Dr Ana S. Iltis studied philosophy at Rice University with Dr H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. She has been working on both secular and Christian approaches to bioethics throughout her career, and she is an active teacher and scholar with a passion for integrating theory and practice in bioethics. Dr Iltis serves as associate editor of Christian Bioethics, associate editor of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, and co-editor of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics.
Educational Background
B.A. in Philosophy and B.A. in Honors (Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences), Villanova University
M.A. in Philosophy, Rice University
Ph.D. in Philosophy, Rice University
Teaching Interests
Bioethics
Christian Bioethics
Current Projects and Research Interests
Dr Iltis has published widely in bioethics, serves on several National Institutes of Health data safety monitoring boards, and holds a wide range of editorial positions.
Much of her current work concerns the intersection of race, ancestry, genetics, and kidney transplantation. She also is working more broadly on ethical issues in organ donation and transplantation, human research ethics, and human genome editing.
Recent Courses Taught at SVOTS
Bioethics for Ministry (Ethics 530)
Selected Publications
"Stem Cell Science", accepted for publication in Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science.
"Medical decision making for children in families with siblings: Parental discretion and its limits." Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 2024 67(2): 261-276. Authors: Lainie Friedman Ross and Ana S. Iltis. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2024.a929022.
“First Person Authorization and Family Objections to Organ Donation,” accepted for publication in The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy. Authors: Ana S. Iltis and Brianna Denny.
“Philosophy: A Fly in the Bioethics Ointment,” Res Philosophica. 2023, volume 100, number 4, pages 539-559.
“Declaring and Terminating Public Health Emergencies: Performative Utterances that Can Change the World.” Maryland Law Review, 2024, 83(2), pages 402-457. Authors: Christine Coughlin and Ana Iltis.
“Transparency in controversial research: A review of human embryo research publication ethical disclosure statements.” Stem Cell Reports. 2024, volume 9, pages 28-36. Authors: Akshaya Venkatesh, Ana S. Iltis, Kirstin R. Matthews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.11.006
“Ethical, Legal, Regulatory, and Policy Issues Concerning Embryoids: A systematic review of the literature. Stem Cell Research & Therapy. 2023; 14(1), 1-15. Authors: Ana S. Iltis, PhD, Grace Koster, Emily Reeves, Kirstin R.W. Matthews. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-023-03448-8
“Pediatric Decision Making: Consensus Recommendations,” Pediatrics. Authors: Erica Salter, D. Micah Hester, Lou Vinarcsik, Armand H. Matheny Antommaria, Johan Bester, Jeffrey Bluestein, Ellen Wright Clayton, Dougles Diekema, Ana S. Iltis, Loretta M. Kopelman, Jay R. Malone, Mark R. Mercurio, Mark C. Navin, Erin Talati Paquette, Thaddeus Mason Pope, Rosamond Rhodes, Lainie R. Ross. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-061832
“Attitudes and beliefs regarding race‐targeted genetic testing of Black people: A systematic review.” Journal of Genetic Counseling. Authors: Ana S. Iltis, Liz Rolf, Lauren Yaeger, Melody S. Goodman, & James M. DuBois. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1653
“Severing Clinical Ethics Consultation from the Ethical Commitments and Preferences of Clinical Ethics Consultants,” Christian Bioethics, 2022, volume 28, number 2, pages 122-133. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbac004
‘Earning Mistrust through Fake Compromises and Broken Promises,’ Hastings Center Report, March-April (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1347
“Heads, bodies, brains, and selves: personal identity and the ethics of whole-body transplantation,” Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 2022, volume 47, number 2, pages 257-278.
“(Re)-Emerging Challenges in Christian Bioethics: Leading Voices in Christian Bioethics.” Christian Bioethics, 2022, 28(1), 1-10.
