Emory University News Release - wolpe_center_for_ethics

Release date: Jan. 23, 2008
Contact: Elaine Justice at 404-727-0643 or elaine.justice@emory.edu

Emory's Center for Ethics Appoints Penn's Wolpe as New Director

Renowned ethicist and University of Pennsylvania professor Paul Root Wolpe has been appointed director of Emory University's Center for Ethics.

A professor of sociology in Penn's Department of Psychiatry, Wolpe succeeds former director James Fowler, Candler Professor of Theology and Human Development, who retired from Emory in 2005. Associate director Kathy Kinlaw, who also directs the center's work in health sciences and ethics, will continue to serve as interim director until Wolpe begins his position Aug.1.

"The university is thrilled to have lured a scholar and administrator of Paul Root Wolpe's caliber to lead the next phase in the history of the Center for Ethics at Emory," said Provost Earl Lewis. "Wolpe is an internationally recognized scholar, a bridge builder, and one committed to charting new possibilities for the role of ethics on campus and in the broader community. He is the ideal successor to former director Jim Fowler."

Wolpe currently holds secondary appointments in Penn's Department of Sociology and Department of Medical Ethics. Wolpe is immediate past president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, the national professional organization for scholars in bioethics and the medical humanities, and is co-editor of the American Journal of Bioethics. He also serves as the first chief of bioethics for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

"I am honored that Emory has chosen me to direct the future development of the university's renowned Center for Ethics," Wolpe said. "I look forward to collaborating with faculty and staff from around the university to promote ethics scholarship in business, medicine, law and across the sciences and humanities. As a university dedicated to ethical engagement and leadership, I hope to help the center deepen its place in the heart of Emory."

Wolpe is the author of more than 100 articles and book chapters. His writings range across multiple fields of sociology and bioethics, including mental health and illness, death and dying, genetics and eugenics, gender, alternative medicine, and bioethics in extreme environments such as space. Wolpe is a co-author of the textbook "Sexuality and Gender in Society" and the guide to Jewish end-of-life decision-making, "Behoref Hayamim: In the Winter of Life." A founder of the field of neuroethics, which examines the ethical implications of neuroscience, Wolpe also writes about other emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, genetic engineering and prosthetics.   

He is also the first national bioethics advisor for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, helping that organization plan for the changing social dynamics and emerging reproductive technologies that will influence women's reproduction over the coming decades. He is one of the few non-physicians to be elected a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the country's oldest medical society.

Wolpe did his undergraduate work in the sociology and psychology of religion at Penn, and went on to receive his Ph.D. in medical sociology from Yale University. Wolpe received the "Outstanding Faculty Award" by the Friars Club, a senior honors society at Penn, and was named a "Superstar Teacher of America" by The Teaching Company, which distributes his courses on audio and videotape. He also is a frequent contributor and commentator for broadcast and print media.

The Center for Ethics will soon be housed in the first floor of a new 70,000-square-foot structure near Emory's Quadrangle that also will be the new home for Emory's Candler School of Theology. The center's new home will triple its current space, with 17 faculty/staff offices, a library, conference room and seminar room, in addition to a 100-seat flexible-use room for classes, seminars and public lectures.

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Emory University is one of the nation's leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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