hast.297
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., & Gusmano, M. K. (2013). Why we should all pay for fertility treatment: An argument from ethics and policy. Hastings Center Report, 43(2), 18-21. doi: 10.1002/hast.155
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2012). Normalizing atypical genitalia: How a heated debate went astray. Hastings Center Report, 42(6), 32-44. doi: 10.1002/hast.82
Journal - Research Article
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2011). Troubled children: Diagnosing, treating, and attending to context. Hastings Center Report, 41(Suppl. 2), S4-S31.
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2007). Health related academic technology transfer: Rethinking patenting and licensing practices. International Journal of Biotechnology, 9(2), 156-171. doi: 10.1504/IJBT.2007.013049
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2007). Tied up in nots over genetic parentage. Hastings Center Report, 37(4), 28-31. doi: 10.1353/hcr.2007.0055
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., & Wasunna, A. A. (2007). Patents, biomedical research, and treatments: Examining concerns, canvassing solutions. Hastings Center Report, 37(Suppl. 1), S2-S35.
Journal - Research Article
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2007). Does it make sense to speak of neuroethics? EMBO Reports, 8(Suppl. 1), S61-S64. doi: 10.1038/sj.embor.7400992
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2006). Is research in Canada limited to "surplus" embryos? Health Law Review, 14(3), 3-13.
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2006). Paying egg donors: Exploring the arguments. Hastings Center Report, 36(1), 28-31. doi: 10.1353/hcr.2006.0010
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2005). Stem cell protocols: The NAS guidelines are a useful start. Hastings Center Report, 35(6), 16-17. doi: 10.1353/hcr.2005.0109
Journal - Research Article
Baylis, F., Beagan, B., Johnston, J., & Ram, N. (2003). Cryopreserved human embryos in Canada and their availability for research. Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Canada, 25(12), 1026-1031. doi: 10.1016/S1701-2163(16)30344-9
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2003). Resisting a genetic identity: The black seminoles and genetic tests of ancestry. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 31, 262-271.
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., & Thomas, M. (2003). Summary: The science of genealogy by genetics. Developing World Bioethics, 3(2), 103-108. doi: 10.1046/j.1471-8731.2003.00064.x
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2002). Mum's the word: Donor anonymity in assisted reproduction. Health Law Review, 11(1), 51-55.
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2002). New rules for embryo research: Bill C-56 and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Stem Cell Research Guidelines. Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Canada, 24(9), 722-726.
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., & Elliott, C. (2002). Healthy limb amputation: Ethical and legal aspects. Clinical Medicine, 2(5), 431-435. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.2-5-431
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J. (2001). Are sex selective abortions wrong? New Zealand Bioethics Journal, 2, 9-16.
Journal - Research Article
Johnston, J., & Matthews, L. J. (2022). Polygenic embryo testing: Understated ethics, unclear utility. Nature Medicine, 28, 446-448. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01743-0
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., Baylis, F., & Greely, H. T. (2021). ISSCR: Grave omission of age limit for embryo research. Nature, 594, 495. doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01697-2
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2020). Budgets versus bans: How U.S. law restricts germline gene editing [At law]. Hastings Center Report, 50(2), 4-5. doi: 10.1002/hast.1094
Journal - Research Other
Adashi, E. Y., Caplan, A. L., Capron, A., Chapman, A. R., Cho, M., Clayton, E. W., … Johnston, J., … Walters, L. (2019). In support of mitochondrial replacement therapy. Nature Medicine, 25, 870-871. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0477-4
Journal - Research Other
Takahashi, S., Johnston, J., & Patrizio, P. (2019). Lessons from the premature adoption of preimplantation embryo testing. Genetics in Medicine, 21(5), 1038-1040. doi: 10.1038/s41436-018-0314-z
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., & Juengst, E. (2018). Are parents really obligated to learn as much as possible about their children's genomes? Hastings Center Report, 48(Suppl. 2), S14-S15. doi: 10.1002/hast.877
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., Farrell, R. M., & Parens, E. (2017). Supporting women's autonomy in prenatal testing. New England Journal of Medicine, 377(6), 505-507. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1703425
Journal - Research Other
King, L. P., Zacharias, R. L., & Johnston, J. (2017). Autonomy in tension: Reproduction, technology, and justice [Introduction]. Hastings Center Report, 47(Suppl. 3), S2-S5. doi: 10.1002/hast.788
Journal - Research Other
Hyun, I., Wilkerson, A., & Johnston, J. (2016). Embryology policy: Revisit the 14-day rule. Nature, 533, 169-171. doi: 10.1038/533169a
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., Gusmano, M. K., & Patrizio, P. (2015). In search of real autonomy for fertility patients. Health Economics, Policy & Law, 10(3), 243-250. doi: 10.1017/S1744133114000164
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., Gusmano, M. K., & Patrizio, P. (2015). Reducing rate of fertility multiples requires policy changes. JAMA Pediatrics, 169(3), 287. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.3219
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., Gusmano, M. K., & Patrizio, P. (2014). Preterm births, multiples, and fertility treatment: Recommendations for changes to policy and clinical practices. Fertility & Sterility, 102(1), 36-39. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.03.019
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2014). Neuroimaging: Beginning to appreciate its complexities. Hastings Center Report, 44(S2), S2-S7. doi: 10.1002/hast.293
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2013). The ghost of the schizophrenogenic mother. AMA Journal of Ethics, 15(9), 801-805. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.9.oped1-1309
Journal - Research Other
Wilkerson, A., Wongsatittham, K., & Johnston, J. (2013). The NIH Stem Cell Registry: An absence of gamete donor consent. Cell Stem Cell, 12, 147-148. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2013.01.002
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2010). America's stem cell mess [Thought experiment]. Scientist, 24(10), 33-34. [Commentary].
