Laura J. Bishop, PhD

Dr. Bishop is Associate Teaching Professor and Academic Program Director at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. Her primary work at the Institute focuses on curricular and extra-curricular initiatives for undergraduates and the campus community at Georgetown University. As part of that role, she advises students about the Philosophy and Bioethics minor, serves as founder and Head of the Undergraduate Bioethics Showcase (a campus-wide celebration of student work in bioethics in a variety of categories and disciplines), works with the Undergraduate Bioethics Society, and develops academic content for the annual Conversations in Bioethics program. She also serves as the program administrator for the Institute’s visiting researcher program, which welcomes scholars from around the world for various period of research, and works with professional groups and organizations to identify possible collaborative opportunities for bioethics education. Dr. Bishop received her PhD from Georgetown in philosophy, with a concentration in bioethics. Her undergraduate work was done at Wells College where she majored in biology and minored in science and human values. Her research interests include the role of the family in medical decision making, bioethics education in secondary schools, teaching ethics and curriculum development, bioethics themes in movies, and dental ethics. She has enjoyed her work with high school teachers through various roles in different programs focused on introducing bioethics themes and issues into the high school curriculum, e.g., the KIE’s High School Bioethics Curriculum Project, the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research, and the NIH Office of Science Education’s Exploring Bioethics curriculum. She is a member of and convenes the dental ethics affinity group of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. She also is a member of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and was elected a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.