Nuffield Council on Bioethics announces appointment of new Chairman.
Thu, 10 October 2002
Professor Bob Hepple, QC, has been appointed Chairman of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in succession to Professor Sir Ian Kennedy.
Professor Bob Hepple, QC, has been appointed Chairman of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in succession to Professor Sir Ian Kennedy. Sir Ian, a founder-member of the Council, has served on the Council for eleven years, four of them as Chairman. He retires on 31 December 2002.
Professor Hepple is currently Master of Clare College, Cambridge and Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Cambridge. He became a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in 2000, as chair of the Council’s Working Party on Genetics and human behaviour. The Report, published last week, aims to stimulate debate between scientists, policy makers and the public about the ethical and legal dimensions of a complex and controversial area of scientific research.
Professor Hepple is an academic and barrister specialising in the areas of employment, human rights and anti-discrimination law. Appointed an honorary QC in 1996, he has been a Commissioner for Racial Equality from 1986-1990, Chairman of Industrial Tribunals (1974-1993) and a member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct and the Legal Services Consultative Panel (1994-2001).
"Under Sir Ian Kennedy's leadership, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics has made an enormous contribution to the debate on ethical questions raised by recent research. I am looking forward to continuing this work at a time when the Council has some exciting projects ahead,” commented Professor Hepple.
Notes for editors:
1. For further information please contact Nicola Perrin, 020 7681 9627 or e-mail nperrin@nuffieldbioethics.org
2. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent body which examines the ethical issues raised by developments in medicine and biology. Established in 1991, it is funded by The Nuffield Foundation, the Medical Research Council and The Wellcome Trust.
3. The Council has published seven Reports and three Discussion Papers:
Genetic screening: ethical issues
Published December 1993
Human Tissue: ethical and legal issues
Published April 1995
Animal-to-human transplants: the ethics of xenotransplantation
Published March 1996
Mental disorders and genetics: the ethical context
Published September 1998
Genetically modified crops: the ethical and social issues
Published May 1999
The ethics of clinical research in developing countries – a discussion paper
Published October 1999
Stem cell therapy: the ethical issues – a discussion paper
Published April 2000
The ethics of research related to healthcare in developing countries
Published April 2002
The ethics of patenting DNA – a discussion paper
Published July 2002
Genetics and human behaviour: the ethical context
Published October 2002
4. A CD-ROM, produced to mark the Council’s tenth anniversary, is being distributed internationally with this week’s edition of Nature. “Nature Publishing Group are delighted to distribute this CD. An invaluable resource, it brings together for the first time the publications of one of the world’s leading bioethics bodies, examining ethical implications of advances in biological and medical research and making recommendations for policy,” commented David Swinbanks, Publishing Director.
If you would like to order a copy of the CD-ROM, please e-mail bioethics@nuffieldbioethics.org
5. Professor Sir Ian Kennedy will retire from the Council at the end of the year, and Professor Hepple will take up the Chairmanship on 1 January 2003.
Last Updated Thu, 24 June 2004