L. Syd M Johnson
L. Syd M Johnson, PhD is a philosopher/bioethicist/neuroethicist, and Associate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities. She has a BA in Film from Bard College, and an MA and PhD in Philosophy from University at Albany, State University of New York. Dr. Johnson is a member of the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group, and an associate editor for the journal Neuroethics.
Dr. Johnson teaches Clinical Bioethics, Patients to Populations: Ethics, Law and Population Health, and Health Care Ethics.
Her current research in neuroethics focuses on ethical issues related to brain injuries, including sport-related neurotrauma, brain death, and disorders of consciousness. Her work is situated at the intersection of ethics, medicine, and law, and she has published on disorders of consciousness, sport-related concussion and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, reproductive ethics, research ethics, and animal ethics. Her interest in all things with brains/minds includes every kind of critter, zombies, and robots.
Dr. Johnson may be reached by phoning 315.464.8451 or by email at JohnsoLs@upstate.edu.
Dr. Johnson's current current CV.
Selected Publications
These links will take you to sites outside of the SUNY Upstate website. To return to SUNY Upstate, you will need to use your back button.
Books:
2022. Johnson, LSM. The Ethics of Uncertainty Entangled Ethical and Epistemic Risks in Disorders of Consciousness.New York: Oxford
2020. Johnson, LSM., Fenton, A, Shriver, A. (eds). Neuroethics and Nonhuman Animals. Switzerland: Springer.
2019. Andrews, K., Comstock, G., Crozier, GKD., Donaldson, S., Fenton, A., John, T., Johnson, LSM., Jones, RC., Kymlicka, W., Meynell, L., Nobis, N., Peña-Guzman, D., Sebo, J. Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosopher’s Brief. New York: Routledge.
2018. Johnson, LSM., Rommelfanger, KS. (eds), Routledge Handbook of Neuroethics. New York: Routledge.
Book Chapters:
2020. Johnson, LSM. Introduction to Animal Neuroethics: What and Why? In LSM Johnson, A Fenton, A Shriver (eds). Neuroethics and Nonhuman Animals. Switzerland: Springer
2020. Johnson, LSM. The Trouble with Animal Models in Brain Research. In Johnson, Fenton, Shriver (eds), Neuroethics and Nonhuman Animals. Switzerland: Springer.
2019. Johnson, LSM. The Transformer: Approaching the Assisted Death of Animals and Humans with Epistemic Humility and Uncertainty. In B. Donaldson & A.H. King (eds), Feeling Animal Death: Being Host to Ghosts. London: Rowman & Littlefield International.
2018. Johnson, LSM. Prenatal and Neonatal Neuroethics: The moral significance of painience. In L.S.M. Johnson & K.S. Rommelfanger (eds), Routledge Handbook of Neuroethics. New York: Routledge.
2016. Johnson, LSM. When hypothetical vulnerability becomes actual: Research participation and the autonomy of pregnant women. In F. Baylis & A. Ballantyne (eds), Clinical Research Involving Pregnant Women. Springer.
2016. Johnson, LSM. Moving beyond end-of-life: the ethics of disorders of consciousness in an age of discovery and uncertainty. In M. Monti & W. Sannita (eds), Brain function and responsiveness in disorders of consciousness. Springer.
2016. Johnson, LSM. Reproductive Technologies. In C.M. Klugman (ed). Philosophy: Medical Ethics. Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy series. Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference USA.
Journal Articles:
2020. Johnson, LSM. The road not mapped: The neuroethics roadmap on research with nonhuman primates. AJOB Neuroscience 2020; 11(3): 176-183.
2020. Johnson, LSM. Restoring trust and requiring consent in death by neurological criteria. AJOB 2020 20(6): 33-35
2020. Johnson, LSM and K. Cerminara. All Things Considered: Surrogate Decision-making on Behalf of Patients in the MCS. Clinical Ethics 2020; doi 10.1177/1477750920927177
2019. Johnson, LSM. Neuroethics of the Nonhuman. AJOB Neurosci 2019;10(3):111-113. doi: 10.1080/21507740.2019.1632973.
2019. Ferdowsian, H., Johnson, LSM., Johnson, J., Fenton, A., Shriver, A., and Gluck, J. A Belmont Report for animals?. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2019; doi: 10.1017/S0963180119001130. [Epub ahead of print]
2019. Ramos, K., Grady, C., Greely, HT., Chiong, W., Eberwine, J., Farahany, N., Johnson, LSM., Hyman, BT., Hyman, SE., Rommelfanger, KS., Serrano, E., Churchill, J., Gordon, J., and Koroshetz, WJ. The NIH BRAIN Initiative: Integrating Neuroethics and Neuroscience. Neuron 2019; 101(3): P394-398.
2018. Greely, H., Grady, C., Ramos, K., Chiong, W., Eberwine, J. Farahany, N., Johnson, LSM, Hyman, B., Hyman, S., Rommelfanger, K.S., and Serrano, E., The Neuroethics Working Group. Neuroethics Guiding Principles for the NIH BRAIN Initiative. The Journal of Neuroscience 2018; 38(50): 10586-10588.
2018. Global Neuroethics Summit Delegates, et al. Neuroethics Questions to Guide Ethical Research in the International Brain Initiatives. Neuron 2018; 100: doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.09.021
2018. Johnson, LSM., Lazaridis, C. The sources of uncertainty in disorders of consciousness. AJOB Neuroscience 2018; 9(2): 76-82.
2017. Johnson, LSM. Death by neurological criteria: Expert definitions and lay misgivings. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 2017; 110(5): 267-270.
2016. Johnson, LSM. Inference and inductive risk in disorders of consciousness. AJOB Neuroscience 2016; 7(1): 35-43.
2016. Johnson, LSM. The case for reasonable accommodation of conscientious objections to declarations of brain death. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 2016; 13(1): 105-115.
2015. Johnson, LSM. Sport-related neurotrauma and neuroprotection: Are Return-to-play protocols justified by paternalism? Neuroethics 2015; 8(1):15-26.