Biography
Debra is a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Bioethics. She holds an MA in Bioethics from the Ohio State University (2021) and an MSc in Public Health from Sweden's Lund University (2017). She received her BAs, also from Ohio State, in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Communication Analysis (2015). Debra's diverse blend of expertise in public health, bioethics, and gender studies enhances her interdisciplinary approach to complex bioethical issues related to gender and sexuality. Her research is committed to integrating comprehensive and informed perspectives into healthcare research and practice, aiming to promote understanding and equity within the healthcare system for marginalized voices. She uses a queer bioethics approach to explore topics on transgender mental health, reproductive issues for transgender and intersex individuals, and sexual health disparities for LGBTQIA2S+ populations. Debra has shared her work both nationally and internationally, publishing and presenting on topics such as mental health inequities for transgender adults in Sweden, reproductive preservation options for intersex children, the similarities and differences in clinical care between transgender and intersex persons, and healthcare access for transgender refugees in the EU. She is currently working on her dissertation, a study with intersex adults and their experiences of medicalization across their lifespan. Debra has served as Secretary for the Biomedical Graduate Student Organization and is the current PhD department representative. She also serves on the university's Academic Integrity and Student Conduct Judicial boards. Passionate about advocacy, education, and ethics, Debra hopes her research will enable meaningful change in both healthcare and society for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. She is driven by a vision of a world where all sexual and gender identities are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect, allowing us all to live full lives as our authentic selves.
Teaching
ϳԹ Courses Taught
BETH 371: Advanced Bioethics (co-instructor)
BETH 602: Special Topics in Bioethics: Queer Bioethics
BETH 424: Queer Bioethics (designed and launched)
Teaching Interests
- Queer Bioethics
- Feminist Ethics
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Ethics
- Public Health Ethics
- Health and Healthcare Communication
Research
Research Interests
- Queer Identities
- LGBTQIA2S+ Healthcare
- Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare
- Health Disparities for Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Expansive Populations
- Public Health and Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Transgender and Intersex Refugees in the EU
Professional Memberships
- American Public Health Association
- American Society for Bioethics and Humanities
- Bioethics Network of Ohio
- European Professional Association for Transgender Health
- National Student Bioethics Association
- National Women's Studies Association
- Swedish Network for International Health
Publications
Presentations
"Policy vs. Practice: Medical Temporalities and Transgender Experiences in Reproductive Preservation." Oral Presentation, UTMB 9th Reproductive Ethics Conference, Galveston, Texas, January 2025 (upcoming).
"Making a Right Turn: Collaborative Initiatives for Health Care Among Transgender Migrants and Refugees in Sweden" Poster presentation, National Student Bioethics Association conference, online, April 2024.
"More than Forced Pregnancy, Forced Detransition." Oral presentation, UTMB 8th Reproductive Ethics Conference, Galveston, Texas, January 2024.
"Conserving Personhood: Meaning, Experience, and Regret in Intersex-affirming Healthcare, 'Intersexuality and Interpretational Disconnects: Exploring Parental Divides'". Panel discussion; "Narrative Ethics, Queering the Function of Intersex”. Oral presentation, ASBH 25th Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2023.
"Discovering Intersex and Transgender", Online panel discussion, Trans Matters Worldwide webinar, London, England, July 2023.
"The Child MC and the Intersections of Intersex: Exploring Norms that Influence Care." Oral presentation, Metro Grand Rounds, Cleveland, Ohio, June 2023.
"Healthcare, Reproductive Ethics, and Transgender Populations in the EU." Oral presentation; "Transgender and Intersex Conceptions: Ambiguity, Ambivalence, and Responsibility." Oral presentation, 5th EPATH conference, Killarney, Ireland, April 2023.
"Medicine, Intersex, and Conceptions of Futurity." Oral presentation, UTMB 7th Reproductive Ethics Conference, Galveston, Texas, January 2023.
"Healthcare Providers and Disconnects of Ethical Responsibility: Improving Practices to Support Transgender Reproductive Options." Oral presentation, 4th EPATH conference, Reconnecting and Redefining Transgender Healthcare, Göteborg, Sweden, August 2021.
"Barriers to Transgender Mental Health Services in Sweden." Poster presentation, 3rd EPATH conference, Inside Matters: on Law, Ethics and Religion. Rome, Italy, April 2019.
Education
Master of Arts, The Ohio State University Bioethics, 2021
Master of Science, Lund University, Public Health, 2017
Bachelor of Arts, The Ohio State University, Communication and Practice, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, 2015