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Catherine Hammack-Aviran

Catherine Hammack-Aviran

Assistant Professor of Law

College of Law

B.S., University of Southern Mississippi; J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law; M.A., Bioethics, Wake Forest University

615-460-5281

Biography

Catherine Hammack-Aviran, MA, JD, is an empirical bioethicist, legal scholar, and professor with nationally recognized expertise in law, ethics, and social issues in biomedical research, health, and healthcare.

Professor Hammack-Aviran studied health-related law and bioethics at Wake Forest University (J.D. 2014; M.A. 2014, Bioethics). After working as a law and bioethics researcher at Duke University’s Clinical Research Institute, she joined the core faculty of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She served as a Research Director of Ethics, Education, Policy, & Social Research in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine’s Research Immersion Program and taught bio-medical-health law, regulation, and policy in various graduate-level and post-doctoral education and training programs in the School of Medicine, whereby she was recognized as a “Master Teacher.” 

Professor Hammack-Aviran has collaborated on >50 empirical investigations studying legal and ethical issues in health and biomedical sciences. Notable examples of >15 federally-funded studies include:

  • Exploring Choice of Law Challenges in Multi-Site Precision Medicine Research (R21-HG-010952)(PIs: Wolf/Beskow)
  •  Addressing [Ethical, Legal, & Social] Issues in Unregulated Health Research Using Mobile Devices (R01-CA-207538) (PIs: Rothstein/Wilbanks)
  • Regulation of International Direct-to-Participant Genomic Research (R01-HG-009914) (PIs: Rothstein/Knoppers) 
  • Center for Genetic Privacy and Identity in Community Settings (“GetPreCiSe”): an NIH Center of Excellence in Ethics Research (RM1-HG-009034) (PIs: Malin/Clayton) 

The National Human Genome Reserach Institute (of the National Institutes of Health) recognized Professor Hammack-Aviran as a Promising New Ethical, Legal & Social Issues (ELSI) Investigator. She has served as an invited expert on multiple national committees, task forces, and advisory boards addressing med-health law and ethics, including the Ethical, Legal, & Social Issues (ELSI) Brain Trust for the national Precision Medicine Intiative's All of Us Resarch Program Policy Office; the 1st Global Conference on Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Surgical Recording; and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

She has unique expertise in law and ethics relating to death, dying, and the dead, with particular interest in post-mortem treatment of DNA, data, and physical remains.  

At Belmont University College of Law, Professor Hammack-Aviran teaches Bioethics, Medical Malpractice, Products Liability, and Property.  

Areas of expertise: bioethics; biomedical research law; genomics

PUBLICATIONS

Book chapters & invited commentary:  

  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Research on the Newly Dead, in Oxford Handbook of Research Ethics (Ana Iltis & Douglas Mackay, eds., Oxford University Press, 2023) (in press). 
  • Bruce Jennings & Catherine Hammack-Aviran, A Covenant Among Generations: Keeping  Trust in the Republic and the Law, in The Future of the Corpse: Our Changing Ecologies of Death and Disposition (Christina Staudt & Karla Rothstein, eds., ABC-CLIO, 2021). 
  • Laura Beskow, Catherine Hammack, Kathleen Brelsford, & Kevin McKenna, Thought Leader Perspectives on Risks in Precision Medicine Research, in Big Data, Health Law, and Bioethics 161-74 (Glenn Cohen, Holly Lynch, & Effy Vayena, eds., Cambridge Univ. Press, 2018). 
  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Invited Commentary, Ethical Use of Social Media Data: Beyond the Clinical Context, 49 Hastings Ctr. Report 1, 40-2 (2019). 

