Administration
The Consortium is unique in the nation. Our highly interdisciplinary program tackles the societal challenges posed by biomedicine and the life sciences through research, events, and engagement with the local, state, national, and international community.
Susan M. Wolf, JD
Susan M. Wolf, JD, is Regents Professor; McKnight Presidential Professor of Law, Medicine & Public Policy; Faegre Drinker Professor of Law; Professor of Medicine; and Chair of the Consortium on Law and Values at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the relationship of law, ethics, and biomedicine and on research ethics and integrity. Prof. Wolf is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Law Institute, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and The Hastings Center as well as a past-member of the Fellows' Council. She has received numerous grants to support her research, including from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and The Greenwall Foundation. Prof. Wolf has served on a variety of governmental and institutional panels, and currently serves on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Strategic Council for Research Excellence, Integrity, and Trust. She teaches in the areas of health law, law and science, and bioethics, and she is the faculty chair of the Law School's Concentration in Health Law & Bioethics.
Francis X. Shen, JD, PhD
Francis X. Shen, JD, PhD, is a Professor of Law and Faculty Member of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, where he directs the Shen Neurolaw Lab, whose motto is, “Every story is a brain story.” Dr. Shen is also Co-Chair of the Consortium on Law on Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences; Chief Innovation Officer for the MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior (CLBB) in MGH Department of Psychiatry; founding director of the Dana Foundation Career Network in Neuroscience & Society; co-director of the Neurotech Justice Accelerator at Mass General Brigham, a Dana Center Initiative. He also co-leads NIH BRAIN Initiative funded projects on portable MRI, and community engagement in neuroimaging research. Dr. Shen has co-authored 4 books, including the first Law and Neuroscience casebook and Brain Science for Lawyers, Judges, and Policymakers. He has published articles on a range of neurolaw and neuroethics topics, including extensive research on the ethical and legal challenges associated with portable neuroimaging research. In 2021, he was awarded the Early Career Scholars Medal by the American Law Institute, one of two medals awarded every other year by the ALI, for being “a pioneer in establishing the interdisciplinary field of law and neuroscience.” He received his BA from the University of Chicago, his JD from Harvard Law School, and his PhD from the Harvard University.
Joanne Billings, MD, MPH
Organization
Joanne Billings, MD, MPH, serves as the University of Minnesota’s interim vice president for research and innovation, overseeing a $1+ billion research enterprise across all campuses and facilities. In this role, she manages units responsible for administration of sponsored projects, research and regulatory compliance, technology commercialization, and corporate engagement, as well as 14 interdisciplinary academic centers and institutes. Dr. Billings holds a joint appointment between the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) and the Medical School where she serves as associate professor of medicine and as a pulmonologist and critical care physician focusing on the care of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). She has been involved in clinical trials in CF for over 20 years. During this interim appointment, Dr. Billings will continue her clinical practice and engagement in her long-standing research on cystic fibrosis. She will also continue to serve as associate vice president for research integrity and compliance in RIO. She holds a BS in biochemistry from Illinois Benedictine College, an MD from Rush Medical College, and a MPH in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota.
Current Executive Committee
The Executive Committee facilitates the work of the Consortium. Its members' range of expertise and shared engagement is a crucial part of the Consortium's collaborative and cross-disciplinary work. Committee members are elected to staggered three-year renewable terms. Read about the nomination and election process. In addition, the Consortium Chair serves on the committee ex officio.
Michael K. Georgieff, MD
Michael K. Georgieff, MD, holds the position of the Martin Lenz Harrison Land Grant Chair in Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. He is a Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Developmental Psychology, the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development, and Co-Director of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). He received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He served his internship, residency, and neonatal fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Minnesota. In addition to caring for patients on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Georgieff is Director of the NICU Follow-up Program. Dr. Georgieff's research focuses on fetal/neonatal nutrition and brain development, specifically on the effect of early life iron nutrition and neurocognitive function. He has been continuously funded in this field by the National Institutes of Health for 35 years and has published over 300 scientific articles. He advises the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institutes of Health, and UNICEF on nutrition and early child development.
Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, RAAN
Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FAAN is the founder and director of the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota, where she also serves as a tenured professor in the School of Nursing. Within the School of Nursing, Dr. Kreitzer is the co-lead of the doctorate of nursing practice program in integrative health and healing. She has served as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator of numerous clinical trials focusing on mindfulness meditation with persons with chronic disease including studies focusing on solid organ transplant, cardiovascular disease, chronic insomnia, diabetes, and caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Current studies include the role of mindfulness in improving human brain-computer interface; the use of social technology to enhance healing and wellbeing; nursing leadership in integrative health and healing; and mindful movement for physical activity and wellbeing in older adults. Dr. Kreitzer regularly presents to practitioner and public audiences as well as at academic and healthcare conferences. She has authored more than 150 publications, and is the co-editor of the text Integrative Nursing published by Oxford University Press.
Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH
Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, is Regents Professor; McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health; the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP); and Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He is also a Professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an Adjunct Professor in the Medical School. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has served as a high-level state and federal advisor on issues related to bioterrorism, public health preparedness, and infectious diseases. Dr. Osterholm is the author of more than 315 papers as well as the New York Times best-selling books Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs and Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe.