Vardit Ravitsky

Vardit Ravitsky is a bioethicist specializing in the ethical dimensions of medicine, science, and technology. Ravitsky serves as president and CEO of The Hastings Center, an independent, nonpartisan bioethics research institute recognized for its work in bioethics and health policy. She also holds an appointment as senior lecturer on global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Ravitsky's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Sorbonne University, a Master of Arts from the University of New Mexico, and a doctorate from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, where her dissertation focused on genetic intervention and human identity. She completed postdoctoral research at the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health and later joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Medical Ethics. Ravitsky became a full professor at the Bioethics Program, School of Public Health, at the University of Montreal, where she also directed the ethics and health unit at the Center for Research on Ethics before joining The Hastings Center.

Ravitsky's research addresses the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging biotechnologies, with a focus on genomics, assisted reproduction, and artificial intelligence in health care. Her work covers topics such as in-vitro fertilization, prenatal genetic testing, gene editing, gamete donation, and the governance of artificial intelligence in biomedical research. Ravitsky is a principal investigator on two National Institutes of Health-funded Bridge2AI projects examining the use of artificial intelligence in disease diagnosis and the relationship between genetics and disease expression. She serves on the steering committee of the National Academy of Medicine to develop an artificial intelligence code of conduct. Her scholarship explores how cultural frameworks influence public debate and policy in bioethics, with particular attention to women's autonomy and disability rights.

Ravitsky has published more than 250 articles and commentaries on bioethical issues, delivered over 300 talks internationally, and participated in more than 400 media interviews. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she contributed to public discussions on pandemic ethics, including ventilator allocation, vaccine mandates, and immunity passports. Ravitsky served as a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation fellow and chaired the foundation's COVID-19 Impact Committee. She is past president of the International Association of Bioethics and a fellow of both the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and The Hastings Center. Her research has received funding from national agencies in Canada and the National Institutes of Health. Ravitsky is recognized for her ability to communicate complex ethical questions to broad audiences, contributing to public understanding of issues at the intersection of science, medicine, and society.