Photo of Audrey R. Chapman, Ph.D., M.Div., S.T.M.

Audrey R. Chapman, Ph.D., M.Div., S.T.M.

Professor, Public Health Sciences
UConn Health Auxiliary/Joseph M. Healey, Jr. Chair in Medical Humanities and Bioethics, Division of Public Health Law and Ethics
Academic Office Location:
Public Health Sciences
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-6325
Phone: 860-679-1590
Fax: 860-679-5464
Email: achapman@uchc.edu
Website(s):

Public Health Sciences

Dr. Chapman began her professional career as a faculty member in the Political Science Department at Barnard College. She then spent several years teaching and conducting applied social science research on development issues at institutions in Ghana, Lebanon, and Kenya. When she returned to the U.S., she assumed a position directing peace, justice, and human rights programs for the United Church Board for World Ministries, the international agency of the United Church of Christ, attended seminary, and was ordained as a minister in the denomination. Prior to her appointment at the UConn Health Center, she spent 15 years on the staff of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as the Director of the Science and Human Rights Program; the founding Director and then Senior Associate for Ethics of the AAAS Program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion; and for several years, the Co-Director of the AAAS initiative on Science and Intellectual Property in the Public Interest. She has been on the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine since July 2006 when she assumed her current appointment as a Professor of Community Medicine and Healthcare and the Healey Chair in Medical Humanities and Medical Ethics. Dr. Chapman is the author, coauthor, or editor of 18 books and more than 70 articles and reports dealing with ethical, human rights, theological, and intellectual property issues related to health, stem cells, genetic developments, and pharmaceuticals. She also has published works on economic, social and cultural rights; stem cell developments; health care reform; transitional justice; reconciliation; and development issues. As a Professor in the Division of Public Health Law and Bioethics and the first Healey Endowed Chair, she is responsible for developing medical humanities and health ethics programs at UConn Health.

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
A.B.Wellesley CollegePolitical Science
M.A.Columbia UniversityPolitical Science
Ph.D.Columbia UniversityPublic Law & Government
OtherNew York Theological SeminaryEthics
OtherUnion Theological SeminaryEthics

Post-Graduate Training
TrainingInstitutionSpecialty
FellowshipUniversity of NairobiVisiting Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Development Studies,

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
2019 Joan Segal Award for Outstanding FacultyDept of Public Health Sciences
Delta Omega (Public Health)UConn Health Center
Phi Beta KappaWellesley College

Dr. Chapman currently offers courses dealing with the ethical and regulatory dimensions of innovative health therapies, public health ethics, comparative health systems, reproductive health ethics, and health and human rights. She also has been involved in team taught courses on health and human development, the ethical dimensions of genetic developments, and research ethics in the Medical School and the M.P.H. Program. While at the University of Connecticut she has also taught medical school courses on reproductive ethics, spirituality and health and end of life care.

Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
Public Affairs CommitteeAdvisory CommitteememberUConn HealthLocal2023
U21 HSG Public Health GroupAdvisory CommitteememberExternalInternational2021
Curriculum CommitteeAdvisory CommitteechairUConn HealthLocal20212024
Dept of Public Health Sciences Curriculum Advisory CommitteeEducation CommitteememberUConn HealthUniversity2020
Curriculum Committee, Department of Public Health SciencesAdvisory CommitteememberUConn HealthLocal2020
Merit Appeals CommitteeEducation CommitteememberUConn HealthLocal2019
Merit Appeals CommitteeEducation CommitteeMemberUConn HealthLocal2018
Graduate Faculties CouncilEducation CommitteeMemberUConn-StorrsState20172019
University of Connecticut Humanities Institute BoardEducation CommitteeMemberUConn-StorrsUniversity20162018
Health and Human Rights Editorial BoardEditorial BoardEditorial Board memberExternalInternational2012
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight CommitteeResearch CommitteeChairUConn HealthUniversity2010
State of Maryland Stem Cell Program Review CommitteeOtherMemberExternalState2010
Journal of Human RightsEditorial BoardBoard memberUConn-StorrsInternational2008
Dempsey Hospital Ethics CommitteeOtherMemberUConn HealthUniversity2006
Gladstein Human Rights Committee, Human Rights InstituteOtherMemberUConn-StorrsUniversity2006
Expert Genomics Advisory Panel, Connecticut Department of Public HealthAdvisory CommitteeMemberExternalState
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Genomics Subcommittee, Connecticut Department of Public HealthProfessional/Scientific OrganizationCo ChairExternalRegional
State of Connecticut Stem Cell Ethics and Law Working GroupWorkshop/ConferenceMemberExternalState
UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights: Expert Working Group on the Right to the Benefits of ScienceProfessional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalInternational
Institute for Systems GenomicsProfessional/Scientific OrganizationmemberUniversity
Global Health and Human Rights Working GroupResearch CommitteememberUConn-StorrsUniversity
Economic and Social Rights Working GroupResearch CommitteememberUConn-StorrsUniversity

