Vanessa Ferguson

Vanessa received her MA at Queen’s University in the department of Philosophy. Her Master’s thesis explores the ethical implications and limits of sickle cell disease (SCD) research amid the interest in the use of precision medicine (PM) technologies to treat the disease. Vanessa is interested in exploring how race and racism functions within healthcare and how to mitigate its implications. Her research spans bioethics, political philosophy, artificial intelligence (AI) ethics, and Black studies. In the lab, Vanessa’s research explores the ethical implications of radiomics amid the interests in its use to treat disparities colorectal cancer – especially for Black populations, who are already at an increased risk for colorectal cancer and related complications. 

In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys retail therapy, traveling and spending time with her family friends.