Bryn Saunders, MA

October 2018

Bryn Saunders received her Masters of Arts in Bioethics from Wake Forest University in 2016. As she was a double major in Chemistry and PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics), bioethics graduate education presented Bryn an opportunity to continue exploring related topics while developing a career path.

Bryn currently works as a research ethics specialist, which is similar to an Institutional Review Board (IRB) coordinator. She assists doctoral students throughout the IRB review process. Many of the students have not conducted research, so IRB review is a learning process. Her knowledge of bioethics helps her identify potential ethical issues and answer students’ ethical questions. Two courses Bryn took in the Bioethics Graduate Program, biomedical research ethics and biotechnology law & policy, were particularly relevant to her job.

During her time at Wake Forest, Bryn enjoyed meeting and talking with the weekly guest speakers who visited the classes. Students would read the speakers’ published articles prior to class, resulting in lively discussions during the presentations. Hearing firsthand from these experts made her feel connected to the professional bioethics world.

Other memories that stand out for Bryn while in the Bioethics Graduate Program revolve around spending time with classmates. They would get together for weekly dinners where everyone took turns at cooking. Although some were not the best chefs, these times cemented future friendships. Additionally, as a graduate student, Bryn attended the annual American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) conference on two occasions. Since she works in research ethics, the knowledge she gained from these conferences was indispensable. She plans to continue to take advantage of the ASBH conferences and looks forward to reuniting with the attending faculty, students and alumni from the Bioethics Graduate Program.

Bryn enjoys living in Minneapolis where she is pursuing her Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, and coaching cross country and track and field at De LaSalle High School.