While at AAAS, she directed or co-directed a series of projects related to the right to health, the ethics of stem cell research, inheritable genetic modifications, and behavioral genetics. She also worked on a wide range of issues related to economic, social and cultural rights, some in close cooperation with the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to the Highest Attainable Level of Health. She continues to be involved with several UN related initiatives to develop indicators, to conceptualize the content of selected rights, and to improve the monitoring of economic, social and cultural rights. At the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Professor Chapman has conducted research on ethical issues related to human embryonic stem cell and induced pluripotent stem cell research. She continues to work on stem cell issues and a variety of health and human rights issues. She completed a pilot project on barriers to equitable access to genetic testing and services in Connecticut. In addition, she worked on projects dealing with ethical issues related to the introduction of noninvasive prenatal pregnancy diagnosis, ethical norms for early stage clinical trials with pluripotent stem cell derivatives, and the development of core benefit packages in developing countries consistent with human rights norms. Her two most recent books are Genetic Research on Addiction: Ethics, the Law, and Public Health (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Global Health, Human Rights and the Challenges of Neoliberalism (Cambridge University Press 2016). She is currently writing a book tentatively titled Translating Stem Cells into Therapies: Ethical and Justice Issues.

Journal Articles

Books

  • The Ethical Challenges of the Stem Cell Revolution
    Chapman, Audrey The Ethical Challenges of the Stem Cell Revolution 2020 Dec;
  • Chapman, Audrey Global Health, Human Rights and the Challenge of Neoliberal Policies 2016 Jul;
  • Audrey R. Chapman Genetics Research on Addiction: Ethics, the Law, and Public Health 2012 Jan;
  • Hugo van der Merwe, Victoria Baxter, and Audrey R. Chapman Assessing the Impact of Transitional Justice: Challenges for Empirical Research 2009 Jan;
  • Audrey R. Chapman and Hugo van der Merwe Truth and Reconciliation: Did the TRC Deliver? 2008 Jan;
  • Erik Parens, Audrey R. Chapman, and Nancy Press Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics 2006 Jan;

Book Chapters

  • “Approaches to Studying Reconciliation,”
    Audrey R. Chapman Assessing the Impact of Transitional Justice 2009 Jan;
  • “Framing the Issues,”
    Audrey R. Chapman and Mark S. Frankel Designing Our Descendants: The Promises and Perils of Genetic Modifications 2003 Jan;3-19

Editorials

  • Reimagining the Mental Health Paradigm for Our Collective Well-Being
    Chapman, Audrey, Williams, Carmel, Hannah, Julie, and Puras, Dainius Health and Human Rights Journal 2020 Jun;11-8
  • Duterte's War on Drugs and the Silence of the Addiction Science Community
    Chapman, Audrey and Babor, Thomas Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2017 Jul;21-3

