Mark Kuczewski receives international bioethics award
Mark Kuczewski Receives International Bioethics Award
Mark Kuczewski, PhD, professor and director of Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership
By Marena Keci
“Contemporary bioethics must remind us of human connection,” said Mark Kuczewski, PhD, professor and director, Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership and this year’s recipient of the International Association of Bioethics (IAB) award for Bioethics Service in the Face of Challenges. Kuczewski was among the first bioethicists to highlight the issue of access to care for undocumented patients in the U.S., advocating for immigrants’ inclusion in health insurance plans.
“I believe that the work of bioethicists in the face of such injustices must be to foster inclusion, in our colleges, in our professional schools, in our hospitals, and health systems.” he said.
Each year, the IAB recognizes a bioethicist who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to global bioethics despite numerous challenges and obstacles or unfavorable conditions. Awardees have consistently led initiatives at the local, national, and/or international levels over an extended period. These efforts contribute to advancing bioethics or translating bioethical principles into concrete actions.
Among their many accomplishments, award nominees have implemented bioethics guidance and developed policies that advance ethics in healthcare. Additionally, they have promoted the interest of marginalized populations and have contributed to building capacity for bioethics in regions with particular needs. Finally, they have played a role in ethical reflection and responsible conduct, and have enhanced the equitable provision of healthcare services, at a clinical and/or public health level.
As a leader in bioethics education, Kuczewski created the Sanctuary Doctoring Program with Drs. Johana Mejias-Beck, University Health-Truman Medical Center (Kansas City) and Amy Blair, Stritch associate professor, allowing undocumented patients to trust the health systems near them and seek care when they need it. Kuczewski has actively contributed to the promotion of immigration reform and its integration with the field of medicine. He has published and presented materials used by healthcare practitioners and systems to enhance the quality of care for people without legal documentation and he has helped strengthen the U.S. physician workforce, helping qualified students without legal documentation finance their medical education. His work with Stritch administration and colleagues helped Stritch become the first medical school in the country to openly accept students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. As of May 2023, Stritch has conferred Doctor of Medicine degrees to 38 DACA recipients.
“To this day, Mark continues to have a trailblazing vision of providing opportunities to people underrepresented in medicine with the understanding that it is a requirement to improve the quality of our healthcare for those who are marginalized,” said Mejias-Beck. “He is an ally, a leader, and an advocate not only at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine but to all other academic medical institutions across the country and to communities that are desperate to improve health disparities,” she said.
Watch the IAB awards presentation and hear Kuczewski’s remarks.
December 2023
Mark Kuczewski, PhD, professor and director of Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership
By Marena Keci
“Contemporary bioethics must remind us of human connection,” said Mark Kuczewski, PhD, professor and director, Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership and this year’s recipient of the International Association of Bioethics (IAB) award for Bioethics Service in the Face of Challenges. Kuczewski was among the first bioethicists to highlight the issue of access to care for undocumented patients in the U.S., advocating for immigrants’ inclusion in health insurance plans.
“I believe that the work of bioethicists in the face of such injustices must be to foster inclusion, in our colleges, in our professional schools, in our hospitals, and health systems.” he said.
Each year, the IAB recognizes a bioethicist who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to global bioethics despite numerous challenges and obstacles or unfavorable conditions. Awardees have consistently led initiatives at the local, national, and/or international levels over an extended period. These efforts contribute to advancing bioethics or translating bioethical principles into concrete actions.
Among their many accomplishments, award nominees have implemented bioethics guidance and developed policies that advance ethics in healthcare. Additionally, they have promoted the interest of marginalized populations and have contributed to building capacity for bioethics in regions with particular needs. Finally, they have played a role in ethical reflection and responsible conduct, and have enhanced the equitable provision of healthcare services, at a clinical and/or public health level.
As a leader in bioethics education, Kuczewski created the Sanctuary Doctoring Program with Drs. Johana Mejias-Beck, University Health-Truman Medical Center (Kansas City) and Amy Blair, Stritch associate professor, allowing undocumented patients to trust the health systems near them and seek care when they need it. Kuczewski has actively contributed to the promotion of immigration reform and its integration with the field of medicine. He has published and presented materials used by healthcare practitioners and systems to enhance the quality of care for people without legal documentation and he has helped strengthen the U.S. physician workforce, helping qualified students without legal documentation finance their medical education. His work with Stritch administration and colleagues helped Stritch become the first medical school in the country to openly accept students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. As of May 2023, Stritch has conferred Doctor of Medicine degrees to 38 DACA recipients.
“To this day, Mark continues to have a trailblazing vision of providing opportunities to people underrepresented in medicine with the understanding that it is a requirement to improve the quality of our healthcare for those who are marginalized,” said Mejias-Beck. “He is an ally, a leader, and an advocate not only at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine but to all other academic medical institutions across the country and to communities that are desperate to improve health disparities,” she said.
Watch the IAB awards presentation and hear Kuczewski’s remarks.
December 2023