Judy Illes, , PHD, FRSC, FCAHS, (born April 30, 1960) is Professor of

Neurology Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...

and Distinguished University Scholar in

Neuroethics In philosophy and neuroscience, Neuroethics is the study of both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics. The ethics of neuroscience comprises the bulk of work in neuroethics. It concerns the ethical, legal and social impact of n ...

at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. She is Director of Neuroethics Canada at UBC, and faculty in the Brain Research Centre at UBC and at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. She also holds affiliate appointments in the School of Population and Public Health and the School of Journalism at UBC, and in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

in Seattle, WA. USA. She was appointed a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 2017.

Research focus

Illes' research focuses on the ethical, legal, social and policy challenges specifically at the intersection of the

neurosciences Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...

and

biomedical ethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...

. This includes studies on advanced neurotechnologies in basic and

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of healthcare science that determines the safety and effectiveness ( efficacy) of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use. These may be used for prevention, treatm ...

regenerative medicine Regenerative medicine deals with the "process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human or animal cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function". This field holds the promise of engineering damaged tissues and organs by st ...

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

, and the

commercialization Commercialization or commercialisation is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into ear ...

cognitive neuroscience Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental proces ...

. She also leads a robust program of research and outreach devoted to improving the literacy of neuroscience and engaging stakeholders on a global scale.

Other activities

Illes is a pioneer of the field of neuroethics that was formally established in early 2000 to directly align biomedical ethics with neuroscience in research, clinical practice, and the commercialization of brain health. She is co-lead of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy of the International Brain Initiative, and sits on numerous advisory boards, including the Standing Committee on Ethics and the Institute for Neuroscience Mental Health and Addiction of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She also is a newly appointed Director-at-Large of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Illes is often asked to provide expert consultation and testimony on ethics matters involving conflict of interest, neuroprivacy, and ownership of research data, governance, and regulation

Books

* The Strategic Grant-seeker: A Guide To Conceptualizing Fundable Research in the Brain and Behavioral Sciences (1999) * Neuroethics: Defining the issues in theory, practice, and policy (2005) * Addiction Neuroethics: The Ethics of Addiction Neuroscience Research and Treatment (2011) * Ethical Issues in Behavioral Neuroscience (2015) * Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics (2013) * Neuroethics: Anticipating the Future (2017) * Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics (Pain - 2018; Global Mental Health - 2019; Do it Yourself Neurotechnologies - 2020 forthcoming)

Awards and honours

In 2017, Illes was appointed to the

. * Women in Neuroscience, 2004 * Women of Distinction Award Nominee, YWCA, 2009 * Mentoring Award Nominee, Nature, 2010 * Louise Hanson Marshall Special Recognition Award, Society for Neuroscience, 2011 * Patricia Price Browne Prize in Biomedical Ethics, 2018 * Martin M. Hoffman Award for Research Excellence, UBC Faculty of Medicine, 2021 * UBC Distinguished University Scholar, 2021 * Distinguished Professor in Clinical/Applied Science, UBC Faculty of Medicine, 2021 * Prize, Italian Society of Neuroethics, Milan, Italy, 2022 * UBC Distinguished Professor in Neuroethics, 2022

External links

UBC Researcher ProfileNational Core for Neuroethics BlogNational Core for Neuroethics Annual Report 2012

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Illes, Judy 1960 births Living people Members of the Order of Canada Scientists from Montreal Canadian women neuroscientists Canada Research Chairs University of British Columbia faculty Stanford University alumni