Cheryl Erwin, JD, PhD

Cheryl Erwin is known nationally and internationally for her research, scholarship and teaching in ethics, medical humanities and genetics research.  She received her undergraduate education in genetics at the University of Houston, her doctoral degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.  Before joining the faculty at the University of Texas – Houston, she was a faculty member at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, College of Law and College of Public Health.

Dr. Erwin is the author of numerous publications on the ethics of research and protection of participants with Huntington disease, the constitutionality of cloning and stem cell research, the ethical implications of international biotechnology, the ethical treatment of patients in clinical care settings, and the experience of genetic discrimination.

Dr. Erwin is involved in four major fields of law and medicine:

Ethics of Genetics:  Dr. Erwin has become known for her expertise in the field of genetics issues.  She is the Co-Principal Investigator on the NIH-funded RESPOND-HD grant which is investigating the prevalence of genetic discrimination in the U.S., Canada and Australia.  She developed a course at the University of Iowa College of Law on Genetics Law and a course at the University of Iowa College of Medicine on the ethical and legal issues raised by genetics in clinical settings.  She has published scholarship concerning the use of assisted reproductive technologies and the limits of technology to address clinical care issues.

Research Ethics:  Dr. Erwin has conducted research, served on national committees, written about and taught the Ethical Conduct of Scientific Research to students at both medical and law schools in Texas and Iowa.  She served as Assistant Director of the Office of Research Support Committees at the University of Texas – Houston, and developed the ethics component of the Iowa Scholars in Clinical Investigation program.  She teaches the course on the Ethical Dimensions of the Biological Sciences at the Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas at Houston.  She is Investigator and member of the Ethics and Advocacy Core for the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Texas – Houston Health Science Center.

Medical Humanities:  Dr. Erwin is the Director of the Certificate Program in Medical Humanities at the University of Texas – Houston Medical School where she developed a program to integrate the medical humanities into the four year medical school curriculum.  This program allows medical students to develop a balanced approach to the practice of medicine while they are still in training.  An intensive elective in the fourth year of study allows students to develop a scholarly understanding of the Medical Humanities.

Clinical Ethics:  Dr. Erwin is regularly consulted for advisory opinions on matters of clinical import.  She is a member of the Institutional Ethics Committee at the University of Texas – Houston and is involved in ethics case consults on a regular basis.  She has taught bioethics to students nationally as well as in Iowa and Texas and is a contributing author to a book that has become an important text in clinical ethics (Medical Ethics:  Analysis of the Issues Raised by the Codes, Opinions and Statements, BNA, 2001).