Ethics and the Future of Reproduction: Making Eggs and Sperm from Skin Cells with Jeffrey Kahn and Anna Mastroianni

What if ordinary skin cells could be transformed into eggs or sperm? Scientists are exploring in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), a technology that could expand reproductive options while raising profound ethical questions. Join Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics faculty as they explore the promises, risks, and societal implications of a technology that could reshape the future of human reproduction. 

This event will take place in person and online at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To view the livestream | Whether you're attending in person or online, you must register with your email address. You will need a device with audio and/or video and an internet/cellular connection to view the livestream.

About the Series

Join Jeffrey Kahn and other prominent Johns Hopkins faculty for a special 7 Stories Up series about bioethics. These events bring audiences into engaging conversations at the intersection of medicine, technology, law, and ethics. Each session encourages you to think through real‑world dilemmas shaping the future of health and society—all in a space designed for learning, reflection, and community dialogue.

About the Speakers

Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH is the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Levi Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy. His work focuses on the ethics of research, ethics and public health including global health, and ethics and emerging biomedical technologies. He speaks widely in the US and abroad, has published five books and over 160 articles, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the Executive Producer (with Anna Mastroianni) of the award-winning playing god? podcast.

Anna Mastroianni, JD, MPH, is Research Professor in Bioethics and Law at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Her scholarship explores complex issues at the intersection of law, bioethics, public health, and health policy, with a particular focus on the challenges of research in pregnancy, genetic technologies, and family building through assisted reproductive technologies. She has published widely across these areas and is recognized for her contributions to major debates in bioethics and public policy. She is executive producer (with Jeffrey Kahn) of the award-winning playing god? podcast and a creator of Moral Histories: Voices of the Founders of Bioethics.

Accessibility Notes

In-Person

• Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.


• ASL interpretation and real-time captioning (CART) are available upon request. Please submit your request via this form or contact SNFL at least two weeks in advance.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Livestream

• ASL interpretation and real-time captioning (CART) also available (see previous).


• Captions and a transcript will be provided.

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All programs are subject to change or cancellation. All programs are subject to recording and photography.

Conversations in Bioethics: Life, Death, and Who Decides? is presented in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Dracopoulos-Bloomberg iDeas Lab. Learn more.

The 7 Stories Up Series at SNFL is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).