Peer reviewed publications: Selected  

  • Alex Langerman, Catherine Hammack-Aviran,  Glenn Cohen, Andy Shuman, A New Era of Objectivity in the Operating Room – Navigating a Path Toward Routine Recording (under peer review at NEJM).  
  • Daniel J. Benedetti, Catherine M. Hammack-Aviran, Carolyn Diehl, & Laura Beskow, Landscape of Pediatric Cancer Treatment Refusal and Abandonment in the US: A Qualitative Study, J. Pediatric (2022) (in press). doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.1049661
  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Ayden Eilmus, Carolyn Diehl, Keanan Gabriel Gottlieb, Gilbert Gonzales, Lea K. Davis, & Ellen Wright Clayton, LGBTQ+ Perspectives on Conducting Genomic Research on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, 52 Behavior Genetics 4-5: 246-67 (2022). 
  • Allan Peetz, Marie Kuzemchak, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Oscar Guillamondegui, Bradley Dennis, Shannon Eastham, Keith Meador, Laura Beskow, & Mayur Patel, Trauma Surgeons' Perceptions of Resuscitating Lethally Injured Patients for Organ Preservation, 88 Am. Surgeon 4: 663-7 (2022). doi: 10.1177/00031348211065100. PMID: 34962834.
  • Pranit Chotai, Marie Kuzemchak, Mayur Patel, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Bradley Dennis, Stephen Gondek, Oscar Guillamondegui, Keith Meador, Kenneth Wallston, Heidi Chen, & Allan Peetz, The Choices We Make: Ethical Dilemmas in Trauma Surgery, 172 Surgery 1: 453-9 (2022). doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2022.01.040
  • Kelly W. Harris, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Kathleen Brelsford, Ann Kavanaugh-McHugh, Ellen W. Clayton, Mapping Parents' Journey following Prenatal Diagnosis of CHD: a Qualitative Study, Cardiology in the Young 1: 1-9 (2022). doi: 10.1017/S1047951122002505. PMID: 35942903.
  • Leslie Wolf, Erin Fuse Brown, Roxanne Greeson, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, James Hazel, William Rencher, & Laura Beskow, Addressing Choice of Law Challenges in Multi-State Precision Medicine Research: Experts' Assessment of Key Factors, 9 J. Law Biosci. 1 (2022). doi: 10.1093/jlb/lsac013. PMID: 35496982; PMCID: PMC9048655.
  • Somtochukwu Ukwuan, Nicole Kloosterman, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Mario Davidson, & Luke Finck, Qualitative Assessment of Medical Student Concerns About the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multicenter Study Exploring Medical Student Perspectives, 96 Acad Med. 11S: 206-7 (2021). doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004267. PMID: 34705707; PMCID: PMC8544487.
  • Mark Naguib, R. Thomas Day, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Kathleen Brelsford, & Alex Langerman, Patient Perceptions of Resident Involvement in Surgery: A Qualitative Study Using Surgical Video, 79 J. Surgical Ed. 4: 974-82 (2022). doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.03.002. PMID: 35396187.
  • Alan T. Makhoul, R. Thomas Day, Jasmine C. Walker, Catherine M. Hammack-Aviran, Salam Al Kassis, Julian S. Winocour, & Brian C. Drolet, Perioperative Experiences of Transgender Adults Seeking Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Qualitative Interview Study, Transgender Health (2022).  doi: 10.1089/trgh.2021.0087 
  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, James Hazel, Brad Malin, Laura Beskow, & Ellen Clayton, Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing: Prospective Users' Attitudes Toward Information About Ancestry and Biological Relationships, 16 PloS One 11 (2021). PMID:  PMCID: PMC8629298. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260340
  • Margaret Mitchell, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Ellen Clayton, & Alexander Langerman, Overlapping Surgery Policies and ‘Critical Portion’ Definitions at Top U.S. Hospitals, 49 J. L. Med. Ethics 1: 64-73 (2021). doi: 10.1017/jme.2021.11 
  • Leslie Wolf, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Erin Fuse Brown, Kathleen Brelsford, & Laura Beskow, Protecting Participants in Genomic Research: Understanding the “Web of  Protections” Afforded by Federal and State Law, 48 J. L. Med. Ethics 1: 126-41 (2020). 
  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Kathleen Brelsford, & Laura Beskow, Ethical Considerations in  the Conduct of Unregulated mHealth Research: Expert Perspectives, 48 J. L. Med. Ethics S.1: 9-36 (2020). 
  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Kathleen Brelsford, Kevin McKenna, Ross Graham, Zachary Lampron, & Laura Beskow, Research Use of Electronic Health Records: Patients’ Views on Alternative Approaches to Permission, 11 Am. J. Bioethics: Empirical Bioethics 3, 172-86 (2020). 
  • Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Kathleen Brelsford, & Laura Beskow, Ethical Considerations in the Conduct of Unregulated mHealth Research: Expert Perspectives, 48 J. L. Med. Ethics S.1: 9-36 (2020). 
  • Leslie Wolf, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Erin Fuse Brown, Kathleen Brelsford, & Laura Beskow, Protecting Participants in Genomic Research: Understanding the “Web of Protections” Afforded by Federal and State Law, 48 J. L. Med. Ethics 1: 126-41 (2020). 
  • Laura Beskow, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, & Kathleen Brelsford, Developing Model Biobanking Consent Language: What Matters to Prospective Participants?, 20 BMC Med. Rsch. Methodology 119 (2020). 
  • Laura Beskow, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Kathleen Brelsford, & Pearl O’Rourke, Expert Perspectives on Oversight for Unregulated mHealth Research: Empirical Data and Commentary, 48 J. L. Med. Ethics S.1: 136-46 (2020). 
  • Laura Beskow, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, & Kathleen Brelsford, Thought Leader Comparisons of Risks in Precision Medicine Research, 42 Ethics & Human Rsch. 6: 35-40 (2020). 
  • Laura Beskow, Kathleen Brelsford, & Catherine Hammack-Aviran, EHR Phenotyping for Research Recruitment: Researcher, IRB, and Physician Perspectives on Approaches to Contacting Patients, J. Clinical & Translational Sci. (2020). 
  • Mark Rothstein, John Wilbanks, Laura Beskow, Kathleen Brelsford, Kyle Brothers, Megan Doerr, Barbara Evans, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, Michelle McGowan, & Stacey Tovino, Unregulated Health Research Using Mobile Devices: Ethical Considerations and Policy Recommendations, 48 J. L. Med. Ethics S.1: 196-226 (2020). 
  • Mark Rothstein, Ma’n Zawati, Laura Beskow, Kathleen Brelsford, Kyle Brothers, Catherine Hammack-Aviran, James Hazel, Yann Joly, Michael Lang, Domitri Patrinos, Andrea Saltzman, & Bartha Knoppers, Legal and Ethical Challenges of International Direct-to- Participant Genomic Research: Conclusions and Recommendations, 47 J. L. Med. Ethics 4, 705–31 (2019). 
  • Catherine Hammack, Kathleen Brelsford, & Laura Beskow, Thought Leader Perspectives on Participant Protections in Precision Medicine Research, 47 J. L. Med. Ethics 1, 134-48 (2019). 
  • Laura Beskow, Kathleen Brelsford, & Catherine Hammack, Patient Perspectives on Use of Electronic Health Records for Research Recruitment, 19 BMC Med. Rsch. Methodology 1, 42-55 (2019). 
  • Kathleen Brelsford, Ernesto Ruiz, Catherine Hammack, & Laura Beskow, Improving Translation and Cultural Appropriateness of Spanish-Language Consent Materials for Biobanks, 41 Ethics & Hum. Rsch. 5, 16-27 (2019). 
  • Laura Beskow, Catherine Hammack, & Kathleen Brelsford, Thought Leader Perspectives on Benefits and Harms in Precision Medicine Research, 13 PLoS One 11 (2018). 

