Prof Cathy Herbrand

Professor Cathy Herbrand is a Reader in Medical Sociology and the Deputy Director of the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University. She is also a member of the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics. Her research interests lie in the sociological and anthropological study of reproduction, new family forms, biotechnologies and genetics, with a particular focus on gender issues and inequalities. She has produced pioneering work and published empirical and theoretical papers on the social implications of reproductive and genetic healthcare technologies, with a focus on two main areas: 1) the interactions between scientific progress, policies and patients’ lives, including in the context of mitochondrial disorders and egg donation; 2) the transformations of family norms and regulations arising from the development of lesbian and gay parenting.