Holly Fernandez Lynch Named Inaugural Recipient of Baruch A. Brody Award & Lecture in Bioethics

Congratulations to Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBE, who has won the 2019-2020 Baruch A. Brody Award & Lecture in Bioethics from the Baylor College of Medicine Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Houston Methodist, and the Rice University Department of Philosophy.

“I am honored to receive this award celebrating Dr. Brody’s enduring scholarly legacy and his foundational work to establish bioethics as a rigorous, interdisciplinary area of study worthy of national commissions, academic departments, and public trust,” Ms. Fernandez Lynch said. “In my own academic career, I strive to achieve a goal that Dr. Brody held dear: constructing careful, compelling normative arguments that meaningfully contribute to resolving issues of practical importance to patients and policymakers.”

This international award, which comes with a $10,000 prize and a named lectureship in Dr. Baruch Brody’s memory, is given to junior and mid-career scholars “who have made important theoretical contributions to the field of bioethics,” according to Baylor. Dr. Brody, one of America’s leading bioethicists, served as the founding director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine from 1982-2012.

The three institutions organized a cross-disciplinary committee to select a winner for this award. According to Baylor, Ms. Fernandez Lynch was chosen for “her significant contributions to the field in research and scholarship on topics ranging from religion and health law to FDA regulation of drugs to nudging health, and her involvement in groups like the Board of Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research (PRIM&R) and the Consortium to Advance Effective Research Ethics Oversight (AEREO).”

“Her work and vigor exemplifies Baruch’s spirit and helps inspire and encourage the next generation of bioethics innovators,” Baylor stated in its award announcement.

“This is a tremendous honor and a fitting recognition of Holly’s tremendous contributions to the field of bioethics,” said Steven Joffe, MD, MPH, interim chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy.

Ms. Fernandez Lynch said she is looking forward to visiting Houston and meeting with Dr. Brody’s colleagues, students, and family. She will receive the award and present a lecture on February 5, 2020, at the Houston Methodist Research Institute as part of the 2nd Clinical Ethics UnConference.