Our friend and colleague Ben Rich died last week. Before retirement, Ben was the Director of the Bioethics Program. Bioethics was Ben’s second career. He was a highly regarded practicing lawyer. Then, as he put it, he “followed his bliss” and obtained a Ph.D in Philosophy. He joined the UC Davis Health Sciences Bioethics Program, and became Director, Professor and Alumni Association Endowed Chair. In his characteristic low-key way, Ben made significant contributions to UC Davis and bioethics. He shaped ethics training for medical students and staff, and also taught health sciences researchers, law students, and philosophy students at UC Davis. His scholarship added to the understanding of medical ethics, particularly the ethical and legal aspects of palliative care at the end-of-life. Ben forged a network of colleagues and friends, many of whom founded the Ethics Commons. He did all this with a gruff, dry wit, a deliberative manner of speech, occasional moral outrage, and a warm, wry smile.
