Katrina Karkazis

Katrina Karkazis is a cultural anthropologist and bioethicist known for her work in the field of intersex human rights, gender studies, and bioethics. She is a Senior Research Fellow with the Global Health Justice Partnership at Yale University.

Early Life and Education[edit | edit source]

Katrina Karkazis was born and raised in the United States. She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, where she majored in Anthropology. She then pursued her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology at Columbia University, focusing on medical anthropology and bioethics.

Career[edit | edit source]

After completing her Ph.D., Karkazis returned to Stanford University as a faculty member in the Center for Biomedical Ethics. Her research primarily focuses on the intersection of medicine, ethics, and culture, particularly in relation to gender and sexuality.

Karkazis is best known for her work on intersex human rights. She has been a vocal critic of non-consensual medical interventions performed on intersex children, arguing that these procedures are often medically unnecessary and can cause significant harm. Her book, Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience, explores these issues in depth.

In addition to her work on intersex rights, Karkazis has also conducted research on the use of testosterone in sports. She co-authored the book Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography with Rebecca Jordan-Young, which challenges common misconceptions about the hormone.

Recognition[edit | edit source]

Karkazis's work has been recognized by several organizations. She received the Ruth Benedict Prize from the American Anthropological Association for Fixing Sex, and her research on testosterone has been cited in legal cases related to gender verification in sports.