Jen BadieAbout Natalie Ram, JD
The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law professor is a leading scholar on the intersection of genetic privacy and the law whose research on genetic privacy, biospecimen use, and government access to sensitive biological data has fundamentally advanced understanding in legal and scientific communities and reshaped national conversations. Ram has written more than 20 book chapters and law review articles, 17 peer-reviewed publications, and 23 shorter scholarly pieces. In 2026, she was recognized by the Privacy Law Scholars Conference with the Ian Kerr Best Paper Award for “Surveilling the Sewer,” co-written with Emory University’s Jessica Roberts, JD, and forthcoming in UCLA Law Review. Ram, who came to Maryland Carey Law in 2019, teaches advanced bioethics courses in the Law and Health Care Program. She is also adjunct faculty with the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University.
Impact
After the Golden State Killer was identified using DNA profiles searchable in an online genetic genealogy database, Ram not only published a scholarly article, she also raised questions that helped lead to Maryland’s first-in-the-nation law that comprehensively regulates law enforcement’s use of consumer genetic data. It is just one example of Ram’s scholarship and influence regarding genetic privacy and the law. She has studied newborn screening, also informing policy changes in several states, and wastewater surveillance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ram said wastewater surveillance experienced rapid investment and expansion during the pandemic and that, in addition to monitoring for infectious diseases, several states have considered bills that focus on screening wastewater for signs of medication abortion. Ram also has examined the newborn blood sample screening that every state does as part of a public health program to analyze for a wide range of metabolic, genetic, and other disorders. In her article “America’s Hidden National DNA Database,” published in the Texas Law Review, she pointed out that most states retain these blood spots and nearly one-third allow law enforcement to access them, related data, or both.
Quotes
“We want law enforcement to solve serious crimes. But I think we also care deeply about privacy from the government and more broadly, especially of our most sensitive and intimate data. Figuring out how to safeguard both privacy and public safety, and how to do that while staying true to American legal values, is essential. That’s what my work is trying to do.” — Ram
“Professor Ram is the leading scholar writing at the intersection of bioethics, surveillance technology, and constitutional law. Indeed, she is largely responsible for creating the field. She has been the first to identify and pursue important legal and policy questions around genetic privacy and the relationships between public health research and law enforcement. Her work is impactful among academics, scientists, lawyers, and policymakers working in fields ranging from cold case investigations to wastewater testing.” — David C. Gray, JD, PhD, MA, Jacob A. France Professor of Law, Maryland Carey Law
“Her recent publications illustrate her ability to engage deeply with complex scientific issues while producing rigorous, accessible legal analysis. Her work appears in not just leading law reviews, but also in major scientific journals, reflecting its cross-disciplinary significance. Her research is reshaping national conversations about privacy, science, and the law.” — Renée Laurent, JD, Dean, Maryland Carey Law
