Lisa A. Eckenwiler

Dear Vice Chancellor Foskett,

I was shocked and saddened to learn of the proposal to close PEAK at your university.  I have been working professionally in philosophy/bioethics for just over ten years and in this time, have come to hold PEAK in great regard.  Although I am based in the US, I am well aware of PEAK's outstanding reputation through my interactions with its faculty and some of its outstanding students.  Two members of the faculty, Professors Angus Dawson and David Hunter, are among my most cherished colleagues given the excellence of their work and the quality of their characters. 

My plea to keep PEAK open is, above all, motivated by the ongoing and, indeed, urgent need for education and training in ethics.  With contemporary advances in medicine and technology, humanitarian health crises, and the evolving global landscape of research involving humans -- to name just a few things -- the need for institutions like PEAK is more pressing than ever.  I sincerely hope that the university will take the long view in this time of financial strain and uphold its commitment to PEAK.  We can ill afford its loss.

Sincerely yours,
Lisa Eckenwiler

Lisa A. Eckenwiler, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
Department of Health Administration and Policy
Director of Health Care Ethics
Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics
George Mason University