Letters

Notes

Title or AbstractTypeSponsor/EventDate/YearLocation
Ethical Concerns Related to Sex SelectionTalkCenter for Advanced Reproduction2023Farmington, CT
The Price of LifePlenary LectureStudent Organization, UConn Storrs2023
Children's Right to HealthLectureUCLA Dept of Pediatrics2023Los Angeles
Children's Right to HealthOtherMott Pediatric Hospital2023Michigan
Children's Right to HealthOtherDept Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Utah2023Salt Lake City, Utah
Does Developing Gametes from Pluripotent Stem Cells Offer a New Path of Reproduction, American Journal of Law and Medicine symposiumPanel DiscussionAmerican Journal of Law and Medicine Symposium2022Boston/MA and virtual
Disparate Impacts of Covid Pandemic Policies on Communities of Color, San Francisco Bar Association PanelPanel DiscussionSan Francisco Bar Association2022San Francisco and Virtual
The Benefits of Pediatricians Adopting a Human Rights Approach, Pediatric Academic Society panelPanel DiscussionPediatric Academic Society2022Denver, Colorado
Children's Right to Health, Mott Pediatric Hospital Grand RoundsLectureMott Pediatric Hospital2022Michigan and via Zoom
The Unequal Pandemic, Plenary Keynote, UConn Law SchoolPlenary LectureUConn Law School2022Hartford
The Ethical and Human Rights Implications of Using Digital Contact Tools to Respond to the Covid-19 Pandemic, presentation made at the Conference on Research on Covid 19: Collaborations at the Nexus of Engineering Human Rights and Interdisciplinary ScholarshipTalkUniversity of Connecticut2020remote
The Human Rights Contribution to Pro-Poor Universal CoveragePlenary LectureHarvard Medical School2019Cambridge, MA
The Contributions of Oral Health to Primary CarePanel DiscussionUnited for Sight2019New Haven, CT
Climate Change and Human Rights: The Case of PakistanPlenary LectureEconomic and Social Rights Group, UConn Storrs2019Storrs, CT
The Contributions of the Social Determinants of Health to Primary CareLectureSt Francis Dept Primary Care2019Hartford, CT
“Missed Opportunities: Human Rights Gap in the CSDH Report” LectureAmerican Public Health Association2012
“Obligations of States to Fulfill the Right to the Benefits of Science and Its Applications” TalkUnited Nations Human Rights Seminar2011Geneva, Switzerland
“Ethical Issues Related to Non-Invasive Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis” TalkNew England Regional Genetics Group Annual Meeting2011Portsmouth, New Hampshire
“Ethical Issues in the Development of Gametes from iPSCs” TalkMaryland Stem Cell Symposium2011Towson, Maryland
“Ethical Issues Related to Non-Invasive Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis”TalkAmerican College of Obstetrics and Gynecology2011Washington, D.C.
“Evaluating Sustinet through a Human Rights Lens” TalkConnecticut Health and Human Rights Conference2011University of Connecticut School of Social Work
“The Right to Health in an Age of Privatization” TalkEconomic and Social Rights Workshop2011University of Connecticut, Storrs campus
“Human Rights in the Global Marketplace: The Case of Health and its Prerequisites”TalkInternational Studies Association Meeting2010Montreal
“Conceptualizing the Right to the Benefits of Scientific Progress and Its Applications” TalkAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science2009
“Core Obligations of the Right to the Benefits of Scientific Progress and its Applications” TalkInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights2009Venice
“Requirements of Research on Reconciliation in Divided Societies” TalkUnited States Institute of Peace Seminary 2009
“Human Rights Critique of WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health Report" TalkSymposium on Extreme Poverty, Human Rights, and Health2009University of Ottawa
“Human Rights and Social Determinants of Health"TalkSymposium on Extreme Poverty, Human Rights, and Health2009University of Toronto
“Theological Views of the Person and their Implications for Human Enhancement”Talk2008Vanderbilt University
“Globalization, Health, and Human Rights” TalkUniversity of Connecticut School of Law2008Connecticut
“Globalization, Human Rights, and Health, Symposium on Global Health Challenges in an Unequal World"TalkUniversity of Toronto2008Toronto, Canada
“Ethical Complexities of Embryonic Stem Cell Research” TalkConvocation at College of the Holy Cross 2008
“Contributions and Limitations of a Human Rights Approach to Global Health Inequalities” TalkWorkshop on Health in an Unequal World2008University of Toronto
“Religious Perspectives on Health Care Reform” TalkSociety of Christian Ethics Annual Meeting2008Atlanta, Georgia
“Ethical Issues in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research”TalkWestport Library2007Westport, Connecticut
“Intersections of the Right to Health and the Right to the Benefits of Scientific Progress” TalkExpert Meeting2007UNESCO and University of Amsterdam Law Center
“Monitoring the Right to Health” LectureCentre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes2007Mumbai, India
“Theological Views of the Person and their Implications for Human Enhancement” Talk2007Vanderbilt University
“Can Human Dignity Serve as a Standard for Decisions about Using New Technologies”Talk2007Vanderbilt University
“Enhancing the Human” OtherDay in the Humanities2007University of Connecticut
“Ethical Oversight of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research” LectureCelebrating Women Series2007University of Connecticut Health Center
“Monitoring the Right to Health” LectureTata Institute for Social Science Research2006Mumbai, India
