Education:
BS in Biology, Minor in chemistry, Concentration in neuroscience from Denison University
Areas of Research/Interest:
Clinical and research ethics, with particular focuses in pre-approval access to experimental medicines and ethical issues in and barriers to gender affirming care
Bio:
After finishing bachelor’s degree in biology, I received a grant to study vascular biology at Uppsala University in Sweden. When I returned to the U.S., I worked for the U.S. Department of Defense developing radiation countermeasures before deciding to apply to graduate school. My interest in bioethics grew when I began considering a career outside of the laboratory, where I could combine my passions for developing a more ethical world, working with academics from a variety of fields, and fostering scientific inquiry. At the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU School of Medicine, my research focuses on how patients gain access to experimental medications outside of a clinical trial and the debate on the “right to try” movement. I am a founding member of NYU’s Gender Affirmation Project, an interdisciplinary working group that investigates ethical issues in and barriers to gender affirming care for transgender and non-binary communities across the lifespan.
Fellowships/Honors:
Hermann Biggs Health Policy Scholar, 2016-2017
Honorable Mention in Cell Signaling, Undergraduate Poster Competition, American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology national meeting, 2012
Sigma Xi inductee, 2012
Publications:
K.M. Folkers, C.R. Chapman, B. Redman. Federal Right to Try: Where Is It Going? The Hastings Center Report. 2019;49(2):26-36.
W. Seigel, K.M. Folkers, N.N. Dubler. Ethics of Gender Affirming Medical Care. Transgender Medicine: A Multidisciplinary Approach.1sted. Ed. Leonid Poretsky. New York, NY: Springer Nature; 2019.
L. Kimberly, K.M. Folkers, P. Friesen, D. Sultan, G. Quinn, A. Bateman-House, B. Parent, C. Konnoth, A. Janssen, L.D. Shah, R. Bluebond-Langner, C. Salas-Humara. Ethical Issues in Gender-Affirming Care for Youth. Pediatrics. 2018; online ahead of print. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-1537.
F. Vox, K.M. Folkers, A. Turi, A. Caplan. Medical Crowdfunding for Scientifically Unsupported or Potentially Dangerous Treatments. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2018;320(16):1705-1706.
K.M. Folkers, A. Bateman-House. Improving Expanded Access in the United States: The Role of the Institutional Review Board. Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science. 2018;52(3):285-293.
K.M. Folkers, A. Bateman-House, A. Caplan. “Right to Try” Is Merely “Thoughts and Prayers” for the Terminally Ill. Slate, March 21, 2018.
K.M. Folkers. Beyond #MeToo: Sexual Harassment in Biomedicine. The Cancer Letter,March 9, 2018
K.M. Folkers, “Zika: The Millennials’ S.T.D.?” The New York Times, August 20, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/opinion/sunday/zika-the-millennials-std.html?_r=0
Presentations/Conferences:
United Nations, Panel on “Transgender and Society,” June 27, 2019
World Pride Human Rights Conference, Panel on Transgender Health, June 25, 2019
“Gender Affirmation: Invasive Procedures in Minors,” American Society of Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference, October 19, 2018
“Establishing a Duty to Increase Racial, Gender, and Socioeconomic Diversity in Medical Research,” American Society of Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference, October 18, 2018
Employment:
Research Associate, NYU School of Medicine, Division of Medical Ethics
Contact:
kelly.folkers@nyu.edu
