We are very proud to announce that Dr. Darcy Metcalfe, Religious Studies PhD, 2021, is the winner of the 2021 D.C. Spriestersbach Dissertation Prize in the Humanities and Fine Arts division. This prize was established to recognize excellence in doctoral research. Darcy was nominated by her PhD advisor, Dr. Diana Cates, for her dissertation titled, "Ethics of the Inheritable Genetic Modification of Human Embryos via CRISPR Technology", which addresses the timely and timeless intersection between healthcare, race, and gender in the United States.
Dr. Metcalfe matches a frank assessment of the violence and degradation that characterizes the sordid history of the treatment of Black women in reproductive healthcare with the empowerment and humanity that fills Pauli Murray’s writing and personal history. By centering Murray, who was the first Black person to earn a JSD and the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest in the U.S., Dr. Metcalfe thoughtfully avoids making this a story of spectacle or despair; in her capable scholarship, this story of medical history, racism, and sexism is also a story of extraordinary courage, community-building, and powerful compassion. By including a rich analysis of Murray’s writing and personal history, Dr. Metcalfe thoughtfully pairs detailed and well-informed addresses of new technology, genetic manipulation, and the nature of medical experiments in the U.S. with the real effects of these “advances” on real lives. With this strong foundation in place, Dr. Metcalfe answers the call for ethical guidance for medical and public health professionals as developments in genetic modification technologies, such as CRISPR, become reality.
Dr. Metcalfe’s dissertation was also selected by the U of I Graduate College to be nominated for the national competition for the Council of Graduate Schools/University Microfilms International Distinguished Dissertation Award.
Darcy is currently head pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, Ohio, but will be changing careers soon, as she has recently been named Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Findlay in Ohio.
Congratulations, Darcy!