About

Leigh Turner is a Professor in the School of Population and Public Health's Department of Health, Society, and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. He is the founding Director of the UCI Center for Health Ethics and is also a member of UCI’s Stem Cell Research Center and UCI MIND. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Religion & Social Ethics from the University of Southern California, earned in 1996, along with master's degrees in Religion & Social Ethics and Religious Studies, and a bachelor's degree in Religious Studies. Turner's research focuses on ethical, legal, and social issues related to stem cells and regenerative medicine products. He employs approaches from bioethics and the social sciences to critically examine the marketing claims and commercial practices of clinics that sell unproven and unlicensed cell-based interventions. Additionally, he investigates ethical concerns surrounding crowdfunding for medical care, cross-border health-related travel, non-trial expanded access to investigational interventions, and other related topics. Turner has contributed significantly to the field through his leadership roles and scholarly work addressing the complexities of stem cell research ethics and the regulation of emerging biomedical technologies.

Research topics

• Biology
• Political Science
• Medicine
• Cell biology
• Biotechnology
• Business
• Pathology
• Public relations
• Marketing
• Engineering ethics
• Virology

Selected publications

• 0281 The care gap: Workforce and wait time inequities in comprehensive urgent and cosmetic dermatology

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2025-07-21

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Challenging Reward Structures and Organizational Cultures that Propagate Stem Cell Hyperbole

  Stem Cell Reviews and Reports · 2025-08-18

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  How science is communicated shapes public understanding of science and informs decision-making by patients, research participants, policymakers, public funding agencies, private philanthropic organizations, and corporations. Responsible science communication is a collective responsibility of scientists. Accurate reporting is also a crucial feature of news media coverage of scientific research. Unfortunately, scientists, journalists, and other parties sometimes make hyperbolic claims that go beyond available evidence and exaggerate the significance of particular research findings. This phenomenon is evident in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive fields of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, though hyperbolic representations have also been documented in such fields as artificial intelligence, genomics, precision medicine, and synthetic biology. Stem cell hyperbole is shaped and promoted by systemic factors. We highlight the continued significance of responsible communication of stem cell science across news media and social media, especially in an era where there are powerful incentives to make hyperbolic claims. While such norms as truthfulness, accuracy, and accountability might seem self-evident, contemporary incentive structures and organizational cultures play an important role in promoting hyperbolic representations and other inaccurate representations of scientific research. Finally, we propose recommendations for supporting and sustaining research cultures that prioritize honesty and accuracy in science communication and public engagement.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• What does “appropriate scientific justification” mean for the review of human pluripotent stem cell, embryo, and related research?

  Stem Cell Reports · 2025-04-24 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  This article complements the 2021 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation by explaining what "adequate and appropriate scientific justification" means for human pluripotent stem cell, embryo, and related research, thus providing practical advice for review and oversight bodies, regulators, and investigators who conduct research in these areas.

  PublisherDOI

• Integrated model of abscond: transitioning towards a more integrated understanding of why prisoners abscond from open prisons

  Journal of Forensic Practice · 2025-06-20 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose Open prisons aim to mirror the conditions of the community and seek to allow prisoners a gradual adjustment to independence. However, abscond from open prisons attracts public concern and strict policies and procedures govern how staff should manage prisoners in open conditions safely. This conceptual paper aims to draw on existing literature and recent internally commissioned His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) research, which explored the perspectives of open prison staff and prisoners who have absconded. It highlights some limitations of previous approaches (e.g. the “push/pull” model). Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper used existing HMPPS research and relevant literature to conceptualise the “problem” of abscond and to identify factors to guide future thinking and practice in this area. Four HMPPS abscond-focused research studies were completed between 2022 and 2024. Across these four studies, the authors explored the perceptions of 12 prisoners who have absconded and 11 staff working in open prisons across England. Combined with existing literature on absconds and desistance from absconds, these four studies contributed to the development of the integrated model of abscond (IMA), which is proposed in this paper. Findings Implications for pre-transfer preparation, the prison environment and the psychology of the prisoner have been outlined. The authors suggest prisoner lived experience and staff involvement in the generation of ideas, design and prototyping, and the testing and implementation of any abscond reduction initiatives are paramount, using this model to guide innovation. Originality/value The IMA provides an original, alternative approach to understanding absconds, with emphasis on the interaction between the environmental and psychological factors in contributing to absconds.

