By Caitlyn Romanski

On October 22, 2026, member faculty Krishanu Saha, PhD, gathered alongside fellow scientists, clinicians, engineers, legal scholars, ethicists, disability community representatives, faith communities and patient organizations to attend Engineering Health for the Common Good:
A Symposium on Human Genome Editing and the Convergence of Biology and AI.

Presented by the UW–Madison Grainger Institute for Engineering, this multidisciplinary event fostered dialogue around the opportunities, risks and societal implications of emerging gene-editing technologies. Featured keynote speaker Susan Monarez, founder of Heartland Global Strategies
and former director of the CDC, discussed the essential guardrails required for public health and emphasized how human well-being, flourishing, integrity and dignity must guide decision making as we push the limits of genome editing.

Voices that are most often absent from elite biotechnology convenings—including the perspectives of patients, disability communities and the broader public—were also engaged throughout the symposium, with discussions addressing questions about technological progress and how leaders across disciplines can ethically guide its future together.

During the event, Saha also moderated the panel discussion “Beyond the Lab: Shaping the Future of Human Genome Editing.” Distinguished guest panelists included Sharon Terry, MA, CEO of Genetic Alliance; Kaushik Sunder Rajan, PhD, professor of anthropology and social sciences at the University of Chicago; Rev. Patrick Norrise, chaplain and ethicist at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital; and Rebecca Mueller, PhD, LCGC, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Congratulations, Dr. Saha!