Medical center's bioethicist Lainie Ross has been voted into the prestigious National Academy of Medicine.
Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD, a renowned figure in bioethics and pediatrics, has been appointed to lead the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Bioethics for a four-year term starting July 1, 2025 [1][2].
Ross's achievements are numerous. She currently serves as the chair of the AAP Committee on Bioethics, providing leadership on ethical issues affecting children’s health and pediatric practice [1][2]. Her work intersects pediatrics with ethical guidance on child health matters at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), one of eight academic medical centers in the nation with a dedicated humanities and bioethics department [3].
Ross's selection as chair of the AAP Committee on Bioethics underscores her high standing in the field, particularly concerning pediatric ethics. Though specific details about her broader research or academic contributions in bioethics and pediatrics are not fully covered in the search results, her leadership role at the AAP Committee on Bioethics is a significant indicator of her influence and expertise in shaping pediatric bioethics policy and practice.
In addition to her work with the AAP, Ross has been recognised by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her nearly three decades of work on ethical and policy issues related to organ transplantation, genetics and genomics, clinical research ethics, human subject protections, and pediatrics [4]. Ross offers tools and resources to address controversial and complex cases in bioethics and health humanities [5].
At URMC, Ross's work focuses on the moral aspects of research and patient care. She emphasizes the importance of contextualizing disease within a patient's life and listening to the patient's perspective. Ross believes that every clinical encounter is a moral encounter [6].
Ross joined URMC in 2023 as the inaugural chair of the department of Health Humanities and Bioethics and director of the Paul M. Schyve, MD, Center for Bioethics. Under her leadership, the medical center is committed to the cause of bioethics and health humanities [7]. The medical center is known for its innovative biopsychosocial framework, which emphasizes caring for the whole person [8].
Ross's past achievements include being elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), a prestigious organization comprised of the best of the best in American health care and academic medicine [9]. Past NAM inductees from the medical center include several prominent figures in various medical fields, such as Paul F. Griner (Hematology/Oncology), Lynne Maquat (Biochemistry and Biophysics), Seymour I. Schwartz (Surgery), Elizabeth R. McAnarney (Pediatrics), Paul S. Frame (Family Medicine), and Robert C. Griggs (Neurology) [10].
Ross has published five books and over 225 peer-reviewed journal articles [11]. She lectures both nationally and internationally on various bioethics and pediatric topics. Notably, she recently led a group of national experts who developed new consensus recommendations for pediatric decision-making [12].
Lainie Ross expressed surprise and excitement about her election to NAM and her appointment as chair of the AAP Committee on Bioethics. Her work in the field of bioethics and pediatrics continues to make significant contributions to the medical community.
[1] https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-organization/committee-on-bioethics/Pages/default.aspx [2] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/bioethics/about/ [3] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=50041 [4] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=51334 [5] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/bioethics/resources/ [6] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/bioethics/about/lainie-friedman-ross/ [7] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/bioethics/about/ [8] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/bioethics/about/biopsychosocial-framework/ [9] https://www.nam.edu/ [10] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=50041 [11] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/bioethics/about/lainie-friedman-ross/ [12] https://www.aappublications.org/news/2021/03/16/new-consensus-recommendations-for-pediatric-decision-making-03162021
Lainie Ross's role as the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Bioethics demonstrates her commitment to patient care, especially in the realms of health and wellness, medical-conditions, and education and self-development. In her work at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), she advocates for a holistic, biopsychosocial approach that prioritizes understanding each patient's unique context and perspective, and she has authored over 225 peer-reviewed articles and five books in these areas.
