George Annas, JD, MPH

Audio Clip is forthcoming soon

Prof. Annas recounts growing up in St. Cloud, Minnesota, discussing his Catholic upbringing and schooling before his eventual transfer from St. Thomas University to Harvard University and then Harvard Law School. Sharing his experiences in and following law school, Annas describes the process of appealing his two Vietnam War draft orders, becoming the first lawyer to receive an MPH at Harvard, and working as a Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation Fellow in Medical Ethics. He explores the legal and ethical complexities of end-of-life decisions—including living wills, physician-assisted suicide, organ transplants, and right-to-die laws. He discusses the origin and several editions of his book, The Rights of Patients, and recounts stories about writing regular features for prominent medical journals. Other topics discussed include Annas’ work with the Nuremberg Code files; his involvement with the Human Genome Project and genetic privacy issues; and his bioethics-themed comedy stand-up shows and Shelley’s Brain, a play based on the story of Barney Clark’s artificial heart. Throughout the interview, Annas reflects broadly on his focus in human-centric legal writing, and his collaborations with doctors and medical professionals. He ends by outlining the four characteristics of the health care system discussed in The Rights of Patients, explaining his self-identification as a health lawyer, and reflecting on the need for sustainability and environmental considerations in bioethics.