“The Status of Efforts to Monitoring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights”TalkConference on Economic Rights: Concept, Measurement, and Policy issues2005University of Connecticut
“Measuring the Right to Health”TalkConference on Lessons Learned from Rights-Based Approaches to Health2005Emory University
“Development of Indicators for Monitoring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights"TalkUNESCO Meeting 2005Addis Ababa
“Humanitarian Licensing to Increase Access to Medicines”TalkInstitute for Intellectual Property Research2005Queen Mary College
“Religious Ethics at the Frontiers of Genetic Science"LectureTanner Lecture2004University of Southern Utah
“Development of Indicators for Monitoring the Right to Health"TalkRight to Water Workshop, Heinrich Boell Foundation2004Berlin
“Monitoring the Right to Health” TalkInternational Human Rights Academy, University of Utrecht2004Utrecht
“Intellectual Property and Access to Medicine: Issues and Potential Responses” TalkMeeting of the Chemical Heritage Foundation2004Philadelphia
“Should We Design Our Descendants?: Ethical and Theological Issues” TalkSociety of Christian Ethics Annual Meeting2003Pittsburgh
“The Contributions and Limitations of a Human Rights Approach to Health”TalkNational Institutes of Health 2003Bethesda, MD
“Approaches to Studying Reconciliation”TalkConference on Empirical Methodologies on Transitional Justice2002Stellenbosch, South Africa
“Religious Perspectives on Genetics”LectureCollins Lecture, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon2002Portland, OR
“The Obligations of Poor Countries Related to the Right to Health” TalkAmerican Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics2001Philadelphia
"Approaches to Monitoring the Internationally Defined Right to Health”TalkAmerican Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics2001Philadelphia
"The Role of Indicators and Standards in Assessing Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights"TalkSecond Global Forum on Human Development2000Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
"The Contributions and Limitations of Christian Ethics on the Genetics Revolution" LectureGod, Life and Cosmos: Theistic Perspectives2000Islamabad
"Christian Perspectives on Genetics"TalkAmerican Society on Human Genetics2000
"The Role of Science-Religion Dialogue in Bioethics"TalkRathenau Instituut Forum on Human Cloning1999Amsterdam
“Truth Commissions as Instruments of Forgiveness and Reconciliation” Religious Contributions to Conflict ResolutionTalkSymposium on Forgiveness and Reconciliation1999Kennedy School, Harvard University
"Reassessing the Truth Finding of Truth Commissions" TalkHistory Workshop on the Truth Commission, Wittswater and University1999Johannesburg, South Africa
“Coming to Terms with the Past: Truth, Justice, and/or Reconciliation”TalkSociety of Christian Ethics Meeting1999San Francisco
“A Human Rights Perspective on Intellectual Property, Scientific Progress, and Access to the Benefits of Science” Panel DiscussionWorld Intellectual Property Organization Panel 1998Geneva
“Current Issues Affecting the Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights” TalkFaculty of Law, the University of British Columbia1998Vancouver
“Developing an Integrated System for Monitoring Freedom of Religion or Belief” TalkOslo Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief1998Oslo, Norway
“Theological Reflections on Genetics and Human Nature” Plenary LectureAmerican Theological Society1998New York
“Religious Perspectives on Genetic Patenting”TalkAmerican Society of Bioethics and the Humanities1997Baltimore
“Violations of the Right to Health” OtherMaastricht Guidelines on Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights1997Maastricht, The Netherlands
“Human Genetic Patenting: Ethical and Theological Issues”TalkSociety of Christian Ethics1997
“Population, Consumption, and Environmental Sustainability: Toward a Closer Partnership between Religion and Science” Plenary LectureConference on Consumption, Population and the Environment1995Weston, Massachusetts
“Monitoring Women’s Right to Health” TalkConference on the International Protection of Reproductive Rights1994The American University
“Religion and Genetics: The Future Agenda” , Plenary LectureBoston Theological Institute and the Directorate for Science and Policy1994Weston, Massachusetts
“Christian Ethics at the Frontiers of Science: Protestant Denominational and Ecumenical Statements on Genetic Engineering and the Human Genome” TalkSociety of Christian Ethics1994Chicago
“Rights and Responsibilities” TalkWorld Future Society Assembly1993Washington, D.C.
“Scientific Methods for Monitoring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights” TalkWorld Conference on Human Rights1993Vienna
“The Role of NGOs in Monitoring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights” Public Hearing on the Effects of the Policies of the International Financial Institutions on Human RightsOtherWorld Conference on Human Rights1993Vienna
“Exploring the Right to Health Care” TalkAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting1993Boston
“Religious and Theological Attitudes Toward Genetic Intervention and Alteration of Life Forms” TalkThe Institute of Religion1992Texas Medical Center
“The Potential of Christianity for Political Transformation”TalkAmerican Political Science Association Annual Meeting1992Chicago
“Toward a More Adequate Framework for Assessing Rights and Responsibilities” OtherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting1992Chicago
“Structural Problems: Policy Solutions” Presentation to God’s Justice in a New CenturyTalkConvocation of Interfaith Action for Economic Justice1989Washington, D.C.