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In Memoriam

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2020

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Abstract

Type
Obituary
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Albert Jonsen, a leading figure in establishing the field of Bioethics died at his home in San Francisco, October 21, 2020. Best known for the book he wrote with Mark Siegler and William Winslade, Clinical Ethics: A Practical Approach to Ethical Decision in Clinical Medicine, soon to be in its 9th edition, his own preferred contribution, influenced by his Jesuit training, was The Abuse of Casuistry, co-authored with Stephen Toulmin. Receiving his doctorate from the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University in 1967, his academic teaching career included: the University of San Francisco, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Washington before returning to San Francisco to cofound the Program in Medicine and Human Values at California Pacific Medical Center. Among numerous influential governmental and policy committees, Dr. Jonsen served as Commissioner on the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1974-1978) and on The President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine (1979-1982). His work will continue to influence generations of bioethicists.