Lauren Sankary, M.A., J.D. Titles and Appointments Assistant Professor School Medical School Department Neurological Surgery | Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute Biography Download Curriculum Vitae Lauren Sankary, JD, MA, HEC-C is an Assistant Professor in the UT Southwestern Department of Neurological Surgery and the O'Donnell Brain Institute and a Clinical Ethicist at Clements University Hospital. Professor Sankary conducts empirical investigations in clinical and translational research ethics with a strong track record of NIH and foundation funding. Her research applies legal, qualitative, and empirical bioethics research methods to investigate ethical issues in clinical research involving vulnerable patient populations, drawing upon upon her direct experience supporting informed consent as a clinical ethicist and research consent monitor for participants enrolling in innovative neurological research. Prof. Sankary began her research career with NIH BRAIN Initiative-funded postdoctoral training examining ethical considerations related to explant of implanted neurotechnology and long-term implications of participation in biotechnology research (F32MH115419). She subsequently led two national survey studies investigating unanticipated challenges that arise in obtaining informed consent in research involving cognitively vulnerable patient populations (funded by NINDS 3UH3NS100543-03S1) and multiple stakeholder views on barriers to remote consent practices necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic (funded by NIA 3P30AG062428-02S2). She also has experience leading community-based research to address mistrust contributing to underrepresentation of minoritized populations in brain related research, supported by a 2023 Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Catalyst Award. Prof. Sankary’s recent study funded by the NIH Office of the Director investigated ethically optimal approaches to capturing participant feedback and informing research participants in early exploratory neurotechnology research in humans (3R01AT011905-02S1). Her current research supported by an Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant (AARG-22-9744622) employs Delphi methods to build expert consensus regarding responsible approaches to sharing Alzheimer’s disease risk information with research participants. Through her research, Prof. Sankary aims to promote alignment between research and community priorities and address barriers to the ethical recruitment and return of value in neurological research. Education Graduate School Case Western Reserve Univ (2017), Law Graduate School Case Western Reserve Univ (2017) Research Interest Clinical Ethics Neuroethics Neuromodulation Publications Featured Publications Building expert consensus regarding sharing of individual research results in Alzheimer's disease research: a Delphi study protocol. Sankary LR, Rico V, Zelinsky M, Webster HS, Lerner AJ, Martinez K, Ford PJ, Tousi B, Leverenz J, BMJ Open 2024 Aug 14 8 e089242 Overcoming barriers to informed consent in neurological research: Perspectives from a national survey. Sankary LR, Zelinsky ME, Ford PJ, Blackstone EC, Fox RJ, Res Ethics 2023 Jan 19 1 42-61 Mitigating Moral Distress through Ethics Consultation. Morley G, Sankary LR, Horsburgh CC, Am J Bioeth 2022 Apr 22 4 61-63 Exit from Brain Device Research: A Modified Grounded Theory Study of Researcher Obligations and Participant Experiences. Sankary LR, Zelinsky M, Machado A, Rush T, White A, Ford PJ, AJOB Neurosci 2022 13 4 215-226 Clarity on Palliative Neurosurgery: A Neuroethics Perspective. Blackstone EC, Ford PJ, Sankary LR, World Neurosurg 2021 Dec 156 56-58 Deep Brain Stimulation at End of Life: Clinical and Ethical Considerations. Sankary LR, Ford PJ, Machado AG, Hoeksema LJ, Samala RV, Harris DJ, J Palliat Med 2020 Apr 23 4 582-585 Integrating Agent-Regret with Frameworks for Mitigating Moral Distress. Morley G, Sankary LR, Am J Bioeth 2025 Feb 25 2 36-38 Attending to Trauma, Balancing Power, and Prioritizing Stakeholders in Ethics Consultation. Ford PJ, Morley G, Sankary LR, J Clin Ethics 2025 36 1 63-68 Nurturing moral community: A novel moral distress peer support navigator tool. Morley G, Sankary LR, Nurs Ethics 2024 Aug 31 5 980-991 Re-examining the relationship between moral distress and moral agency in nursing. Morley G, Sankary LR, Nurs Philos 2024 Jan 25 1 e12419 Results 1-10 of 23 1 2 3 Next Last