Research Staff

Megan Cvitanovic is a Research Coordinator at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics (SCBE). She received her BS in Human Biology from Stanford University, where she also competed on the women’s rowing team. Prior to working as a research coordinator, she worked at SCBE as interim executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics. In her current role, she helps coordinate IDD-TRANSFORM, a project centered on health and health care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She also works closely with the clinical ethics team, assisting with policy and leading clinical ethics-related QI/research projects. Her research interests are centered around health care for people with IDD and children. In her free time you can find her riding her bike or running on trails near Boulder, Colorado.

Rachel Lee is a Social Science Research Professional at the Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (CERA). She graduated from Emory University with a degree in Anthropology & Human Biology and minors in Spanish and Linguistics. Her undergraduate research examined the potential link between endogenous retrovirus expression and the development of autoimmune conditions. Prior to joining CERA, she worked at Dell Medical School. Her projects explored the lived experiences of patients with different chronic conditions to inform the design of health care services. She also developed health equity curriculum modules for executive education programs. Currently, her areas of interests include the ethical and social implications of prenatal screening, reproductive technologies, and direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

Ariadne Nichol is a researcher at the National Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (CERA). She earned her bachelors degree in Human Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Ethics from Stanford University, where she graduated with honors in Ethics in Society and was a Public Service Scholar. She has previously worked on global public health research ethics topics at Doctors Without Borders and at the World Health Organization (WHO). She also has published on One Health and emerging infectious disease issues in the American Journal of Bioethics. Her areas of interest include ethical issues of biomedical research in vulnerable populations; ethical challenges arising from emerging infectious diseases and use of experimental therapeutics; as well as ethical and social issues raised by application of big data and machine learning in health care and pharmacogenetics.

Sydney Walls is a Research Coordinator at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. She received her BA in Anthropology from Stanford University and her Master in Public Health from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her research interests are centered around public health and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as she is a sibling to her autistic brother who has high support needs. She is currently a committee member on the Disability Section for the American Public Health Association and is a council member for The Arc's National Sibling Council. Prior to working at SCBE, she worked for the Association of University Centers on Disability as both a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) Trainee and as a research staff member for the Kansas LEND Program. She worked on projects that improved medical education on IDD for medical students and family medicine residents, innovated mental health care for autistic teens, and developed a state recognized certification program on developmental disabilities.