  PublisherDOI

• LGBTQ+ persons, queer bioethics, and inclusivity in stem cell research and regenerative medicine

  Regenerative Medicine · 2025-09-02

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Despite the increasing visibility of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other expansive genders or sexual orientations) community, LGBTQ+ persons continue to face significant barriers, discrimination, and stigmatization in the health care space. The unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ persons in healthcare led bioethicists to develop queer bioethics. This approach to ethical reflection suggests that we should develop understanding of biomedical and biological topics related to LGBTQ+ persons and that we should examine topics not traditionally associated with LGBTQ+ persons through a queer lens. Here, we argue that queer bioethics provides valuable new perspectives for improving stem cell science. We examine specific issues that should be examined using a queer bioethical framework for the benefit of all persons and the overall advancement of stem cell science. We specifically address strategies for stem cell donation recruitment, creation of more comprehensive stem cell models for precision medicine, and the promotion of more inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ persons in the stem cell science workforce. We contend that these important and timely topics provide suitable starting points for applying a queer bioethical perspective to stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Furthermore, we underscore the importance of addressing these topics in the current political climate.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Lessons in Diplomacy

  Policy Press eBooks · 2024-07-25

  book1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Lessons in Diplomacy

  Policy Press eBooks · 2024-09-06

  book1st authorCorresponding

  Is a diplomat’s life really as glamorous as a royal visit, or as dramatic as a coup d’état in Turkey? Leigh Turner is a former British ambassador who held posts in Ukraine, Turkey and Austria. In this witty globe-trotting adventure through one of the most intriguing careers a person can have, Leigh relates his interactions with royalty of both the aristocratic and celebrity kinds, and with brilliant and extraordinary people who bestowed valuable lessons. Offering astute reflections on Brexit, Russia’s war with Ukraine and the chaos of modern politics, he sheds new light on the intricacies of modern statecraft, including what we all can learn from a good diplomat or ambassador. In this entertaining and accessible first-hand account, you’ll discover how diplomats really work with spies, how immunity allows killers to escape justice, how Russia broke up the Soviet Union and then nursed its resentment at the consequences -- and how to throw, and be invited to, a great cocktail party.

  PublisherDOI

• US businesses engaged in direct-to-consumer marketing of perinatal stem cell interventions following the Food and Drug Administration's enforcement discretion era

  Cytotherapy · 2024-02-08 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND AIMS: The goal of this study was to analyze online marketing representations made by 300 US businesses selling allogeneic perinatal stem cell products. The study was conducted after a period of enforcement discretion by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). METHODS: Data mining and content analysis were used to identify, analyze and categorize marketing claims made on the websites of 300 businesses selling perinatal stem cell interventions. RESULTS: The study identified types of perinatal interventions companies advertised, geographic locations of clinics selling such products, types of companies operating in this space, diseases and injuries such businesses claim to treat, prices companies charge for such interventions, brand names of advertised perinatal cell products and identities of suppliers. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial number of US businesses market unapproved perinatal stem cell products for various indications. This widespread commercial activity occurred following the conclusion of a period of enforcement discretion by the FDA and suggests the need for more robust and comprehensive regulatory responses to businesses selling unapproved perinatal stem cell products.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effective regulatory responses to predatory stem cell markets in Australia and Canada

  Cell stem cell · 2024-10-01 · 5 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Epilogue:

  Policy Press eBooks · 2024-07-25

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jeremy Snyder

  24 shared

• Valorie A. Crooks

  Simon Fraser University

  15 shared

• Laertis Ikonomou

  University at Buffalo, State University of New York

  15 shared

• Shemms Najjar

  University of California, Irvine

  10 shared

• Juan Ramon Martinez

  University of California, Irvine

  10 shared

• Thevin Rajapaksha Arachchilage

  University of California, Irvine

  10 shared

• Victoria Sahrai

  University of California, Irvine

  9 shared

• J. Wang

  Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College

  9 shared