Rate My Professor Erin Rothwell

Dr. Erin Rothwell serves as Vice President for Research at the University of Utah, overseeing a $791.9 million research portfolio across 18 administrative units, and as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. She is also Associate Professor-Research in the Division of Medical Ethics and Humanities and the College of Nursing, faculty in the Graduate Program for Genetic Counseling, and President of the University of Utah Research Foundation. Rothwell, a social scientist with clinical expertise in recreation therapy, earned a B.S. in Recreation Therapy and M.S. in Park and Recreation Management from the University of South Alabama, a Ph.D. in Recreation Therapy from the University of Utah in 2004, postdoctoral training in clinical trials and public health in the College of Nursing, and a Bioethics fellowship from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2010.

Her research program examines the ethical, social, and legal implications of genetic and technological advancements for individuals and families, with a focus on newborn screening, prenatal testing, and biobanking. Rothwell pioneered Deliberative Discussion Focus Groups, a qualitative methodology applied in over 70 focus groups involving 500 participants across five NIH grants. She is principal investigator on NIH R01 grants including "Comparing Game Facilitated Interactivity to Genetic Counseling for Prenatal Screening Education" (R01 HG011921) and "Implementing a Novel Consent Process for Biospecimen Research after Newborn Screening in Hospitals Serving Diverse Patients," and contact PI for the Utah Center of Excellence for Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Research in Genetics (1RM1HG009037). Notable publications include "Retention and Research Use of Residual Newborn Screening Blood Spots" (Pediatrics, 2013), "Secondary research uses of residual newborn screening dried bloodspots: a scoping review" (Genetics in Medicine, 2019), and "The limited use of US residual newborn screening dried bloodspots in biomedical research" (Journal of Community Genetics, 2020). Since 2018, as Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and Compliance and later Associate Vice President for Research, she advanced human research protection, research integrity policies, equitable clinical trial access, and grant support, driving annual growth in research expenditures to record highs exceeding $600 million by FY21.