“Improving Kidney Disease Research in the Black Community: The Essential Role of Black Voices in the APOLLO Study,” American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2022 May; 79(5):750-753. Authors: A. Iltis, A. Conell, L. Cooper, P. Gee, Sr, N. Jefferson, H. Johnson, G. Kingston, G. Roberts, N. Scott, A. Smith, S. Waddy, L. Woodard, J. DuBois. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2021.09.006
“Public and Stakeholder Engagement in Developing Human Genome Editing Policies: What does it mean and what should it mean?” Frontiers: Political Science, volume 3. Authors: A.S. Iltis, S. Hoover, K.R.W. Matthews. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2021.730869
Who is Talking and What are they Saying: Ethical Issues in Medical Interpretation, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, St. Louis, Missouri, September 20, 2024.
Justice Issues in Biomedical Research: Health Disparities and Persons with Mental Health Disorders, International Academy of Law and Mental Health, Barcelona, Spain, July 25, 2024.
Mental Health, Bioethics, and Public Health Emergency Planning, International Academy of Law and Mental Health, Barcelona, Spain, July 23, 2024.
What Does and Should Authorization for Organ Donation Authorize in the NRP Context? Neuroscience, Ethics, and Technology Conference, University of California Berkeley, July 8, 2024.
Health Equity and Biomedical Research, Hutton Lecture, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, May 2, 2024
Ethical Issues in Race-Based Genetic Testing, World Congress of Nephrology, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 14, 2024
Machine Learning: Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Issues in Transplantation. American Society of Transplantation Cutting Edit of Transplantation Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, February 24, 2024.
Transplantation: Thorny Philosophical Questions that Will Not Go Away. The BIOS Centre, London, England. January 9, 2024.
Public Health Engagement with Faith-Based Organizations. American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2023.
Organ Donation, First Person Authorization, and the Role of the Family. Department of Philosophy, The University at Buffalo, July 8, 2023.
Science Diplomacy: Addressing Unproven Stem Cell-based Interventions. Kirstin R.W. Matthews and Ana S. Iltis, May 31, 2023, International Society for Stem Cell Transplantation, Paris, France.
Yours, Mine, and Ours: Genetic and Genomic Information, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomic, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 16, 2023.
Public Health and Faith Communities: Toward Respectful Engagement with Beliefs and Values, Conference on Medicine and Religion, Columbus, Ohio, March 14, 2023.
Public Health Engagement with Faith-Based Organizations. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Portland, Oregon, March 2, 2023.
The Role of Religion in Health Care, Western Michigan Heath Care Ethics Conference, Grand Valley State University, Keynote Address, February 22, 2021.
"Suicidality, Depression and the FDA: Health Inequities and the Ethical Conduct of Research," Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2020, volume 81, number 2: 19m13050. Authors: Ana Iltis, Vaughn McCall, Riyan Deria. doi: 10.4088/JCP.19m13050.
"Variation of ApoL1 Testing Practices Among Transplant Centers," Progress in Transplantation, 2019, volume 30, number 1, pages 22-28.. Authors: Tristan McIntosh, Sumit Mohan, Deirdre Sawinski, Ana Iltis, James DuBois. https://doi.org/10.1177/1526924819892917
"APOL1 Genetic Testing in Living Kidney Transplant Donors," American Journal of Kidney Disease, 2019, volume 74, number 4, pages 538-543. Authors: Sumit Mohan, Ana Iltis, Deirdre Sawinski, James M. DuBois. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2019.02.007
"Bioethics and Human Flourishing: Christian Wisdom in a Secular Age," Christian Bioethics, 2019, volume 25, Issue 2, pages 145–153.
Recent Conference Presentations and Activities
Health Disparities and Transplant Genomics, Transplant Genomics: Ethics of Research and Clinical Applications, New York University, January 27, 2021
Ethical Issues in Pregnancy and Kidney Failure, American Society for Nephrology (Virtual), October 24, 2020
Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation, The X National Transplant Congress, Moscow, Russia (Virtual), October 6, 2020.
'False Hope Amid the Exuberance of Discovery: Research Ethics in the Time of COVID,' Panelist, May 26, 2020, Seaton Hall University.
The Role of Religion in Health Care, Western Michigan Heath Care Ethics Conference, Grand Valley State University, Keynote Address, February 22, 2021.
Recent Awards
The Engelhardt Award, The Ohio State University, May 16, 2019
Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Award for Undergraduate Mentoring, Wake Forest University, 2015