May 13 Kirshenbaum Lecture: Constitutional Dimensions of the Doctor-Patient Relationship Presented by George Annas

George Annas. Photo by Vernon Doucette
George Annas. Photo by Vernon Doucette

George Annas, JD, MPH, recognized expert on health law, bioethics and human rights, scholar and teacher, will present the annual Howard D. Kirshenbaum, MD, Lecture to the medical campus community including members of Dr. Kirshenbaum’s family on Monday, May 13. He will speak on “Constitutional Dimensions of the Doctor-Patient Relationship”

Annas is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, the Edward R. Utley Professor, and Chair of the Department of Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights at BU School of Public Health and a professor in both the School of Medicine and the School of Law. He earned a JD from Harvard Law School and an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health, where he was a Joseph P. Kennedy Fellow in Medical Ethics. Annas clerked for Justice John V. Spalding of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court before coming to BU in 1972 as the director of the Center for Law and Health Sciences at the Law School.

Author or editor of 16 books on health law and bioethics, Annas has been characterized as “the father of patient rights.” He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Health Rights and Bioethics, and a member of the Committee on Human Rights of the National Academies. Annas is the cofounder of Global Lawyers and Physicians, a transnational professional association of lawyers and physicians collaborating to promote human rights and health. He has also held a variety of government regulatory posts.

His presentation, “Constitutional Dimensions of the Doctor-Patient Relationship” will be given in memory of Dr. Kirshenbaum, a highly regarded cardiologist, who died May of 2010. The Kirshenbaum Lecture was established by Elaine Kirshenbaum, wife of Dr. Kirshenbaum. A graduate of BU College of Liberal Arts, BU School of Education and BUSPH, Mrs. Kirshenbaum is a member of the Boston University Board of Trustees and a member of the School of Medicine Dean’s Advisory Board. Son, Daniel, graduated from BUSM in 2011 and daughter, Jennifer, graduated from BU School of Law.

Howard D. Kirshenbaum, MD Lecture

  • Constitutional Dimensions of the Doctor-Patient Relationship
  • George J. Annas, JD, MPH
  • Monday, May 13, 5 p.m.
  • 670 Albany St., First Floor Auditorium
  • Reception to follow