Published on April 21, 2015 by Katie Stripling  
Pellegrino medal winner Tristram Engelhardt

Distinguished medical philosopher, H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Ph.D., M.D., was honored for his contributions to healthcare ethics during the 14th annual Healthcare Ethics and Law Institute (HEAL) conference sponsored by Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy Friday, April 17.

A professor in Rice University’s Department of Philosophy and professor emeritus in the Department of Medicine and Department of Community Medicine in Baylor College of Medicine, Engelhardt was presented the Pellegrino Medal at a special ceremony during the HEAL conference.

The medal is named for Edmund D. Pellegrino, the first recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. Dr. Pellegrino often is called the "father of the American bioethics movement." The medal is presented to world renowned clinical ethicists at each HEAL conference. 

Focusing on the implications of moral diversity on bioethics, Engelhardt spoke during the HEAL program. The 2015 conference explored “Religion and Health Care in a Diverse Society: The Role of Institutional and Provider Conscience.”

Engelhardt is senior editor of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, Christian Bioethics, the Philosophy and Medicine book series with more than 110 volumes in print, and the book series Philosophical Studies in Contemporary Culture. He has authored over 380 articles and chapters of books in addition to more than 125 book reviews and other publications. His work ranges from Continental philosophy and the history of medicine to the philosophy of medicine and bioethics. There have been more than 170 reprintings or translations of his publications. He has coedited more than 30 volumes and has lectured widely throughout the world.

A graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine and the University of Texas at Austin, Engelhardt received a doctor honoris causa from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Gr. T. Popa,” Iasi, Romania. In 2011, he received a doctor honoris causa from the “1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia, Romania. He was a Fulbright Graduate Fellow at Bonn University, German (1969–70) and a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in West Berlin, Germany. 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.