About

Gail Geller, ScD, MHS, is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, with joint appointments in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Departments of Health, Behavior & Society and Health Policy & Management, as well as in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Sociology. She also holds an adjunct appointment in the Center for Medical Humanities and Social Medicine. As a sociologist, Dr. Geller applies social and behavioral sciences to address moral and humanistic questions in medicine and public health. Her research focuses on the ethical and social implications of genetic testing across adult, pediatric, and family contexts, and she has been an active member of the Ethical, Legal & Social Implications (ELSI) research community since its inception. Dr. Geller has conducted extensive empirical research, both quantitative and qualitative, on these topics and has participated in NIH consortia related to cancer genetics and informed consent. She has also applied her expertise to the infectious disease context, serving as Co-Principal Investigator of an NHGRI CEER addressing ELSI issues in genomics for infectious diseases, and is currently involved in a study on ethics and stakeholder attitudes toward molecular epidemiology for HIV surveillance. Beyond genetics, her scholarship includes the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the role of palliative care in chronic diseases, and medical socialization. She has received NIH grants to explore palliative care integration for children and young adults with chronic, life-threatening disorders, and has been involved in ethics education, including serving as Co-Director of the Greenwall Fellowship Program in Bioethics & Health Policy. Dr. Geller has held several educational leadership roles at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, including involvement in curriculum revision, directing the “culture of medicine” core theme, and overseeing programs in medical humanities and social medicine. She has served on multiple professional boards and committees, including the Board of Directors of the American Society for Bioethics & Humanities and the NIH ELSI review panel, and is a Fellow of the Hastings Center.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Epistemology
• Law
• Philosophy

Selected publications

• Nature and value of health research: perspectives from local communities in Botswana

  Research Ethics · 2025-03-12

  articleOpen access

  Relatively few studies to-date have examined research communities’ perspectives on fundamental characteristics of health research. This study contributes to the literature by investigating what selected local communities in Botswana understand to be the nature and value of health research for their communities, and the distinction they make between health research and medical intervention. Semi-structured focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with participants from two ethnic groups that represent dominant linguistic populations in Botswana. Thematic content analysis was used to identify emerging themes. Results showed that participants viewed health research as a process of increasing and generating knowledge about health-related issues. Some viewed participation in health research as equivalent to receiving medical care. Interference with traditional practices and beliefs were identified as some of the challenges that may impede research participation. Although local communities’ participation in health-related research may have strategic and intrinsic value for the promotion of societal health outcomes, the perceptions that communities have about health research and medical or health care continue to be blurred. This study unearthed some of the uncertainties that researchers may take for granted, particularly when research communities confuse research and medical care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Clinician Perspectives on Disclosing Public Health Uses of HIV Antiretroviral Resistance Testing Results

  JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes · 2025-06-12 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impact of Disclosing to Patients the Use of Antiretroviral Resistance Testing Results for Molecular HIV Surveillance: A Randomized Experiment in 2 National Surveys

  JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · 2025-04-11 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Molecular HIV surveillance (MHS) can be used to help identify and respond to emerging clusters of rapidly spreading HIV transmissions, a practice known as cluster detection and response (CDR). In the United States, MHS relies on HIV gene sequences obtained from routine clinical antiretroviral resistance testing (ARVRT). By law, ARVRT results are reported to public health agencies for MHS and individuals are not asked for their specific consent to do so. This practice has raised ethical concerns, including the lack of consent for, and transparency surrounding, public health uses of these clinical data. Such concerns have spurred debate and could have a chilling effect on the willingness of people living with HIV to agree to ARVRT when recommended clinically and jeopardize the utility of MHS-informed HIV prevention efforts. In response to the lack of routine disclosure of use of ARVRT results for MHS, in 2022, the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) issued a resolution calling on the US Centers for Disease Control to "require that providers explain MHS/CDR and the laboratory test results that are collected and used in these surveillance activities to their patients." Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of clinician disclosure of the public health uses of ARVRT results for MHS versus clinician nondisclosure on patient willingness to undergo recommended ARVRT. Methods: We conducted a randomized survey experiment examining the effect of clinician disclosure of the public health uses of ARVRT results for MHS versus clinician nondisclosure (the current standard of care) and subsequent discovery of such uses through a "trusted media source" on patient willingness to undergo recommended ARVRT. Study participants were respondents to 1 of 2 national web-based surveys conducted annually in the United States: the American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS) and the Transgender Women's Internet Survey and Testing (TWIST). Results: Overall, 4348 AMIS participants (n=2151 disclosure; n=2197 nondisclosure) and 3314 TWIST participants (n=1670 disclosure; n=1644 nondisclosure) completed survey items regarding the randomly assigned vignettes. The majority were willing to undergo ARVRT regardless of which vignette they saw (1670/2151, 82.7% [AMIS] and 1326/1670, 80.8% [TWIST] in the disclosure group; and 1399/2197, 68% [AMIS] and 1101/1674, 68.45% [TWIST] in the nondisclosure group) after later learning about public health uses of ARVRT results. Conclusions: The majority of respondents expressed willingness to undergo ARVRT even with disclosure of public health uses of these data, but willingness markedly decreased when learning about these uses after the fact, highlighting the importance of transparency in MHS programs. Accordingly, in line with the ethical principle of respect for autonomy and the likelihood that the potential public health benefits of MHS programs will not be compromised, consideration should be given to encouraging clinicians to disclose public health uses of ARVRT at the time ARVRT is recommended.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Wonder in Medical School Admissions: Correlations with Admissions Decisions

  International Journal of Medical Students · 2025-03-27

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: The capacity for wonder (CfW), which has been proposed as an important personal disposition for clinicians, may provide a meaningful picture of medical school applicants. The purpose of our study was to explore experiences of wonder among applicants and their association with components of the admissions process. Methods: The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine asks applicants to submit an essay about a time they experienced wonder in their everyday life. Among applicants who were interviewed in the 2021-2022 cycle, we analyzed an anonymized 50% random sample of essays (n = 224). Essays were coded using the validated CfW scale and categorized by topic. Standard bivariate statistical tests were used to assess whether the extent of wonder was associated with admissions decisions and interview scores. Results: Among applicants who were admitted, 80% had scores reflecting “high wonder,” 62% had “medium wonder” scores, and 27% had “low wonder” scores. Applicants’ extent of wonder was significantly associated with their admissions decisions (p < 0.0002), mean interview scores (p = 0.00025), and mean scores in research portfolio (p < 0.0001). Six broad essay topics were identified: connecting with others, engaging in art, experiences in nature, engaging in wellness, the pursuit of knowledge, and sports/exercise. Conclusion: Applicants’ capacity for wonder may be a relevant consideration in the admissions process. Future research should verify our findings at other institutions, investigate other components of the medical school application that may be associated with the capacity for wonder, and explore interventions to cultivate wonder throughout medical education.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• More evidence is needed to improve molecular HIV surveillance for cluster detection and response

  Communications Medicine · 2025-11-14

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Molecular HIV surveillance (MHS) is used in the U.S. to inform public health prevention and intervention activities aimed at helping end the HIV epidemic. Its application in this context is currently challenged by ethical, legal, and social concerns, with gaps in understanding how end users weigh these issues. We sought to identify the preferences of MHS end users for improving MHS. METHODS: End users completed 12 choice experiment tasks evaluating five attributes of MHS for cluster detection and response. We generated a choice model using conditional logit and report results as relative attribute importance scores, comparing them to attitudinal data from close-ended questions. Responses to open-ended questions provide additional context on areas for MHS improvement. RESULTS: We report findings from 55 of 90 potential end-users who felt capable and agreed to participate. End users include researchers (n = 28) and public health practitioners (n = 27); their preferences do not differ significantly (p = 0.174) so their responses are combined. The highest weight is placed on certainty of MHS benefit (38%), followed by depth of HIV sequence sampling (26%). Lower weight is given to reducing stigma (20%) and personalized inferences (10%) and communication (6%). End users highlight improving MHS through implementation support, community engagement, transparent communication, intervention assistance, risk minimization, and impact assessment; researchers stress the need for better data access. CONCLUSIONS: End users place the highest value on having more evidence of MHS benefits. Improving MHS requires attention to implementation support, community engagement, transparent communication, intervention assistance, risk mitigation, impact assessment, and data access.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Achieving Greater Transparency Regarding Molecular HIV Surveillance: A Proposal to Move Beyond the Status Quo

  Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 2025-06-18 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Molecular HIV surveillance is used to in effort to enhance HIV prevention efforts by identifying emerging clusters of rapid HIV transmission. In the United States, it relies upon data from antiretroviral resistance testing done in the context of clinical care. However, information about the public health uses of these data are not always disclosed to patients at the time of testing, which raises ethical concerns. Building upon accumulating data about this practice, a multidisciplinary group argues that there is a need to increase transparency of the practice through active disclosure.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Patient and Physician Perspectives on Discussing Addiction Recovery and Spirituality in the Primary Care Setting

  Journal of General Internal Medicine · 2024-07-19

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Perceptions of Molecular HIV Surveillance Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States

  AIDS and Behavior · 2024-12-05 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• User experience with HIV molecular epidemiology in research, surveillance, and cluster detection and response: a needs assessment

  Current Medical Research and Opinion · 2024-09-09 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: HIV molecular epidemiology (HIV ME) is a tool that aims to improve HIV research, surveillance, and cluster detection and response. HIV ME is a core pillar of the U.S. initiative to End the HIV Epidemic but faces some challenges and criticisms from stakeholders. We sought to assess user experience to identify the current needs for HIV ME. METHODS: Users of HIV ME, including researchers and public health practitioners, were engaged via a structured survey. Needs were assessed via open-ended questions about HIV ME. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis; the concordance of results was assessed semi-quantitatively. RESULTS: = 28). Respondents identified current imperatives, challenges, and strategies to improve HIV ME. Imperatives included characterization of the virus, identification of HIV hotspots, and tailoring of HIV interventions. Challenges encompassed technological issues, ethical concerns, and implementation difficulties. Strategies to improve HIV ME involved improving data access and analysis, enhancing implementation guidance and resources, and fostering community engagement and support. Researchers and public health practitioners prioritized different imperatives, but similarly emphasized the ethical concerns with HIV ME. CONCLUSION: The imperatives identified by users underscore the necessity of HIV ME, while the challenges highlight the hurdles to be overcome, including ethical concerns which emerged as a shared emphasis across user groups. The strategies outlined offer a roadmap for overcoming these challenges. These insights, drawn from user experience, present a valuable opportunity to inform the development of guidelines for the ethical application of HIV ME in research, surveillance, and cluster detection and response.

  PublisherDOI

• Blurring Boundaries: A Proposed Research Agenda for Ethical, Legal, Social, and Historical Studies at the Intersection of Infectious and Genetic Disease

  The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics · 2024-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Contemporary understanding of the mechanisms of disease increasingly points to examples of "genetic diseases" with an infectious component and of "infectious diseases" with a genetic component. Such blurred boundaries generate ethical, legal, and social issues and highlight historical contexts that must be examined when incorporating host genomic information into the prevention, outbreak control, and treatment of infectious diseases.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HG001871

  NIH · $1.1M · 2002

• NIH Grant R01NR004062

  NIH · $766k · 1998

• NIH Grant P20HG007261

  NIH · $826k · 2016

• NIH Grant R01HG000908

  NIH · $735k · 1997

• Beyond Boundaries: ELSI and the Complex Relationships between Infectious and Genetic Diseases

  NIH · $4.8M · 2016–2022

Frequent coauthors

• Jeremy Sugarman

  98 shared

• Cynda Hylton Rushton

  Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

  90 shared

• Debra Mathews

  74 shared

• Jon C. Tilburt

  Mayo Clinic in Arizona

  64 shared

• Joseph A. Carrese

  Johns Hopkins Medicine

  63 shared

• Barbara A. Bernhardt

  58 shared

• Juli Bollinger

  Johns Hopkins University

  56 shared

• Mary Catherine Beach

  Johns Hopkins Medicine

  53 shared

Awards & honors

• Kornfeld Fellowship
• Fellow of the Hastings Center
• NIH challenge grant