Artificial womb technology is a new and groundbreaking technology aimed at helping extremely premature infants (born at 22-24 weeks of gestation) continue to develop in a fetal state. While this technology has shown success in fetal lambs and is now moving towards human trials, questions about the ethical, legal, and societal implications warrant discussion.
When: Thursday & Friday October 30-31, 2025
Where: Duke University School of Medicine
Who: Everyone interested in the ethics of Artificial Womb Technology for extreme prematurity (clinicians, researchers, patients, ethicists, etc.)
Cost: Free
Register Today!
This two-day symposium will bring together speakers to present chapters for a planned anthology intended to help inform and guide future research.
Day One:
- History of Neonatal Incubation/ Dr. Jeffrey Baker, Duke University School of Medicine
- History of Neonatal Innovation/ Dr. Johanna Schoen, Rutgers University
- Extreme Prematurity/ Dr. Katharine Callahan, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Artificial Womb Technology/ Dr. Alan Flake, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Moral Status of the Fetonate/ Dr. James Mumford, University of Virginia
- Ethics of Viability/ Dr. Christopher Collura, Mayo Clinical College of Medicine
- Research Ethics/ Dr. Robert Nelson, Johnson & Johnson
Day Two:
- Legal Considerations/ Dr. Henry "Hank" Greely, Stanford Law School
- Maternal and Societal Considerations/ Dr. Anne Lyerly, UNC-Chapel Hill
- Justice & Distribution/ Dr. Lisa McElroy, Duke University School of Medicine
- Future Directions/ Dr. Felix De Bie, Duke University School of Medicine