Margaret R. Eby


Fellow in the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Genetics and Genomics 

Penn Medical Ethics & Health Policy


A sociologist by training, I study the development of medical expertise through the emergence of eugenics in the early 20th century. My other major projects include studying the labor process of teaching within the modern research university and an analysis of lay experiences with direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Using a combination of archival methods, interviews, and ethnographies both digital and in person, I research the processes through which knowledge becomes legitimized.

My work has been published in Work and Occupations, Journal of Historical Sociology, PloS One, BMC Medical Education, and Globalization and Health. Before pursuing my doctorate, I graduated from NYU with a B.A. in Global Public Health.