2024 IAB Board Elections

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In accordance with the International Association of Bioethics (IAB) constitution, the IAB Board of Directors includes 15 Directors elected by a vote of members. 

Directors hold 4-year terms on the Board and can be on the Board for a maximum of 2 terms in a row. Elections generally occur every 2 years. This year, there are 12 Directors who have served half their term continuing on, and 3 Directors either leaving or running for a second term. Elections for the 3 open seats on the Board of Directors will open on March 15 and close on March 29. To vote in this year’s election, please use the unique link that was emailed to you directly.

Since the IAB is committed to achieving the greatest possible regional (and gender) representation on the Board, we will present the candidates by region (slightly modified from those used by the World Health Organization): Africa, North America and the English-Speaking Caribbean, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific). More information on the current Board of Directors is available here.

There are three (3) opens seats on the Board of Directors in this election and six (6) candidates running for Director positions. Given the current Board of Directors meets all geographic distribution requirements set out in IAB’s constitution, the open seats have no geographic restrictions. Please find below a summary of current Board members running for a second term, followed by a summary of individuals not currently on the Board running for a first term. 

Current Board Members Seeking a Second Term

Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon (Canada: Simon Fraser University)

As an Early Career Researcher, my journey with the International Association of Bioethics (IAB) has been both rewarding and enlightening. Elected as a board member in 2019 during my postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Law School, I took on the role of Treasurer in 2022, a period marked by significant milestones and challenges.

My tenure as Treasurer coincided with the fact that I realized that IAB was not a registered entity. This discovery led me to delve into the organizational and legal nuances of such a status. Consequently, I played a pivotal role in steering the Board towards the process of incorporation, a journey I am proud to say culminated in the IAB officially registering as an organization in Canada in February 2024! This process was not just about legal formalities; it entailed a thorough revision of our financial oversight and strategic fiscal planning. 

Since 2019, my efforts were not limited to these administrative dimensions; I also chaired the Award Committee, responsible for attributing the IAB Award for Bioethics Service in the Face of Challenges.

Moving forward, I am eager to continue my work with the Board of Directors, particularly in my role as Treasurer. I am committed to the ongoing process of incorporating the IAB, including drafting by-laws, terms of reference, and refining our accounting practices.

My vision extends beyond administrative responsibilities. I am deeply committed to the association's sustainability and aim to ensure its financial stability. This stability is crucial for the IAB to fully embrace its mission, which goes beyond organizing the World Congress of Bioethics. I am passionate about increasing IAB’s mission and capacity of being a leader in mentoring students, trainees, and early career researchers, as well as supporting local bioethics initiatives in regions where bioethics is less recognized or supported. It is my belief that through these efforts, we can significantly contribute to the global discourse and practice of bioethics.

Nancy S. Jecker (USA: University of Washington School of Medicine)

I am deeply committed to global approaches to bioethics and want to do what I can to expand our field’s horizons to be broader and more globally inclusive. I have had the privilege of serving the International Association of Bioethics (IAB) as President since 2022, and as a member of its Board of Directors since 2019. I would like to continue contributing to the important work IAB does, especially through expanding its focus on green conferencing, partnering with regional WHO offices, and providing between-congress offerings that benefit IAB members. 

New Candidates Seeking a First Term

Cristina S. Richie (UK: University of Edinburgh)

I have been actively involved with the IAB since 2020, when I presented a paper at the congress that year. At the 2022 congress I presented two papers and was on a panel. In 2024 have one paper and one panel accepted for IAB and a paper for FAB. I volunteered to be the Head of the Environmental Bioethics Network for the last two calls; ran for IAB Board last year; and have been active in the environmental sustainability initiatives of the organization through invited presentations to the Board, review of constitutional documents, and an article in Bioethics contributing to the discussion of addressing the upcoming congress in Qatar. 

I am lecturer in Ethics of Technology in the Philosophy department at the University of Edinburgh, previously a Lecturer in the Ethics & Philosophy of Technology at Delft University of Technology, and had a decade-long career in the United States as a professor, which included a tenure-track position in the Department of Bioethics and Interdisciplinary Studies at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University and a semester as a visiting professor at the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine Harvard University. 

My research is driven by a global vision of clean, just, and ethical health care through the development of strategies and policies. In addition to my two monographs, and edited volume, I am the author of over 50 articles in journals including The Lancet, American Journal of Bioethics, and the Journal of Medical Ethics, and the lead co-editor of a forthcoming Environmental Research: Health focus issue on Environmental Sustainability and Health Care.

I am well versed in organizational leadership as a Board member of the European Society of Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care; the Head of the Netherlands Unit of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics; and immediate past Head of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Environmental Bioethics Affinity Group. I previously served on the ASBH Nominating Committee and the ASBH Awards Committee. 

I believe that IAB has the potential to shape the moral discourse on climate and bioethics in way that benefit the medically underserved and the socially marginalized. I want to participate in bringing this vision to fruition by offer my internationally recognized ethical expertise and dedicated leadership experience to the Board.

Ehsan Shamsi Gooshki (Iran: Tehran University of Medical Sciences/ Monash University)

Contemporary bioethics is grappling with the challenges of colonization and epistemic injustice. As a bioethicist with substantial expertise in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and a region that remains significantly under-represented in the global bioethics discourse, coupled with my active engagement in international bioethics discussions over the past decade, I believe I can bring valuable insights to the ongoing conversations at the IAB.

Furthermore, my role as a policy-maker in health and medical research has afforded me practical experience in applying bioethics principles in day-to-day health policy-making. This firsthand involvement has provided me with a unique opportunity to observe and understand how bioethics operates in real-life contexts. I am eager to contribute these perspectives to the IAB discussions, fostering a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to contemporary bioethical considerations.

Elena Rey (Colombia, not affiliated)

Would gladly serve and add to current debates. My perspective is from an Andean Country, I come from a strong academic tradition. I am trilingual, Colomboitalian. Have received training from Citi, Nih, and in 2018 had the opportunity to be a member of the global bioethics program at Johns Hopkins. 

My perspective is also from the communities we serve, specially the most vulnerable. 

I have attended 2016 and 2022 IAB meetings.

I think I have the merits and experience to join the board.

Zohar Lederman (Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong)

Being a clinician as well as a bioethicist from Israel who has lived and has done clinical and academic work in various different cultural background, I believe I have something to contribute to the board and to the field of bioethics in general. I could specifically speak to the value of diversity. As the same time, I do not think that prioritizing diversity necessarily means sacrificing academic rigor.

Becoming a board member will help me as well further develop my skills as an academic, a bioethical researcher, and a potential leader in the field. It will expand my network and will allow me to collaborate from academic from different disciplines, background, and geographical areas.