Hilary Bowman-Smart

Dr Hilary Bowman-Smart

Research Fellow

School of Public Health

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Hilary Bowman-Smart is a Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Precision Health. She commenced her role in 2023. She previously held a position as Researcher in the Ethics of Prenatal Genetics and Genomics at the University of Oxford between 2021 and 2023. In this role, she worked on a project comparing the implementation of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in England, France and Germany, with her research conducted in both English and German. She has also been a visiting fellow at the University of Augsburg, and holds honorary positions at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Monash University. 
Hilary is an empirical bioethicist with a background in both genetics and philosophy. She was awarded her PhD by the University of Melbourne in 2022, receiving the Dean's Award for Excellence in Graduate Research. Her research approach involves ethical analysis that is informed by various types of empirical research, such as surveys, statistical analysis, and qualitative interview studies. Her areas of focus are reproductive ethics, genomics, and the philosophy of medicine.

Year Citation
2025 Gyngell, C., Lynch, F., Vears, D., Bowman Smart, H., Savulescu, J., & Christodoulou, J. (2025). Storing paediatric genomic data for sequential interrogation across the lifespan. Journal of Medical Ethics, 51(3), 205-211.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC1
2025 Abdulcadir, J., Adler, P. W., Almonte, M. T., Anderson, F. W. J., Bowman Smart, H., & Ziyada, M. M. (2025). Genital modifications in prepubescent minors: when may clinicians ethically proceed?. American Journal Of Bioethics, 25(7), 53-102.
DOI WoS17
2025 Perrot, A., Bowman Smart, H., Nov Klaiman, T., & Horn, R. (2025). Decision-making for termination of pregnancy following non-invasive prenatal testing: a qualitative exploration of french, english and German healthcare professionals' perceptions and concerns. Reproductive Health, 22(1, article no. 216), 1-13.
DOI
2025 Bowman-Smart, H., Johnston, M., Taylor-Sands, M., Hui, L., & Mills, C. (2025). The Function of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Request Forms in the Australian Context. Health Care Analysis, online, 25 pages.
DOI
2025 Hempeler, C., Bowman Smart, H., Nov Klaiman, T., & Horn, R. (2025). Reproductive self-determination and regulation of termination of pregnancy in Germany: current controversies and developments. Journal of Medical Ethics, online, 1-6.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2025 Nov Klaiman, T., Bowman Smart, H., & Horn, R. (2025). Women's wellbeing as an empty declaration? A qualitative exploration of challenges in accessing termination of pregnancy due to fetal anomaly in Germany. BMC Medical Ethics, 26(1, article no. 40), 1-13.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2025 Pynaker, C., Johnston, M., Mills, C., Vasey, K., Taylor Sands, M., Bowman Smart, H., & Hui, L. (2025). 'Screening should not be based on ability to pay': Australian healthcare providers' and consumers' perspectives on public funding for non-invasive prenatal testing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 65(3), 409-419.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2025 Nov Klaiman, T., Bowman Smart, H., & Horn, R. (2025). Negotiating severity behind the scenes: prenatal testing in Germany. European Journal Of Human Genetics, 33(2), 220-225.
DOI Scopus5 WoS7 Europe PMC6
2024 Bowman Smart, H., Perrot, A., & Horn, R. (2024). Supporting patient decision-making in non-invasive prenatal testing: a comparative study of professional values and practices in England and France. BMC Medical Ethics, 25(1, article no. 34), 1-13.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC6
2024 Claesen-Bengtson, Z., Bowman-Smart, H., Vermeersch, E., Vermeesch, J. R., Henneman, L., & Borry, P. (2024). Should non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) be used for fetal sex determination? Perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals. European Journal of Human Genetics, 32(3), 309-316.
DOI Scopus2 WoS3 Europe PMC3
2024 Bowman Smart, H., Savulescu, J., O'Connell, M., & Sinclair, A. (2024). World Athletics regulations unfairly affect female athletes with differences in sex development. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 51(1), 29-53.
