Insoo Hyun


Insoo Hyun is a Professor of Bioethics and Philosophy at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his international collaboration and work in the area of stem cell ethics and other biotechnologies.

Early life and education

Insoo Hyun grew up in Hollister, California and graduated from San Benito High School in 1988. He earned his BA and MA in Philosophy with Honors at Stanford University in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He earned his PhD from Brown University in 1998, under the advisement of Dr. Dan Brock.

Professional Experience

He was awarded a Fulbright Award to study the ethical, legal and cultural implications of human cloning in South Korea in 2005. A year later, he chaired the Human Biological Materials Procurement subcommittee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. He was also the chair of ISSCR's Ethics and Public Policy Committee, and co-chair for the organization's Task Force on Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of stem cells. Recently, he served on the Task Force that revised the 2016 ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation.

Publications and Professional Work

Hyun has been published often in Nature, Science, The Hastings Center Report, Cell Stem Cell, among many other journals. He has written about the ethics of travel for medical treatment, the procurement of human materials for stem cell research, and the appropriateness of the use of chimeras. Hyun has been interviewed frequently on National Public Radio on issues related to cloning and human embryo research. He has also presented and served on committees for the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. He has authored over 50 journal publications and his articles have been cited over 1000 times. His book Bioethics and the Future of Stem Cell Research was published by Cambridge University Press in 2013.

Collaborations

In June 2009, Hyun and other faculty at Case Western Reserve University teamed up with Dr Kevin Eggan of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and offered a course entitled "At the Cutting Edge of Stem Cell Science: Ethical and Policy Issues. Beginning in 2018, Hyun will collaborate with leading scientists at Harvard and MIT to investigate emerging ethical issues in human brain organoid research."

Martial Arts Career

Hyun received his first degree black belt in Kenpo Karate from Glen Hastie and Genie Yakaoma at age 16, and earned his second degree black belt from the same club. In 1991, while a student at Stanford University, Dr. Hyun became the California State Champion in the discipline. In 1994, while living in Providence, RI during his time at Brown University, he earned his third degree black belt under the direction of George Pesare. He now trains at Vanyo Martial Arts, a mixed-martial arts club in Northeast Ohio, where he earned his black band in Muay Thai in 2017