2025-26 Council Members
Rebecca W. Brendel, JD, MD is 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 vice-chair of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA). Dr. Reaves 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.
Michael J. Redinger, MD, MA is an associate professor at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). He is dually appointed in the Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law, for which he serves as Co-Chair, and the Department of Psychiatry, for which he previously served as Interim Chair. He also serves as Chair of the Michigan State Medical Society Committee on State Legislation and Regulations. His myriad research interests include clinical ethics, psychiatric ethics, religion and medicine, and medical professionalism. Dr. Redinger completed a dual MD/MA in Bioethics and Health Policy at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and previously served as the Chief Resident in WMed’s Department of Psychiatry.
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.
Ishaan Rischie is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
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.
Adam Andersen is a DePaul scholar.
Michael Casse is an ethics group intern.