Inaugurated on July 14, 2011, this special collection was created to honor Edmund D. Pellegrino, MD, MACP, at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity's 18th annual summer conference, The Scandal of Bioethics: Reclaiming Christian Influence in Technology, Science, and Medicine.
This collection housed in CBHD's Research Library recognizes the unique contribution of Dr. Pellegrino to the field of bioethics, the virtuous practice of medicine, and advancement of scholarship in Christian bioethics. Dr. Pellegrino's work that explored enduring issues in the philosophy of medicine, the patient-physician relationship, and the application of Christian virtue to the practice of medicine guide the acquisitions of this collection.
A portion of the Center's annual budget is dedicated to procuring resources within the areas of moral theology, philosophy, and medical ethics that contribute to and continue the legacy of Dr. Pellegrino's life work. In addition to general works in these areas, this collection includes over 180 volumes from Dr. Pellegrino's personal library as well as several personal notebooks from his early years of research and writing. An electronic catalog of the holdings in this collections is available through Zotero.
The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD) announces the installation of the Edmund D. Pellegrino Special Collection in Medical Ethics and Philosophy in the Center’s newly renovated research library.
The Collection recognizes the work of Edmund D. Pellegrino, MD, MACP, in the field of bioethics and the virtuous practice of medicine, as well as the advancement of scholarship in Christian bioethics. Dr. Pellegrino is the John Carroll Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center, and currently serves as the interim director for the Center for Clinical Ethics as well as a senior research scholar for the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. Dr. Pellegrino also serves as a distinguished fellow in CBHD’s Academy of Fellows.
Dr. Pellegrino was honored by a special presentation announcing the inauguration of the Collection at CBHD’s 18th annual summer conference on July 14, 2011. After a video presentation affirming the personal influence and legacy of his work, Dr. Pellegrino was presented with gift editions of the first two volumes in the collection: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics and Hippocrates, Ancient Medicine.
Paige Comstock Cunningham, JD, executive director of CBHD, expressed the Center’s deep appreciation for Dr. Pellegrino’s life and work, stating at the presentation, “Dr. Pellegrino, you have influenced the lives of many, the great and the small, the accomplished and the needy, the scholar and the patient. You have been generous with your time, your scholarship, your wisdom, and your virtuous life. . . . No words can capture our deep appreciation.”
Upon receiving the surprise announcement and a standing ovation, Dr. Pellegrino was genuinely moved and responded, “I have always dreamed of Cicero’s dream of a perfect home which would be a library in a garden. . . . Now I know that there’s a library here that has some connection with me and that will bind me to Trinity University for a long, long time. This is a manifestation of the kind of good will I have encountered year-in and year-out.”
The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD) is a bioethics research center at Trinity International University that explores the nexus of biomedicine, biotechnology, and our common humanity. CBHD fosters a distinctly Christian conception of bioethics that is both academically rigorous and broadly accessible.