McDonald-Agape Fellowship

McDonald-Agape Fellowship in Bioethics

This two-year fellowship, funded through a generous grant from the McDonald-Agape Foundation, is designed to promote the academic career of a junior scholar with outstanding potential for scholarship and leadership in bioethics. Priority will be given to physicians, but those with other terminal degrees are also eligible. Priority also will be given to candidates with a demonstrated Christian orientation to their work in ethics, broadly construed. Some previous education in bioethics is required, but a formal degree in ethics is not necessary. The program is highly selective. Only one candidate will be accepted each fellowship year. The next fellowship will begin in 2024. Application information will be posted in the fall of 2023.

Fr. Columba Thomas, O.P., 2022-24 McDonald Agape Fellow


The Program
The McDonald-Agape Fellowship is a two-year program of study and scholarship at the Institute. The fellow will conduct scholarly work directly with Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, the André Hellegers Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Acting Director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics.

Qualified physician fellows will have the opportunity to maintain practice skills through limited outpatient work at the MedStar-Georgetown University Hospital.

The program will be uniquely tailored to the needs, interests, and background of the successful
candidate. It will include opportunities for formal study, research, participation in the life of the Kennedy Institute, and experience in clinical bioethics consultation. The proximity of the main campus and the medical center provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary study and collaborative research. The Law Center is also accessible via Georgetown University Transportation Services.

Fellows will participate in: