Advances in prenatal genetic diagnosis and treatments allow early detection of genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental conditions. This panel will consider what various communities affected by neurodevelopmental conditions — as well as society at large — stand to gain or lose from these technologies.
- Julia Brown
- Daphne Martschenko
- Dawn Gano
Agenda
- Introduction / 5 minutes
- Presentations / 30minutes
- Audience Q&A / 25 minutes
Attend
Bechtel Conference Center at Encina Hall
Main Hall
Friday, April 17, 2026
3:00-4:00pm PDT
Time check »
A password is required to watch this session virtually via Zoom. Only registered conference participants will receive the password.
Neuroethics 2026
Building Bridges and Cultivating Community
This session is part of the Neuroethics 2026 conference organized by the INS and hosted by the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. Register for the conference to attend in-person at Stanford University in Stanford, California, U.S., or to participate virtually.
Description
Advances in prenatal genetic diagnosis and treatments allow early detection of genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental conditions. Prenatal diagnosis and experimental prenatal interventions range from embryo selection and editing to pregnancy interventions including maternal-fetal therapies. These advances bring a host of ethical, legal and social challenges. Namely, equity, justice and eugenics, and how to bring relevant communities to the decision-making table so that technology, science and industry are not the only determinants of advancements.
In this panel, we draw on qualitative research to consider what various communities affected by neurodevelopmental conditions, as well as society at large, stand to gain or lose from these technologies. The session will also present an innovative approach, involving podcasting, used by the researchers to build community and include voices and perspectives that are too often excluded in addressing emerging technologies.
Speakers
Julia Brown
Monash University
Dr. Julia Brown is a Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Bioethics Centre at Monash University.
Daphne Martschenko
Stanford University
Dr. Daphne Oluwaseun Martschenko is an Assistant Professor at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University. Her scholarship identifies novel ways to examine and enhance the ethical and socially responsible conduct, translation, and interpretation of human genetic research. She is passionate about fostering public and community engagement with controversial scientific research.
Dawn Gano, MD, MAS
UBC / UCSF
Dr. Dawn Gano is a fetal and neonatal neurologist with a clinical research program focused on studying brain injury, brain development and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in critically ill newborns with a foundational goal of helping all children thrive. She has a particular interest in understanding the causes and consequences of cerebellar injury in the preterm population, and collaborates closely with colleagues from neuroradiology, engineering, child psychiatry and psychology to study this prevalent form of preterm brain injury. She is also currently evaluating the feasibility of using robotic exoskeleton technology as a mobility aid and mode of habilitation in children with cerebral palsy.
Resources
Keywords: prenatal diagnosis, gene editing, neurodevelopmental disorders
Recording
A recording of this session will be made available to registered attendees.