Karen J. Maschke

Ph.D.

Senior Research Scholar; Editor, Ethics & Human Research

Karen Maschke has expertise on the ethical, regulatory and policy issues involving the development, assessment, and use of new biomedical technologies. She has worked on several NIH-funded studies and expert advisory groups that addressed privacy, transparency, and government surveillance issues related to the collection, storage, and use of biometric data and research and health data, including identifiable and deidentified genomic and epigenomic data. She was a collaborator and the Hastings Center Project Manager on the European Commission-funded project, “HIDE: Homeland Security, Biometric Identification, and Personal Detection Ethics.” She currently is a co-Principal Investigator on the NIH-funded project “Actionable Ethics Oversight for Human-Animal Chimera Research,” and a co-Investigator on the NSF-funded project “Public Deliberation on Gene Editing in the Wild.” Maschke is the editor of the Hastings Center’s journal, Ethics & Human Research.

Maschke has published her work in Health Affairs, Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, BMC Medical Ethics, and the American Journal of Medical Genetics. Her recent book, Debating Modern Medical Technologies: The Politics of Safety, Effectiveness, and Patient Access (co-authored with Michael K. Gusmano), explores disputes about what evidence should be used to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of several technologies, including stem cell interventions, amyloid PET scans, and mammography.

She is interviewed frequently by the media, appearing in Kaiser Health News, STAT News, Bloomberg Law, Vice News, OneZero, Spectrum, NPR, Reuters, and the Washington Post.

Maschke has a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining The Hastings Center in 2003, she was an assistant professor of political science at Oakland University in Michigan and at the University of Georgia, and a Bioethics Fellow at the Cleveland Clinic.

In the Media

Medical Tribune about early testing for Alzheimer’s disease

Washington Post on use of unproven platelet treatment for sports injuries

Medpage on use of big data in medical research

Reuters on Rebecca Skloot’s book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Reuters live discussion with Rebecca Skloot

National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” on the first human face transplant

Selected Scholarly Publications

Karen J. Maschke, Michael K. Gusmano, “Medicare and Amyloid PET Imaging: The Battle Over Evidence,” Journal of Aging & Social Policy, forthcoming.

Karen J. Maschke, Michael K. Gusmano, “Politics, Values, and Access to Untested Medical Interventions: The Case of Stem Cell Treatments,” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law September 2016; 40(6).

Mildred Z. Solomon, Michael K. Gusmano, and Karen J. Maschke, “The Ethical Imperative and Moral Challenges of Engaging Patients and the Public with Evidence,” Health Affairs 2016:35(4):583-589.

Aaron J. Goldenberg, et al. (Karen J. Maschke a co-author), “IRB Practices and Policies Regarding the Secondary Research Use of Biospecimens,” BMC Medical Ethics 2015;8;16(1):1.

Suzette J. Bielinski, et al. (Karen J. Maschke a co-author), “Preemptive Genotyping for Personalized Medicine: Design of the Right Drug, Right Dose, Right Time, Using Genomic Data to Individualize Treatment Protocol,” Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2014;89(1):25-33.

Jeffrey R. Botkin, et al. (Karen J. Maschke a co-author), “Proposed Regulations for Research with Biospecimens: Responses from Stakeholders at CTSA Consortium Institutions,” American Journal of Medical Genetics 2014;164A(4):892-897.

Karen J. Maschke, “Returning Genetic Research Results: Considerations for Existing No-return and Future Biobanks,” Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology 2012;13:559-574.