Kalina Kamenova, PhD
BIOETHICS | EMERGING HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES | PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
 

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My research investigates the ethical, policy, and social dimensions of emerging technologies and the ways in which their development, regulation, and public communication shape contemporary health systems. Situated at the intersection of bioethics, science policy, and health systems research, my work examines how innovations in genomics, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence reconfigure notions of responsibility, trust, and justice within healthcare.

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I draw on both theoretical and applied bioethical perspectives to interrogate the moral and socio-political foundations of biomedical innovation and to explore how these commitments inform the design of institutional frameworks, regulatory policies, and public engagement strategies that promote responsible and equitable health research and care.

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I currently lead research projects in the following areas:

1. Ethics and Governance of AI in Healthcare

 

My research examines how AI technologies and algorithmic decision-making transform core bioethical concepts such as autonomy, informed consent, accountability, and fairness in clinical research and healthcare. This stream builds on my current study of algorithmic recruitment in clinical trials and the development of governance frameworks for AI-enabled diagnostic tools and digital health data. The growing use of generative AI for participant recruitment raises pressing ethical challenges: algorithmic bias can reproduce health inequities; AI-generated materials may obscure risks and complicate informed consent; and opaque data processes blur lines of accountability. Without robust oversight, the rapid adoption of AI risks eroding long-standing protections for clinical participants and public trust in biomedical research.

2. Compassionate Use and Patient Access in Genomics and Regenerative Medicine

 

I explore how policy instruments such as compassionate use provisions and expanded access programs mediate tensions between accelerated biomedical innovation and patient safety. My recent work on the evolving regulatory landscape for experimental stem-cell and gene therapies in China—combined with a comparative analysis of international compassionate use frameworks—underscores the need for coherent and ethically rigorous oversight mechanisms at both national and global levels. Through this research, I aim to contribute to policy models that balance innovation incentives with the protection of patients’ rights and equitable access to emerging therapies.

3. Deliberative Bioethics and Public Engagement

 

Building on my earlier work in deliberative democracy and participatory governance, I investigate how public deliberation and stakeholder engagement can democratize the governance of emerging health technologies. Through empirical and conceptual studies of participatory models, including citizens’ juries, citizens’ panels, and stakeholder dialogues, I explore how inclusive deliberative processes can enhance legitimacy, accountability, and trust in science and health policy.

 

Together, these thematic areas contribute to a broader understanding of how emerging biomedical technologies can be governed in ways that promote ethical innovation, equity, and social accountability within public health systems.

Methodological and Theoretical Approaches

 

My research combines empirical bioethics and science and technology studies (STS) methodologies with normative analysis. Using multiple qualitative methods, such as document analysis, interviews, focus groups, and policy mapping, I examine how ethical norms are constructed, negotiated, and institutionalized in practice. Theoretically, my work draws on frameworks of deliberative democracy, responsible research and innovation (RRI), and health justice, which together provide a lens for critically examining power relations and value conflicts in the governance of technology.

Knowledge Mobilization and Policy Impact

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A central principle of my scholarship is that ethical analysis should translate into actionable institutional and policy outcomes. Through the Canadian Institute for Genomics and Society (Genomics4S), I have developed a national platform for public dialogue, policy consultation, and trainee engagement on the societal implications of emerging technologies.

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Interdisciplinary collaboration and participation in international research networks are also core to my work. I have built extensive partnerships with scholars and institutions in Canada and abroad, advancing comparative and cross-sectoral approaches to the governance of biomedical innovation. My goal is to ensure that research in bioethics contributes directly to the design of policies and practices that make science more transparent, inclusive, and socially responsive.

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