A stunningly solemn and touching ceremony marked the establishment of the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Directorship of the Johns Hopkins Institute of Bioethics, named in the donor’s honor, on May 30, in the presence of Hopkins President Ronald J. Daniels, numerous faculty, and Dracopoulos’ friends.

The position of Director is held by the Institute’s Founder, Ruth P. Faden.

The Institute specializes in the ethics of clinical practice, biomedical science, and public health, both locally and globally. Established in 1995, it is one of the largest centers of its kind, with more than thirty 30 faculty members.
Daniels warmly referred to Dracopoulos’ character, personality, leadership and generosity, and called him a “close, personal friend.”

Dracopoulos said: “Dr. Faden has spent her entire career passionately committed to dealing with ethical challenges in the biomedical science field and in women’s health. Ruth has led the Berman Institute since its founding back in 1996 into becoming the premier bioethics center in America – if not the world – conducting advanced research on areas such as the ethics of clinical practice, biomedical science and public health, both locally and globally.

“All of this, while the world today faces so many daunting challenges not only in the biomedical field, but across all aspects of everyday life. Challenges that more often than not seem to have a common denominator, that of dealing with complex ethical issues which, given the advancement of medical science at large, will only become bigger and more complex…

“I am very grateful to have been blessed in my own personal life to be able to express my gratitude with this personal contribution, which is nothing more than a simple acknowledgment of how promising its future is both within the Hopkins family and within society at large.”

Dracopoulos is a University Trustee and a member of the Institute’s Advisory Committee.