About

Stuart Rennie is a Professor in Social Medicine at the University of North Carolina. His academic background includes a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Leuven, Belgium, with additional degrees in Anthropology and Philosophy from the same institution. His research and teaching focus on research ethics, public health ethics, and medical ethics, particularly within the context of the developing world. Dr. Rennie has been involved in numerous NIH-funded projects, including bioethics educational initiatives in Central Francophone Africa and South Africa, as well as research on the social and ethical implications of HIV cure research. He has collaborated with Stellenbosch University on projects related to research ethics and data science in sub-Saharan Africa and has conducted research on HIV-related issues in Kenya. His professional experience includes roles as a visiting lecturer at the Center for Bioethics in Stellenbosch, and as a lecturer in philosophy and applied ethics at UNC-Greensboro and the University of Cape Town. Dr. Rennie has contributed as an ethics consultant, lead author of ethics guidance documents, and ethics reviewer for various organizations. His publications address themes such as informed consent, HIV testing policies, medical rationing, implementation ethics, research involving children, health surveillance, health inequality, and social justice. His reflections on bioethics in a global context are shared through his Global Bioethics Blog.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Medicine
• Family medicine
• Sociology
• Genetics
• Business
• Nursing
• Gerontology
• Environmental health
• Pathology
• Public administration
• Biology
• Law
• Public relations

Selected publications

• Informed Consent in Molecular HIV Epidemiology: A Rapid Review of the Literature to Identify Concerns and Recommendations.

  UNC Libraries · 2026-03-17

  articleOpen access

  In the United States, molecular HIV epidemiology (MHE) is a key part of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which incorporates the evaluation of HIV genetic sequences for cluster detection and response. Data collection for MHE occurs without any requirement for formal consent from patients, which has sparked ethical concerns among community members, ethicists, and advocates. We conducted a rapid review of the current literature on informed consent and MHE to understand the key concerns and recommendations. We searched 4 academic databases and included articles that examined the issue of informed consent in MHE practices. We screened a total of 119 articles and selected 30 articles for inclusion. From these, we extracted data pertaining to concerns and recommendations related to informed consent in MHE, including MHE in the context of both research and surveillance. Our findings revealed 2 main categories of concerns: (1) challenges in obtaining valid informed consent and (2) concerns related to the current lack of consent such as risks of data misuse, privacy violations, and potential stigma. We identified 3 main categories of recommendations: establishing stronger data governance, developing ethical consent practices, and increasing community engagement. A key theme identified was an unresolved contestation about the ethics of using MHE without consent and whether the potential public health benefits of MHE justify concerns about autonomy, privacy, and potential harm. Future directions include the need for empirical research to evaluate the risks and benefits of MHE and the development of practices for meaningful community engagement to ensure ethical and context-sensitive approaches.

  PublisherDOI

• The HIV Open Call on Informed Consent and Ethics in Research (VOICE) for Adolescents and Young Adults: A Digital Crowdsourcing Open Call in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

  UNC Libraries · 2026-04-18

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Many adolescents and young adults (AYAs; 10-24 years old) are excluded from HIV research because of social, ethical, and legal challenges with informed consent, resulting in limited AYA-focused data. We use a participatory approach to identify strategies for improving AYA consent processes in HIV research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We conducted a digital crowdsourcing open call for ideas to improve AYA consent to HIV research in LMICs. Crowdsourcing involves engaging a group of people in problem-solving, then sharing emergent solutions. Submissions were evaluated by 3 independent judges using predefined criteria, with exceptional strategies receiving prizes. Demographic data were collected, and textual data were qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes in barriers and facilitators for improving AYA consent in HIV research, guided by a socioecological model. RESULTS: We received 110 strategies total; 65 were eligible for evaluation, 25 of which were identified as finalists. Fifty-eight participants from 10 LMICs submitted the 65 eligible submissions, of which 30 (52%) were 18 to 24 years old. Thematic analysis identified 10 barriers to AYA consent, including HIV stigma, limited education, and legal/regulatory barriers. Strategies for improving AYA consent processes revealed 7 potential facilitators: enhancing AYA engagement in research, involving parents/guardians, improving education/awareness, improving institutional practices/policy, making research participation more AYA-friendly, enhancing engagement of other key communities of interest, and empowering AYA. CONCLUSIONS: Diverse communities of interest in LMICs developed compelling strategies to enhance informed consent that may improve AYA inclusion in HIV research. These data will be used to develop practical guidance on improving AYA consent processes.

