Gift Establishes Distinguished Research Fellows Program at Institute of Clinical Bioethics

Saint Joseph’s University has received a $100,000 gift to establish the Michael J. Morris ‘56 Distinguished Research Fellows Program at the Institute of Clinical Bioethics (ICB). Four fellows will be competitively selected from Saint Joseph’s and ICB-affiliated hospitals and each will be awarded $5,000 to pursue an independent research project in the field of biomedical ethics.

“This program expands our ability to do serious medical, ethical and legal research in the realm of bioethics,” says Peter Clark, S.J., Ph.D. professor and director of Institute of Clinical Bioethics and John McShane Chair in Ethics. “What’s unique about the Morris Fellows program is that it’s open to undergraduate and graduate students on our campus, as well as to medical residents, interns and fellows at our affiliated hospitals. This broadens [our reach] into the medical community and opens up a whole new dimension of research for us.”

The Morris Fellows will join the Institute’s thriving research community, the work of which is focused on real-world challenges and solutions. “Our projects are very clinical and very practical,” says Clark. “For example, we’ve designed menstrual pads for women in India, microfinanced a water filtration system in Africa, and proposed — though not yet implemented — a model for a safe injection site here in Philadelphia.”

Each fellow will be guided by a faculty advisor during the year-long project and all will be fully engaged in the collaborative, interdisciplinary learning culture that defines the Institute. Applications for the Morris Research Fellows Program must be submitted by March 15. The inaugural Morris Fellows will be announced April 1.

Michael J. Morris ’56 is former chair of the Saint Joseph’s University Board of Trustees. His forward-thinking philanthropy has supported and enriched virtually all aspects of living and learning at Saint Joseph’s, including faculty research, teaching excellence, campus development and residential life.