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2010). Unify guidelines for reviewing embryonic stem-cell research. Nature, 466, 179. doi: 10.1038/466179a
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2010). Controversies concerning the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health, 4, 9. doi: 10.1186/1753-2000-4-9
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., Johnston, J., & Carlson, G. A. (2010). Pediatric mental health care dysfunction disorder? New England Journal of Medicine, 362(20), 1853-1855. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1003175
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2009). Judging octomom. Hastings Center Report, 39(3), 23-25. doi: 10.1353/hcr.0.0133
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2009). Facts, values, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): An update on the controversies. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health, 3, 1. doi: 10.1186/1753-2000-3-1
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2008). The ethics of outsourcing surrogate motherhood to India. Medscape Journal of Medicine, 10(3), 52. [Commentary].
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2008). Understanding the agreements and controversies surrounding childhood psychopharmacology. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health, 2, 5. doi: 10.1186/1753-2000-2-5
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., & Johnston, J. (2008). Understanding the agreements and controversies surrounding childhood psychopharmacology. Focus: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 6(3), 322, 330. doi: 10.1176/foc.6.3.foc322
Journal - Research Other
Parens, E., Johnston, J., & Moses, J. (2008). Do we need "synthetic bioethics"? Science, 321(5895), 1449. doi: 10.1126/science.1163821
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., & Wasunna, A. A. (2007). Introduction [Special issue: Biomedicine, patents, and access]. International Journal of Biotechnology, 9(2), 101-104. [Editorial].
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2006). [Review of the book Bioethics and the new embryology]. Quarterly Review of Biology, 81(2), 160-161. doi: 10.1086/506036
Journal - Research Other
Reid, L., Johnston, J., & Baylis, F. (2006). From the special issue editors [Special issue: Ethics and stem cell research: Shifting the discourse]. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 3(1-2), 11-13. doi: 10.1007/s11673-006-9008-3
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2005). [Review of the book Stem cell research]. Amyloid, 12(4), 263. doi: 10.1080/13506120500352560
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2005). [Review of the book The second tree]. Quarterly Review of Biology, 80(2), 230-231. doi: 10.1086/433068
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2004). ES cell research: In the shadow of the ban. Hastings Center Report, 34(2), 48. doi: 10.2307/3527687
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2004). Gene therapy: Two steps forward, one step back [Analysis]. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 170(12), 1785-1786. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.1031262
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2004). Outing the conflicted: Et tu, NIH? Science, 303(5664), 1610. [Letter].
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2004). When money talks and science listens [Review of the books The truth about the drug companies and Science in the private interest]. Hastings Center Report, 34(5), 44-45. doi: 10.2307/3527592
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2003). [Review of the book Human cloning and human dignity]. Quarterly Review of Biology, 78(3), 347. doi: 10.1086/433068
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2003). Case study: The Lemba. Developing World Bioethics, 3(2), 109-111. doi: 10.1046/j.1471-8731.2003.00065.x
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., & Eliot, C. (2003). Chimeras and "human dignity". American Journal of Bioethics, 3(3), 6-8. doi: 10.1162/15265160360706714
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J., & Elliott, C. (2003). From the guest editors. Developing World Bioethics, 3(2), iii-iv. doi: 10.1046/j.1471-8731.2003.00063.x
Journal - Research Other
Johnston, J. (2002). Just your roots are showing [In brief]. Hastings Center Report, 32(6), 6. [Commentary].
Journal - Research Other