Professional lectures, seminars, & workshops: Selected  

  • Invited Speaker, Legal and Ethical Considerations in the Provision of LGBTQ+ Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2022).  
  • Invited Speaker and Panelist, The Politics, Ethos, and Ironies of Citizen Science, “Bioethics, Citizen Science, and Human Subjects Protection” Symposium, University of Cincinnati (2021).  
  • Invited Speaker, LGBTQIA+ Genomics, National Consortium of the Centers of Excellence in [Ethical, Legal, & Social Implications] ELSI Research (CEER), National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (2021).  
  • Invited Speaker, “People Like Me”: BIPOC and Hispanic/Latinx Perspectives on Polygenic Risk Scores, Joint Session of the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMerge IV) National Consortium (2020).  
  • Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Public Perspectives and Considerations Regarding Ancestry and Kinship, “Issues at the Intersection of Identity and Genome Science” ELSIconversations Virtual Presentations Series (2021). Competitively selected. 
  • Invited Speaker and Panelist, Personal Views on Genomic Privacy: Lessons from a Transdisciplinary Research Program (with Bradley Malin, Ellen Clayton, Jay Clayton, & Zhijun Yin), 7th Int'l Workshop in Genome Privacy and Security: GenoPri'20 (2020).

For additional publications, see ORCID profile at https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1410-6231