In 2017, Megan Wanzo was pursuing health care ethics, uncertain but hopeful that she was on the right path, when she attended the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) conference. There, she heard about Columbia’s M.S. in Bioethics (BIET) program. She was interested, but needed time to consider her choices.
It wasn’t until later that same year, when she experienced bioethical dilemmas as a patient, that she understood beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was headed exactly where she wanted to be.
Wanzo was working at a hospital outside of St. Louis when she developed a double lung infection that led to a collapsed lung. Living in rural America meant that getting care was complicated. She spent a month in the hospital, was transferred twice, given conflicting diagnoses, and after weeks of pain and uncertainty, received a thoracotomy and decortication.
“That experience solidified everything for me,” Wanzo said. “I knew then that I didn’t just want to study bioethics. I wanted to lead in it. And I knew that Columbia was the place that could shape me into that kind of leader.”
Wanzo completed her BIET degree as a hybrid student in 2021. Now a health equity leader, bioethicist, and public health strategist dedicated to dismantling systemic barriers in health care, Wanzo spoke to SPS about how her degree from Columbia informs her work.
What drew you to the field of bioethics?
I grew up in rural America at a time when community hospitals were still just that—local, trusted, and rooted in the communities they served. I’ve watched rural healthcare shift from personal and accessible to distant and uncertain. Now, seeking care in rural America often comes with impossible choices. Do I wait and hope the pain passes? Will the ambulance get me to the hospital in time? Sometimes, getting care means being away from your home and your support system. And sometimes, it means choosing between paying for your prescription or feeding your family. That perspective has never left me. I carry it into every meeting, every conversation about equity, every decision about how we reach and serve patients.
What value do you think formally studying bioethics adds for those in the medical/health care industry?
Bioethics grounds us. Studying bioethics formally gives people in healthcare the tools to lead. It doesn’t replace medical knowledge or operational skill. It strengthens them. It’s the difference between doing the right thing and understanding why it’s right, and how to fight for it when the system makes it hard.
Bioethics doesn’t give easy answers, but it gives us better questions. It teaches us how to sit with uncertainty, how to weigh competing values, and how to navigate gray areas with integrity. That kind of thinking is essential, especially as the healthcare industry becomes more complex. It keeps people at the center. It creates space for reflection in a field that often moves too fast. And it reminds us that behind every chart, protocol, or clinical trial is a human life.
How was your experience studying in a hybrid format?
Being part of the hybrid program meant spending part of my time in San Francisco at Columbia’s Embarcadero location. Learning from both coasts—while bringing my own Midwestern roots to the table—gave me an incredibly holistic view of bioethics. Even within the U.S., the ethical questions we face can look and feel entirely different depending on geography, culture, and access. That experience showed me how nuanced and deeply human this work really is.
When I was studying in New York, the greatest city in the world, I gained a kind of confidence that’s hard to describe and impossible to replace. There’s something about learning to think critically and speak boldly in a place that never slows down that changes you. Add to that a cohort of classmates and professors from medicine, law, philosophy, public health, health policy, and beyond, and suddenly your worldview expands in all the best ways.
Have any lessons from the BIET program carried over to assist you in your work?
Columbia taught me to see both the systems and the people they affect. It taught me how to be confident in what I know and endlessly curious about what I don’t. I walked out of that program believing there was nothing I couldn’t do—and that mindset still carries me through my work today. That’s 100% thanks to Columbia.
Could you tell us about your current work and the sorts of bioethical challenges that arise in your role at Bristol Myers Squibb?
At Bristol Myers Squibb, I lead oncology and hematology clinical trials, and I’m currently working with our health equity team on inclusive research. We’re exploring how to expand access to clinical trials—that includes rural America, where I’m from, and rural parts of the world that are often left out of research design, underrepresented in data, and overlooked in strategy.
We are working to change that. I collaborate with community cancer centers, identify new trial geographies, and help cross-functional teams understand the systemic and structural barriers that prevent people from enrolling in research. We’re developing models that center trust and meet patients where they are, including incorporating community-based models.
I’ve led the development of tools like plain-language booklets and animated videos that explain clinical trials clearly, especially for those with low literacy or limited familiarity with medical terms. These resources help restore choice. They give patients and caregivers the dignity of understanding their options.
My background in bioethics grounds everything I do. I was trained to see the moral dimensions of systems and to ask not just what is scientifically valid, but what is just, fair, and person-centered.
What’s next for you?
I’m writing a book titled Megan: What Happens When I Leave Here? The title comes from a question I was once asked, and it stuck with me. The book is personal, reflective, and rooted in my experiences at the intersection of bioethics, public health, and life itself.
I’m also joining the Empire State Bioethics Consortium because I want to keep learning, contributing, and challenging the field alongside other leaders.
At the same time, I’m continuing the work of advancing health equity both inside the walls of Bristol Myers Squibb and in the communities around me. This work doesn’t stay at the office. It lives in hospitals, neighborhoods, classrooms, and policy rooms, and I want to be there for all of it.
And I’m in the process of finishing my MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. I want to be a leader in the business of bioethics, the business of health equity, and the business of public health. I believe that to transform systems, you must understand them deeply, and I’m building the toolkit to do exactly that.
About the Program
Columbia University’s Master of Science in Bioethics grounds students in interdisciplinary approaches and models to address pressing bioethical challenges such as stem cell research and health-care reform. The program prepares students to act as responsible and responsive leaders in this new and ever-growing field. It also includes a concentration in global bioethics—the first of its kind in the U.S. Columbia's Bioethics program offers a range of degrees and courses.
The spring 2026 application deadline for the M.S. in Bioethics program is November 1. Learn more about the program here. The program is available full-time and part-time, online and on-campus.
