2022 Ramsey Award Winner

The Center for Bioethics and Culture and the Paul Ramsey Award Committee are delighted to announce that leading biomedical ethicist Professor C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D. will receive the 2022 Paul Ramsey Award for Excellence in Bioethics.

Dr. Mitchell has been shaping the field of biomedical ethics and influencing young minds for over 20 years as a Distinguished Fellow at the Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture, a retired Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University, and currently as an Affiliate Professor of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture at Trinity International University and Trinity Graduate School. Jennifer Lahl, founder and President of the CBC stated, “The selection of Dr. Mitchell acknowledges his deep contribution into the lives of the countless students he has taught over his tenure as a professor teaching bioethics.  It is especially meaningful to me as I was privileged to be a student of Dr. Mitchell while I was in graduate school and had the additional benefit of serving as his graduate assistant.”

Dr. Mitchell attended Mississippi State University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the 1980s and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Educational Psychology followed by a Master of Divinity Degree. Prior to his tenure at Trinity, Dr. Mitchell was an assistant professor of Christian ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Mitchell went on to obtain a doctorate in philosophy with a concentration in medical ethics from the University of Tennessee. He has completed additional studies as a visiting scholar at Green College, the medical college of Oxford University.

Dr. Mitchell’s influence extends well outside the walls of the classroom as he is currently serving on the Hospital Ethics Committee at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and continues to be heavily involved with various ethical committees, advisory boards, and fellowships. He has testified before the House and the Senate on the issue of human cloning and written extensively on pressing bioethical topics such as genetic engineering and cloning and reproductive technologies, just to name a few.

Dr. Mitchell is a decorated biomedical ethicist, receiving numerous awards and recognitions. Most recently, Dr. Mitchell was awarded the John Leland Religious Liberty Award by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. We are thrilled to honor Dr. C. Ben Mitchell as the next recipient of the prestigious Paul Ramsey Award!

Bestowing the Paul Ramsey Award is only one aspect the Paul Ramsey Institute (PRI), a training program preparing and equipping the next generation of professors, doctors, theologians, and other leaders. Already, PRI alumni have received tenure track positions at schools and universities throughout the United States and are leading think tanks across the country. Several are publishing in prestigious journals and publications throughout the world. The CBC is thrilled with the successes of each fellow. Perhaps one day our own Paul Ramsey graduate will receive this prestigious award! We ask that you would give toward the furthering of our Paul Ramsey Institute and impact the training our future leaders, directly. Educating future leaders, teachers, and scholars is one of the most important goals of the work we do.

Thank you,

The CBC Board of Directors

(Update: In order to attend this years Paul Ramsey Award Dinner, every guest must show proof of complete vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the event.)

About The Paul Ramsey Award

The Paul Ramsey Award honors those who have made an outstanding contribution to the bioethics discussion and are actively engaged in society; facing the challenges of the 21st century, profoundly defending the dignity of humankind, and enthusiastically embracing ethical biotechnology for the human good. The Ramsey Award is given to those who have demonstrated exemplary achievement in the field of bioethics.

Who was Paul Ramsey?

Paul Ramsey is regarded by many as one of the most important ethicists of the twentieth century. He was a distinguished writer on bioethics a generation ago, and served as Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion, Princeton University. Ramsey shines as an almost lone beacon in the general darkness of academic bioethics, since his commitment to the sanctity and dignity of human life was paramount.

Previous Ramsey Award Recipients

• 2004: Edmund D. Pellegrino
• 2005: Germain Grisez
• 2006: John M. Finnis
• 2007: William E. May
• 2008: Albert S. Moraczewski
• 2009: Gilbert Meilaender
• 2010: Leon Kass
• 2011: Luke Gormally
• 2012: Mary Ann Glendon
• 2013: David Solomon
• 2014: Daniel Sulmasy
• 2015: John F. Kilner
• 2016: Brent Waters
• 2017: David Albert Jones
• 2018: Farr A. Curlin
• 2019: Patrick T. Smith
• 2020/21: Helen Alvaré