  PublisherDOI

• Facilitators and Barriers for Implementing Diagnostic Sequencing Technology for Pediatric Oncology in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

  Pediatric Blood & Cancer · 2026-03-15

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Inaccurate or imprecise diagnosis is a major contributor to treatment failure for children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Sequencing-based diagnostic testing presents an opportunity to overcome diagnostic deficiencies. It is important to identify facilitators and barriers which are common to the implementation of sequencing-based diagnostics in LMICs. PROCEDURE: Pediatric oncology research collaborators at six hospitals in LMICs were invited to participate in the study. Snowball sampling identified additional participants. Thirty-nine virtual, semi-structured interviews were conducted using interview guides informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) with suggested adaptations for LMICs. Rapid qualitative analysis was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to the implementation of diagnostic sequencing for pediatric cancers. Barriers were then matched with expert recommendation for implementation change (ERIC) strategies. RESULTS: Implementation facilitators and barriers were organized by CFIR construct. Predominant facilitators were relative advantage, culture, collective efficacy, self-efficacy, patient needs and resources, leadership engagement, knowledge and beliefs, tension for change, monitoring services for action, and implementation climate. Key barriers to implementation were cost, available resources, resource continuity, engaging participants, and resource source. CONCLUSIONS: Participants communicated that the lack of diagnostic classification for pediatric cancer in LMICs is a common key limitation to current cancer care. They described considerable motivating strengths to leverage toward this goal of developing sequencing-based diagnostic testing capacity. Resource availability, continuity, and sustainability are current barriers that must be addressed. Our data highlight the urgent need for creative global implementation partnerships as many centers in LMICs are poised to advance novel diagnostic solutions.

  PublisherDOI

• Key ethical issues encountered during COVID-19 research: a thematic analysis of perspectives from South African research ethics committees

  UNC Libraries · 2025-03-14

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Health Research Ethics in Southern Africa: Building Capacity and Cultivating Excellence

  Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics · 2025-06-30 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  The health research landscape in southern Africa is becoming increasingly complex as research efforts intensify to address the region's significant disease burden. The increasing volume and complexity of health research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights the ongoing need for enhanced research ethics capacity. To supplement a review published in 2014, this paper provides an overview of research ethics capacity-building initiatives supported through substantive long-term competitive awards from the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health between 2014 and 2024. These programs aimed to enhance the capabilities of research ethics committees (RECs) and strengthen research ethics capacity throughout Southern Africa, with broader benefits to the African continent and globally as collaborative health research increases. The programs have successfully developed and delivered comprehensive research ethics curricula tailored to research ethics concerns in the region. Trainees and graduates include clinicians, researchers, REC members, REC administrators, lawyers, and ethicists, with focused efforts to ensure gender parity. This increased representivity of scholars has improved the membership on RECs and in skilled research ethics leadership in the region. For the benefit of future planning, this paper also describes some of the many challenges faced in delivering on program goals - including COVID-19. We also describe innovative solutions developed to address these challenges and meet the needs of students, faculty and institutions, while cultivating excellence in health research ethics. The paper concludes by highlighting areas for future research, underscoring the importance of continued diverse global investment in research ethics capacity to protect research participants and maintain and improve ethical standards and practice in health research within the region and globally. This will enable the development of innovative evidence-based global health solutions based on ethical research.

  PublisherDOI

• Scraping the Web for Public Health Gains: Ethical Considerations from a ‘Big Data’ Research Project on HIV and Incarceration

  UNC Libraries · 2025-07-15

  articleOpen access

  Web scraping involves using computer programs for automated extraction and organization of data from the Web for the purpose of further data analysis and use. It is frequently used by commercial companies, but also has become a valuable tool in epidemiological research and public health planning. In this paper, we explore ethical issues in a project that "scrapes" public websites of U.S. county jails as part of an effort to develop a comprehensive database (including individual-level jail incarcerations, court records and confidential HIV records) to enhance HIV surveillance and improve continuity of care for incarcerated populations. We argue that the well-known framework of Emanuel et al. (2000) provides only partial ethical guidance for the activities we describe, which lie at a complex intersection of public health research and public health practice. We suggest some ethical considerations from the ethics of public health practice to help fill gaps in this relatively unexplored area.

  PublisherDOI

• Comparative strategic approaches to COVID-19 in Africa: Balancing public interest with civil liberties

  UNC Libraries · 2025-06-26

  articleOpen access

  As COVID-19 spreads rapidly across Africa, causing havoc to economies and disruption to already fragile healthcare systems, it is becoming clear that despite standardised global health strategies, national and local government responses must be tailored to their individual settings. Some African countries have adopted stringent measures such as national lockdown, quarantine or isolation, in combination with good hand hygiene, mandatory wearing of masks and physical distancing, to prevent an impending healthcare crisis. The impact of stringent measures in low- to middle-income African countries has bought time for healthcare facilities to prepare for the onslaught of COVID-19 cases, but some measures have been challenging to implement. In some settings, public health measures have been associated with serious violations of individual rights owing to abuse of power and gaps in implementation of well-intentioned policy. Collateral damage with regard to non-COVID-19 diseases that were suboptimally managed in pre-pandemic times may mean that lives lost from other diseases could exceed those saved from COVID-19. While individuals complying with lockdown regulations have embraced an acceptance of the concept of the common good, at a broad community level many are finding the transition from individualism to collective thinking required during a pandemic difficult to navigate. In this article, we look at government responses to the pandemic in six African countries (Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana), and highlight ethical concerns arising in these contexts.

