About NYSTEM

Ethics Committee

Richard F. Daines, M.D., is the fourteenth New York State Health Commissioner. Prior to becoming Commissioner, Dr. Daines was the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center from January 1, 2002, until January 2007. Before joining the Hospital Center as Medical Director in 2000, he served as Senior Vice President for Professional Affairs of St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, New York from 1994 and the Medical Director from 1987 to 1999. Dr. Daines received a Bachelor of History degree from Utah State University in 1974 and served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bolivia, 1970-1972. He received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1978. He served a residency in internal medicine at New York Hospital and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine (1987-1997). Dr. Daines serves as Chair of the Empire State Stem Cell Board and its committees, the Funding and Ethics Committees.

Thomas Berg, Ph.D., is a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New York and Executive Director of The Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person. Rev. Berg received his M.A. in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University in 1997 and his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Regina Apostolorum in 1999. He specializes in natural law theory, personhood theory and biomedical issues dealing with the beginning of life. For the past five years, he has dedicated most of his philosophical research to the question of the moral status of the human embryo. Working with members of the President's Council on Bioethics, he has organized an interdisciplinary group of scientists, philosophers and moral theologians to engage in an ongoing study of the moral and scientific feasibility of Altered Nuclear Transfer and other non-embryo-destructive sources of human pluripotent stem cells. He has recently co-edited a volume of essays by Catholic moral theologians entitled, Human Embryo Adoption: Biotechnology, Marriage, and the Right to Life.

Nancy Neveloff Dubler, LL.B., is Senior Associate at the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Bioethics, and Professor Emerita of Bioethics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She received her B.A. from Barnard College and her LL.B. from the Harvard Law School. Ms. Dubler founded and directed the Bioethics Consultation Service at Montefiore Medical Center from 1978-2008 as a support for the analysis of difficult clinical cases presenting ethical issues in the health care setting. This service uses mediation as its process. She lectures extensively and is the author of numerous articles and books on termination of care, home care and long-term care, geriatrics, adolescent medicine, prison and jail health care and AIDS. She was Co-Director of the Certificate Program in Bioethics and the Medical Humanities, operated jointly by Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine with Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University. Her most recent books are: The Ethics and Regulation of Research with Human Subjects, Coleman, Menikoff, Goldner and Dubler, LexisNexis, 2005; and Bioethics Mediation: A Guide to Shaping Shared Solutions, co-author, Carol Liebman, United Hospital Fund, New York, New York, 2004. She consults often with federal agencies, national working groups and bioethics centers.

Brooke Ellison, M.A., has worked as an advocate for stem cell research for nearly a decade. In 1990, at the age of 11, she was in an accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. However, Ms. Ellison never let her physical situation stand in the way of what she could achieve, and she graduated with honors from Harvard University in 2000 and from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in 2004. In 2002, she published an autobiography, Miracles Happen, which was later made into a movie directed by Christopher Reeve. For more than a decade, she has worked across the country as a public speaker, delivering her message of hope, optimism and strength in the face of obstacles, using her own experiences as a vehicle to convey the message. Ms. Ellison was a candidate for New York State Senate in 2006, focusing on the need for New York to embrace funding for stem cell research. She has continued her work in the field of stem cell research and in July 2007 formed a non-profit organization, The Brooke Ellison Project, to educate and mobilize on behalf of the research. In addition, working with leading scientists and advocates in the field, she has produced a documentary to provide necessary information on stem cell research.

Samuel Gorovitz, Ph.D., former Dean of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, led in the development of the field of medical ethics and has published extensively on other topics in philosophy and public policy. He has given more than 200 invited lectures in dozens of countries on five continents, and in 1989 led a National Institutes of Health regional workshop on research with human subjects. His publications include more than 120 articles, reviews and editorials in philosophical journals, medical journals, public policy journals and newspapers. He is a co-author of the book, Philosophical Analysis, and an editor of several anthologies. His two most recent books are, Doctors' Dilemmas: Moral Conflict and Medical Care; and Drawing the Line: Life, Death, and Ethical Choices in an American Hospital. In fall 1996, he served as the Baker-Hostetler Professor of Law at Cleveland Marshall College of Law, and in fall 1998 was Visiting Scholar in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University. Since 1988 he has served, by gubernatorial appointment, on the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law. He was Dearing-Daly Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University from 2001-2004, and during 2004-2005 was Visiting Professor of Philosophy and Bioethicist in Residence at Yale. He is Founding Director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program and Professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University.

David C. Hohn, M.D., is President Emeritus and Executive Director of Health Policy at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), where he served for 10 years as President and CEO. Dr. Hohn continues his national leadership role in health policy issues, especially as they relate to cancer research and treatment and training the next generation of cancer specialists. During his tenure as RPCI President, Dr. Hohn was widely credited with re-establishing the Institute as a leader in the national cancer community. He implemented the Institute's first strategic plan focused on making RPCI internationally and nationally competitive in cancer science; led the restructuring of RPCI as a public benefit corporation; stabilized funding and increased revenue; recruited over 160 senior leadership faculty, top-tier clinicians and scientists; completed a $250-million renovation and rebuilding of the Institute campus; and implemented an innovative managed care strategy which opened regional access to RPCI. As Principal Investigator of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant, Dr. Hohn led the successful renewal of Roswell Park's designation as a comprehensive cancer center - a designation the Institute has held continuously since 1974. Dr. Hohn came to RPCI from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center where, as Vice President for Patient Care from 1993 to 1997, his responsibilities included oversight of all clinical departments, clinical research programs and the protocol office. Dr. Hohn serves as Vice Chairman of the Empire State Stem Cell Board and its Committees.

