CERA and The Hastings Center Partner to Support Early-Career Scholars
CERA and The Hastings Center are proud to announce a new partnership to support career development for students who are interested in ethical, legal, and social implications research of genomics.
A major component of this partnership is the selection of a CERA Fellow from among The Hastings Center Sadler Scholars, doctoral students interested in bioethics research careers. A cohort of Sadler Scholars is selected annually through a rigorous application process during the final year of their doctoral studies. One incoming Sadler Scholar will have the opportunity to become a CERA Fellow each year.
The inaugural CERA Fellow is Kimberlyn Ellis, who is completing her doctorate in human genetics at Vanderbilt University under the supervision of Hastings Center Fellow Ellen Wright Clayton and Dr. Jennifer (Piper) Below. Ellis’s doctoral research addresses the critical integration of how genetic variation, genetic ancestry, and known social and structural risk factors interact and impact biological processes for chronic diseases.
CERA Fellows benefit from a variety of unique opportunities designed to enhance their professional growth and visibility. Ellis will collaborate with CERA mentors to curate an ELSIhub Collection, a selection of essential readings on her core research interest: the ethical, legal, and social implications of incorporating ancestry-informed genomics into precision medicine initiatives. Other opportunities include contributing to event organizing committees, playing a key role in developing programs for trainees, and collaborating with CERA staff to develop and publish new features for the CERA newsletter.
“The Sadler Scholars are building a community of next-generation researchers and practitioners in bioethics,” says Nancy Berlinger, a Hastings Center senior research scholar who founded and co-leads the Sadler Scholars cohort. “We are thrilled to partner with CERA to connect our community with the ELSIhub community, offer opportunities to Sadler Scholars who are building ELSI careers, and think together about how to help exceptional young scholars to flourish.”
The Hastings Center-CERA partnership will also provide support for enriched ELSI content for The Hastings Center’s annual Summer Bioethics Program, a weeklong remote-learning opportunity for undergraduates from communities underrepresented in bioethics careers, who may lack access to college-level bioethics programs.
Applications for the 2025 Summer Bioethics Program are open. Applications for the 2025-26 Sadler Scholars cohort will open in February. For more information, visit The Hastings Center’s webpage on Programs for Students and Visiting Scholars.
Stipends for Sadler Scholars are provided by the Hastings Center through the Blair and Georgia Sadler Fund for Socially Just Health Policy, which aims to cultivate a more diverse set of scholars committed to creating a more equitable world. The Sadler Fund also supports expert advisors to this initiative.
