Inaugural Eugene P. Beard Endowed Chair in Professional Ethics Announced

Duquesne University President Ken Gormley has announced that Joris Gielen, associate professor of healthcare ethics and director of the University’s Center for Healthcare Ethics, has been named the inaugural holder of the Eugene P. Beard Endowed Chair in Professional Ethics. 

The prestigious chair honors Mr. Eugene P. Beard, one of the Duquesne’s most distinguished alumni, who graduated from the School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in 1959 and an MBA in 1961. The Chair, created by the President in honor of Mr. Beard and supported with a $1 million endowed fund, aims to recognize and promote excellence in professional ethics across various academic disciplines.
 
Gielen joined Duquesne University’s faculty in 2014 and his professional accomplishments exemplify excellence in professional ethics. Gielen’s work spans interdisciplinary boundaries in studying the influence of religion and spirituality on medical decision-making, particularly in the realm of palliative care. 
 
“Dr. Gielen is an ideal recipient of the inaugural Beard Chair,” said Gormley. “Duquesne’s strengths in ethics across many disciplines are already well known, as are our strong programs in health-related fields, including our new medical school. With healthcare providers and systems facing significant challenges – and with access to high quality health care being wildly uneven within the United States – the ground-breaking work of Dr. Gielen is vitally important to understand the ethical issues we confront as a society, including when it comes to palliative care, as we seek to provide more equitable care for all.”  

Gielen studied at University of Leuven in Belgium, where he earned master’s degrees in history, religious studies, and theology. In 2003, he left for India to study Indian philosophy and religion at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, with a postgraduate scholarship at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), where he earned another master’s degree. Gielen returned to Belgium to complete his doctoral dissertation on the subject of palliative care, as well as physicians' and nurses' ethical attitudes and religious beliefs when it comes to end-of-life decision-making. 
 
Eugene P. Beard, for whom the Beard Chair was created to honor his extraordinary career and his unwavering commitment to the highest standards of ethics, has made an enormous impact at Duquesne, both in the Palumbo Donahue School of Business and across the entire University. Beard’s philanthropic investments include the newly renovated Eugene P. Beard Center for Student Success, which provides career advising and support to ensure strong student outcomes. Additionally, he established the Eugene P. Beard Presidential Prizes for Innovation and Distinction, benefiting programs related to the College of Medicine, integrative health, arts and culture. 

To recognize the special nature of the Beard Chair, appointments to the Beard Chair will rotate among Duquesne’s different schools and will foster collaboration and cross-disciplinary engagement.

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