Robert Klitzman, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry (in Socio-medical Sciences) in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Joseph Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. He co-founded and for five years co-directed the Columbia University Center for Bioethics, and is currently the Director of the Ethics, Policy and Human Rights Core of the HIV Center, and a member of the Division of Psychiatry, Law and Ethics at Columbia. Dr. Klitzman has written numerous articles and book chapters, as well as six books, examining ethical, social, psychological and policy issues related to stem cells, research ethics, genetic testing, reproductive decision-making, privacy of genetic and other health information, Institutional Review Board decision-making, professional education and other areas. His most recent book, Mortal Secrets: Truth and Lies in the Age of AIDS, examines views of medical privacy and ethical decision-making related to HIV and other realms, and their implications for public policy. He has also engaged in public education in medical ethics, writing about these issues for the New York Times and other publications. Dr. Klitzman has received several honors and awards for his work, including fellowships from the Aaron Diamond Foundation, the American Psychiatric Association, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Vivian S. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., is Vice Dean for Science, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of the New York University (NYU) Medical Center. She also is Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Radiology, and Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience. A practicing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiologist, Dr. Lee is the principal investigator of three NIH research grants and serves as a charter member of the Medical Imaging NIH Study Section. She is also a Fellow and President-Elect of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Dr. Lee has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and a recent textbook, Cardiovascular MRI: Physical Principles to Practical Protocols. Her research focuses on development of quantitative functional MRI for the improved understanding of physiology and disease. Dr. Lee was awarded a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford University, where she received a doctorate in medical engineering. She earned her M.D. at Harvard Medical School, completed her residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Duke, and was a fellow in Body and Cardiovascular MRI and Thoracic Imaging at NYU. Dr. Lee completed an M.B.A. at NYU's Stern School of Business in 2006.

H. Hugh Maynard-Reid, D.Min., B.C.C., C.A.S.A.C., is Director of the Pastoral Care Department in the North Brooklyn Health Network, Health and Hospitals Corporation of New York City. He is a Board Certified Chaplain and a Credentialed Addiction and Substance Abuse Counselor by the State of New York. He also is certified in Human and Medical Bioethics. Previously, Rev. Dr. Maynard-Reid served as a minister for 15 years in New York City. He was also the Associate Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Studies at Northern Caribbean University (formerly West Indies College), and Adjunct Professor at Andrews University. He is a member of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law and the Association of Professional Chaplains. He is an Advisory Member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island Pastoral Education and Chaplaincy Services. He served at North Brooklyn Network as a member of the Institutional Review Board and human research committee and is a member of the Ethics Committee. As a member of the Brooklyn Ecumenical Advisory, his community services work centers on community leaders' health education.

Samuel Packer, M.D., is Chair Emeritus of the Department of Ophthalmology at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. He holds the endowed Arthur and Arlene Levine Professorship, and is a Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Packer began his ophthalmology practice in 1972. He has served as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at North Shore University Hospital (1984-2004) and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (2005-2007). As a board-certified ophthalmologist, he divides his time between his clinical practice and his interest in medical ethics, education and research. Dr. Packer began as a research collaborator at Brookhaven National Laboratory (1971-1993) and rose to the rank of Scientist. His major contribution was to pioneer the use of low-energy radioactive sources to treat melanoma of the eye. Dr. Packer received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and completed a medical internship at Kings County Medical Center and an ophthalmology residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has served as President of the New York State Ophthalmological Society, the Nassau County Medical Society and the Nassau Academy of Medicine. Dr. Packer has also been a member of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law since 1992, served as Chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ethics Committee and is the Executive Chair of the Lions Eye Bank for Long Island, as well as Chair of the Ethics Committee at North Shore Long-Island Jewish Health System.

Robert N. Swidler, M.A., J.D., is General Counsel to Northeast Health, a not-for-profit health care system in New York's Capital Region that includes hospitals, nursing homes, home care, senior residences and other affiliates. He is also a member of the faculty of both Albany Medical Center's Alden March Bioethics Institute and the Union College/Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Bioethics Program. Previously, Mr. Swidler was a partner at Hiscock & Barclay, Deputy Commissioner and Counsel to the NYS Office of Mental Health, and Assistant Counsel to Governor Mario Cuomo. From 1985-1990, Mr. Swidler served as staff counsel to the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, where he helped develop the Task Force's proposals on brain death, do-not-resuscitate orders, health care proxies and organ transplantation. Mr. Swidler has written numerous articles on health law topics, and co-authored chapters in the Legal Manual for New York Physicians on informed consent and life-sustaining treatment decisions. He was Chair of the New York State Bar Association Health Law Section during 1999-2000, and is currently editor of the Association's Health Law Journal. Mr. Swidler is a graduate of Columbia Law School (1982) and SUNY at Binghamton (B.A. '77, M.A. '78).