Willy Lensch, PhD

M. William Lensch, PhD is Associate Provost for Research at Harvard University and a Lecturer (part-time) in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical school (HMS). He received his PhD in Molecular and Medical Genetics from Oregon Health Sciences University where he studied hereditary bone marrow failure and leukemia predisposition syndromes at the Portland VAMC. Dr. Lensch is a past Fellow of the Center for Bioethics and has advised MBE students on a variety of topics including human enhancement, therapeutic futility, access to clinical trials and biomedical research, human remains in museum collections, and institutional artwork. His portfolio within the provost’s office spans the schools of Harvard and provides high-level guidance for interfaculty research and educational initiatives (IFIs) in the physical, life, and social sciences. His work in bioethics includes issues related to rare diseases, genetic modification, use of human tissues in research, stem cell biology, human/animal chimeras, and the disposition of human remains in museum collections. Dr. Lensch has served in various external roles including as a gubernatorial appointee to the State of Connecticut’s Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, a member of the Public Education Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, and as Chair of the Bioethics Subcommittee of the national American Heart Association. His recognition includes multiple Certificates of Distinction in Teaching from Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, the Star Family Prize for Excellence in Student Advising, and HMS’s Daniel D. Federman Staff Award for Exceptional Service.