Published on August 29, 2018 by Sarah Waller  
Daniel Callahan

Samford University’s Center for Faith and Health and Healthcare Ethics and Law Institute are proud to announce this year’s recipient of its Edmund Pellegrino Medal for Healthcare Ethics: Daniel Callahan, cofounder and president emeritus of The Hastings Center.

Callahan will be honored during a luncheon at the 2018 Healthcare Ethics and Law Conference on Friday, September 7 at Samford University.

Callahan is considered a pioneer in bioethics, a noted author and one of the world’s pre-eminent bioethics scholars. Along with Willard Gaylin, he established The Hastings Center in 1969 as the world’s first bioethics research institute. The center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of research scholars from multiple disciplines, including philosophy, law, political science and education. Callahan served as its director from 1969 to 1983 and president from 1984 to 1996.

“We are pleased to present the Pellegrino Medal to Dr. Dan Callahan in recognition of his life’s work as an untiring, strong advocate for an ethical approach to health care decision-making,” said Michael Hogue, associate dean for the Center for Faith and Heath. “Dr. Callahan’s work with the Hastings Center is known globally for stimulating thought-provoking dialogue around core issues in health care ethics. He is most deserving of this honor.” 

The Edmund Pellegrino Medal for Healthcare Ethics recognizes Callahan for his leadership and contributions to health care ethics, “in the selfless spirit of Edmund D. Pellegrino.”

The medal in named in honored of Pellegrino, who in 1998, received the first lifetime achievement award granted by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. At the presentation of that award, he was called the “father of the American bioethics movement.”

Michael Gusmano, an associate professor at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health and a research scholar at The Hastings Center, will accept the award and provide remarks on Callahan’s behalf.  Gusmano will also serve as one of the conference’s keynote speakers.

A limited number of seats are still available for this year’s Healthcare Ethics and Law Conference. You can learn more and register at samford.edu/go/HEAL.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.