DOI Scopus11 WoS9 Europe PMC4
2024 Marks, I. R., Devolder, K., Bowman Smart, H., Johnston, M., & Mills, C. (2024). NIPT for adult-onset conditions: Australian NIPT users' views. Bioethics, 38(6), 566-575.
DOI
2024 Johnston, M., Hui, L., Bowman Smart, H., Taylor Sands, M., Pertile, M. D., & Mills, C. (2024). Disparities in integrating non-invasive prenatal testing into antenatal healthcare in Australia: a survey of healthcare professionals. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24(1), 1-12.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC5
2023 Bowman Smart, H., Keogh, L., Haining, C. M., O'Rourke, A., de Crespigny, L., & Savulescu, J. (2023). 'The tabloid test': a qualitative interview study on the function and purpose of termination of pregnancy review committees in Victoria, Australia. Reproductive Health, 20(1, article no.104), 1-14.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC3
2023 Haining, C. M., Bowman Smart, H., O'Rourke, A., de Crespigny, L., Keogh, L. A., & Savulescu, J. (2023). The 'Institutional Lottery': Institutional variation in the processes involved in accessing late abortion in Victoria, Australia. Women's Studies International Forum, 101, 102822.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3 Europe PMC5
2023 Bowman Smart, H., Gyngell, C., Mand, C., Amor, D. J., Delatycki, M. B., & Savulescu, J. (2023). Non-invasive prenatal testing for 'Non-medical' traits: ensuring consistency in ethical decision-making. The American Journal of Bioethics, 23(3), 3-20.
DOI
2022 Bowman Smart, H., Wiesemann, C., & Horn, R. (2022). Non-invasive prenatal testing in Germany: a unique ethical and policy landscape. European Journal of Human Genetics, 31(5), 562-567.
DOI
2022 Bowman Smart, H., Vears, D. F., Brett, G. R., Martyn, M., Stark, Z., & Gyngell, C. (2022). 'Diagnostic shock': the impact of results from ultrarapid genomic sequencing of critically unwell children on aspects of family functioning. European Journal of Human Genetics, 30(9), 1036-1043.
DOI
2021 Bowman Smart, H. (2021). Orphans by design: the future of genetic parenthood. Bioethics, 35(1), 23-30.
DOI
2021 Bowman Smart, H., & Savulescu, J. (2021). The ethics of motivational neuro-doping in sport: praiseworthiness and prizeworthiness. Neuroethics, 14(S2), 205-215.
DOI
2021 Bowman Smart, H., & Taylor Sands, M. (2021). Fetal information as shared information: using NIPT to test for adult-onset conditions. Monash Bioethics Review, 39(S1), 82-102.
DOI
2020 Bowman Smart, H., Savulescu, J., Gyngell, C., Mand, C., & Delatycki, M. B. (2020). Sex selection and non-invasive prenatal testing: a review of current practices, evidence, and ethical issues. Prenatal Diagnosis, 40(4), 398-407.
DOI
2019 Bowman Smart, H., Savulescu, J., Mand, C., Gyngell, C., Pertile, M. D., Lewis, S., & Delatycki, M. B. (2019). 'Is it better not to know certain things?': views of women who have undergone non-invasive prenatal testing on its possible future applications. Journal of Medical Ethics, 45(4), 231-238.
DOI
2019 Gyngell, C., Bowman Smart, H., & Savulescu, J. (2019). Moral reasons to edit the human genome: picking up from the Nuffield report. Journal of Medical Ethics, 45(8), 514-523.
DOI
2019 Bowman Smart, H., Savulescu, J., Mand, C., Gyngell, C., Pertile, M. D., Lewis, S., & Delatycki, M. B. (2019). 'Small cost to pay for peace of mind': women's experiences with non-invasive prenatal testing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 59(5), 649-655.
DOI
2019 Bowman Smart, H., Gyngell, C., Morgan, A., & Savulescu, J. (2019). The moral case for sign language education. Monash Bioethics Review, 37(3-4), 94-110.
DOI

Year Citation
2021 Savulescu, J., & Bowman-Smart, H. (2021). MORAL BIOENHANCEMENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS: Selecting Martyrdom?. In Oxford Handbook of Intergenerational Ethics (pp. 824-840). Oxford University Press.
DOI Scopus1

Year Citation
2024 Klaiman, T. N., Bowman-Smart, H., & Horn, R. (2024). Negotiating severity behind the scenes: prenatal testing in Germany. In EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS Vol. 32 (pp. 1841). GERMANY, Berlin: SPRINGERNATURE.

  • Assessing the feasibility and laying the groundwork for applying the ‘recall by genotype’ design in MS research, Multiple Sclerosis Australia, 01/08/2025 - 31/07/2026

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Dur-E-Nayab Mehar

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