  PublisherDOI

• Advancing a Data Justice Framework for Public Health Surveillance

  UNC Libraries · 2025-05-06

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Bioethical debates about privacy, big data, and public health surveillance have not sufficiently engaged the perspectives of those being surveilled. The data justice framework suggests that big data applications have the potential to create disproportionate harm for socially marginalized groups. Using examples from our research on HIV surveillance for individuals incarcerated in jails, we analyze ethical issues in deploying big data in public health surveillance. METHODS: We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 24 people living with HIV who had been previously incarcerated in county jails about their perspectives on and experiences with HIV surveillance, as part of a larger study to characterize ethical considerations in leveraging big data techniques to enhance continuity of care for incarcerated people living with HIV. RESULTS: Most participants expressed support for the state health department tracking HIV testing results and viral load data. Several viewed HIV surveillance as a violation of privacy, and several had actively avoided contact from state public health outreach workers. Participants were most likely to express reservations about surveillance when they viewed the state's motives as self-interested. Perspectives highlight the mistrust that structurally vulnerable people may have in the state's capacity to act as an agent of welfare. Findings suggest that adopting a nuanced, context-sensitive view on surveillance is essential. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing trustworthiness through interpersonal interactions with public health personnel is important to reversing historical legacies of harm to racial minorities and structurally vulnerable groups. Empowering stakeholders to participate in the design and implementation of data infrastructure and governance is critical for advancing a data justice agenda, and can offset privacy concerns. The next steps in advancing the data justice framework in public health surveillance will be to innovate ways to represent the voices of structurally vulnerable groups in the design and governance of big data initiatives.

  PublisherDOI

• Corrigendum: Scraping the Web for Public Health Gains: Ethical Considerations from a ‘Big Data’ Research Project on HIV and Incarceration

  UNC Libraries · 2025-07-15

  erratumOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Corrigendum to: Scraping the Web for Public Health Gains: Ethical Considerations from a ‘Big Data’ Research Project on HIV and Incarceration

  PublisherDOI

• Moral practices shaping HIV disclosure among young gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the context of biomedical advance

  UNC Libraries · 2025-07-15

  articleOpen access

  Biomedical advances in diagnostics, treatment and prevention increase the means available to reduce HIV transmission risk. Subsequent shifts in HIV status disclosure obligation and ethics may impact how those living with HIV view, enact and experience disclosure. We analysed focus group and interview data to explore how these changes are reflected in disclosure decision-making to sexual partners among young gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the USA. Three interrelated themes were identified: engaging with partners' varying HIV knowledge; attribution of blame; and negotiating disclosure-related harms. Participants experienced blame from partners that questioned the timing of HIV testing, status disclosure and sex events without regards for viral suppression or use of pre-exposure prophylaxis. Substantial HIV stigma was described in response to disclosure, mitigated in some cases by partners' higher HIV knowledge. Overall, an uneven diffusion of HIV treatment and prevention knowledge and continuing HIV stigma seemed to limit the translation of biomedical advances into improved disclosure experiences. Our findings suggest that young gay and bisexual men living with HIV may continue to perform much of the moral labour involved in disclosure by managing others' reactions, correcting inaccurate sexual health information, and negotiating the risks of disclosure-related harm.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R25TW007098

  NIH · $3.3M · 2020

• Research for Ethical Data Science in Southern Africa (REDSSA)

  NIH · $1.6M · 2021–2026

• NIH Grant R01AI108366

  NIH · $2.9M · 2019

• Advancing Research Ethics Training in Southern Africa (ARESA): Leadership Program

  NIH · $1.2M · 2017–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Joseph D. Tucker

  40 shared

• Eric T. Juengst

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  23 shared

• Adam Gilbertson

  Pacific Institute For Research and Evaluation

  23 shared

• Mara Buchbinder

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  22 shared

• Keymanthri Moodley

  Stellenbosch University

  19 shared

• David L. Rosen

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  19 shared

• Gail E. Henderson

  18 shared

• Lauren Brinkley‐Rubinstein

  Duke University

  18 shared

Labs

• Strengthening Bioethics Capacity and Justice in HealthPI

Education

• Ph.D., Philosophy

  University of Leuven

  2001

• M.A., Anthropology

  University of Leuven

  1995

• M.A., Philosophy

  University of Leuven

  1990

• B.A., Philosophy

  University of Leuven

  1987

Awards & honors

• Ethics Guidance for Research for the HIV Prevention Trials N…
• Research for Ethical Data Science in sub-Saharan Africa (RED…