About the KIEJ

History of the Journal

Now in its third decade of publication, the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (KIEJ) is an interdisciplinary quarterly journal of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. Over time, the journal’s focus has evolved as the field of bioethics has itself shifted and matured. In its early years, the journal emphasized traditional concerns in bioethics, such as the ethics of clinical research and physician-patient relations, but soon broadened its perspective to include moral issues in emerging medical technologies like human embryonic stem cell research and genetic testing. More recently, the journal’s purview has expanded to include normative aspects of human health and well-being, such as public health ethics and environmental justice, as well as ethical and social issues in science practice. Today, the editorial team continues to expand the journal’s horizons to keep the journal at the forefront of further developments in the discipline: only fitting for a journal which has for so long been a leader in the field.

Mission Statement

The KIEJ seeks to publish philosophically rigorous and empirically informed articles that explore the conceptual foundations and complexities of bioethical issues. The editorial team construes ‘bioethics’ maximally broadly, so as to include ethical, social, and political issues concerning public health, medicine, the environment, the natural sciences, nutrition, human embodiment, and sustainability and development, along with all standard bioethical topics.

We solicit in-depth articles (average 8,000-12,000 words) that combine detailed conceptual analysis with practical engagement. While we accept papers in all areas of bioethics, we are especially interested in publishing papers that explore ethical and social issues in science practice, and/or philosophical approaches to health, environmental, and science policy. We encourage articles that situate philosophical and ethical issues in a global context.

Prospective authors should feel free to contact the editorial team for advice concerning whether their manuscripts are suitable for submission to KIEJ and how to bring them in line with the journal’s mission.

Editorial Team

Quill R Kukla, Editor-in-Chief

Quill R Kukla, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics and Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. Professor Kukla’s research interests include reproductive ethics and the culture of pregnancy and motherhood, public health ethics, the ethics of health communication, research ethics, methodological issues in medical research, and the social epistemology of medicine. Much of their research bridges bioethics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. Of late, they have particularly been interested in ethical and epistemological issues surrounding risk reasoning and communication. They explore these issues at all levels of medical practice, from trial design and the interpretation of scientific results, to evidence-based medicine guidelines, to physician-patient communication, to health promotion campaigns and media representations of risk, to laypeople’s judgments and discussions about risk.

Sara Kolmes, Managing Editor

Sara Kolmes, MA, is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Georgetown University. Her research is focused on clinical communication and ways that epistemology can inform bioethics.

Elisa Reverman, Assistant Managing Editor

Elisa Reverman is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at Georgetown University, interested in clinical ethics, bioethics, and feminist philosophy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, and worked in biomedical engineering until diverting her interests to philosophy.

Christopher Kochevar, Book Review Editor

Christopher Kochevar is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at Georgetown University, interested in philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and bioethics. His undergraduate work focused on molecular biology and philosophy, and he holds a JD from NYU School of Law. Before coming to Georgetown, he worked for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel.

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Editorial Board