Celebrating Agata Ferretti's time at our lab
We're excited to celebrate Dr. Agata Ferretti as she embarks on a new chapter at IBM Research - Zurich. We'd like to take a moment to acknowledge her significant contributions to this lab and reflect on the remarkable work she's accomplished
Agata joined the Health Ethics & Policy Lab in September 2017 as a doctoral candidate, driven by a passion for understanding the ethical implications of emerging health technologies.
Her external page doctorate thesis, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, delved into the complex ethical and governance challenges posed by big data and digital applications in the biomedical sector. In this project she developed an ethical framework to guide the evaluation of big data use in research, culminating in an Ethics Toolkit for Research Ethics Committees and researchers alike.
Following her PhD, Agata continued her research as a postdoctoral fellow, leading several impactful projects. Her work on the Digital Health Promotion (DHP) project focused on young people’s health in LMICs, addressing ethical and policy challenges, and developing a comprehensive external page policy dashboard.
Agata’s work has consistently focused on artificial intelligence (AI), with a strong emphasis on its ethical governance. Her research spans several key areas, including the implications of generative AI in clinical settings from the perspective of Swiss physicians, the challenges of integrating AI ethical oversight within health startups and companies, the concept of algorithmic transparency in machine learning, the equitable implementation of AI for global health, and the integration of AI into wearables and neurotechnologies.
Her work in AI and digital health technologies has led to fruitful collaborations with international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), where she has contributed to policy briefs and expert working groups.
Beyond research, Agata was a dedicated mentor and educator, guiding Master’s and PhD students in the Digital Life Workshop. She also raised awareness among professionals and the general public about the societal and individual well-being implications of emerging technologies through outreach activities such as talks, podcasts, and multi-stakeholder engagements. Her collaborative spirit and enthusiasm for knowledge sharing greatly enriched our lab community.
We are incredibly proud of Agata's achievements and wish her continued success at IBM Research. Her impact on our lab will undoubtedly leave a lasting legacy. Thank you, Agata, for your invaluable contributions.