2024-25 Council Members
Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD is chair of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA). Dr Lazarus is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. Dr Lazarus is a former speaker and president of the American Medical Association and past president of the Colorado Medical Society. He also serves as the second vice president of the Defense Health Board.
Rebecca W. Brendel, JD, MD is vice-chair of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA). Dr. Brendel is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS), where she is director of the HMS Center for Bioethics and its Master of Science Degree Program. Dr Brendel bases her clinical work at Massachusetts General Hospital and focuses on challenges arising at the intersection of psychiatry, medicine, ethics, law, and human rights.
Larry E. Reaves, MD is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to joining CEJA, Dr Reaves served as a delegate representing the Texas Medical Association in the AMA House of Delegates.
Daniel P. Sulmasy, MD, PhD is the André Hellegers Professor of Biomedical Ethics in the Departments of Medicine and Philosophy and serves as director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. A practicing internist and a philosopher, Dr Sulmasy is editor of Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics and has written extensively on many topics in bioethics, especially regarding care at the end of life. His seven books include Methods in Medical Ethics, The Rebirth of the Clinic, and Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Before, During, and After the Holocaust.
Michael G. Knight, MD, MHSP is an assistant professor of medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr Knight is the associate chief quality and population health officer, head of healthcare delivery transformation, and medical director of community primary care at The George Washington Medical Faculty Associates where he directs the development, implementation, and maintenance of quality and patient safety initiatives and the utilization of ethical standards to guide clinician performance at the individual and organizational level.
Arthur R. Derse, MD, JD is director of the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities and professor of bioethics and emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr Derse is a member and past chair of the Ethics Committee of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and past president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. He served as a board member of the American Society for Law, Medicine & Ethics, and as a member of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the Federation of State Medical Boards. He is a fellow of the Hastings Center and of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute.
Charles J. Hickey, MD is a comprehensive ophthalmologist in Columbus, Ohio. Dr Hickey is a past president of The Ohio State Medical Association and chaired its Delegation to The American Medical Association. He is a past chair and member of The American Medical Association Council on Constitution and Bylaws. Dr Hickey also served eighteen years on the Board of Trustees of Mount Carmel Health System, a multi hospital system in Central Ohio.
Kelsey C. Mumford, MD, MPAff is a resident physician in obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has published on topics including the ethics of prenatal genetic testing, gender-affirmation surgery, and fertility preservation in leading journals like the American Journal of Bioethics, the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and the Journal of Medical Ethics. Dr. Mumford previously served as the medical student member of CEJA from 2021-23 and as a theme editor of the AMA Journal of Ethics. She completed her medical degree, master's degree in public affairs, and bachelor's degrees in nursing and biology at The University of Texas at Austin..
Sophia A. Doerr, MSE is a MD/PhD student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health where her research focus lies in the intersection of clinical informatics, healthcare delivery systems, health equity, and medical ethics. She is also in the Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health program with a focus in advocacy and leadership development. Sophia completed her bachelor degree in biomedical engineering and applied mathematics and statistics and her masters in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She has a background in the development of deep learning clinical decision support tools and spinal navigation surgery algorithms.
Staff
Audiey C. Kao, MD, PhD is vice president of ethics.
Amber R. Comer, PhD, JD is director, ethics policy and CEJA secretary.
Scott J. Schweikart, JD, MBE is a senior policy analyst.
Jake Young, PhD, MFA, MPH is a senior policy analyst.
Meredith Rappaport, MS is a research associate.
Thomas M. Wagner is CEJA coordinator.