Distinguished Legal Bioethics Professor Carl Coleman Appointed Hastings Center Fellow

Legal bioethics professor Carl H. Coleman, J.D., Associate Dean and Professor of Law, Seton Hall School of Law, has been named a fellow by the Hastings Center, the oldest independent, nonpartisan interdisciplinary research institute of its kind in the world, playing a critical role in establishing the field of bioethics. The fellowship is a lifelong honor that acknowledges "individuals of outstanding accomplishment" whose work demonstrates "uncommon insight and impact in areas of critical concern," according to the Center. This appointment distinguishes both Professor Coleman and Seton Hall Law's Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law.

"Professor Coleman has been a leader in the field of medical ethics and has played a key role in the development of policies that improve public health and patient care. His appointment as a Hastings Fellow provides an even more significant platform to work on bio-ethical issues in an interdisciplinary and international context.  We are proud of his accomplishment," said Ronald Weich, Dean of Seton Hall School of Law.

Coleman is among thirteen new Hastings Center fellows recognized this year for their work advancing scholarship and public understanding of complex ethical issues in health, health care, life sciences research and the environment, joining a group of about 300 individuals of outstanding accomplishment whose work has informed scholarship and public understanding of complex ethical issues in health, health care, science, and technology.

"Our new fellows are leaders in a wide range of areas of global importance, including ethical issues in infectious disease outbreaks, AI in health, neuroscience, reproductive rights, genetics and race, and disability," said Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky. “I welcome them and look forward to working with them."

Added  Michele Goodwin, chair of the Fellow's Council and Linda D. & Timothy J. O'Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy at Georgetown Law School, "We are proud to announce this dynamic slate of Hastings Center fellows," further noting, "These individuals are thought leaders whose research, scholarship, and policy advocacy have shaped the bioethics and health fields in tremendous, impactful ways. Their contributions in policy and academic discourses offer urgently needed pathways forward for tackling the most challenging health related conundrums.  We are honored to recognize them and their election to this esteemed fellowship."

Serving with Distinction

Coleman specializes in the legal, ethical, and public policy implications of medical treatment, research, and public health. He served as Bioethics and Law Adviser at the World Health Organization from 2006 to 2007 and has continued to work closely with WHO’s Global Health Ethics team. In addition, he is the lead author of numerous WHO guidance documents on topics such as ethical issues in infectious disease outbreaks, tuberculosis care and control, and clinical trials oversight. From 2010 to 2013, he was a member of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections, which is charged with providing expert advice to the Office for Human Research Protections of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"It's a real honor to be joining this illustrious group of scholars. I have long admired the Hastings Center for its pathbreaking work in bioethics and health policy, and I look forward to becoming a part of this unique academic community," said Coleman.

Coleman joined the Seton Hall Law faculty in 2000 and currently serves as associate dean of graduate studies and on the faculty at the Law School's Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law, an academic center of excellence focusing on health law programs, research, and policy. Prior to joining Seton Hall, he served as executive director of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, supporting the Task Force's work in the areas of end-of-life decision-making, assisted reproductive technologies, and genetic testing and screening. Following graduation from Harvard Law School, Professor Coleman served as law clerk to Chief Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then worked for two years as a litigation associate at Leventhal Slade & Krantz in New York City. In 1993, he was appointed Counsel to the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary commission with a mandate to recommend public policy on bioethical issues. He was made Executive Director of the Task Force in 1995.

Learn more about Seton Hall Law School’s Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law »

Learn more about the Hastings Center and the Fellowship Program »