James Wagner, Vice Chair of Obama's Bioethics Council

James Wagner, President of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, was named Vice Chair of President Obama's Bioethics Council.

He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and made a circuitous route to Atlanta.

Wagner has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware, a master's in clinical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering, also from Johns Hopkins.

He worked as a researcher for the Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health. There he performed failure analyses on medical devices.

His career as professor began at The Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering where he was a professor of Materials Science and Engineering. He also had a second appointment in Biomedical Engineering. His research at Johns Hopkins consisted of optical and microwave methods for sensing strains in materials and structures.

From there, Wagner was Dean, Professor of Materials Science, Provost, University Vice President and Interim President of Case Western Reserve University, all within a four year time span. Also while at Case Western, Wagner launched the Case Western Reserve's Center for Women and guided the President's Commission on Undergraduate Education and Life.

As Dean of Case Western, Wagner worked with a number of academic departments to develop courses to help engineers better understand social issues.

While he was Provost at Case Western, Wagner created funding which enhanced recruitment and retention of women and minorities on the Case Western faculty.

The year 2003 found Wagner moving to Atlanta, Georgia where he became President of Emory University, somewhat surprising as Emory has no engineering school.

Not one to allow this to be discouraging, Wagner has worked to add to the engineering programs at Emory. A joint program between Emory University and Georgia Tech offers Emory University students more engineering opportunities.

Wagner supports Emory University's Center for Ethics and includes an ethical element in Emory's overall strategic vision.

Emory University's Center for Ethics, established in 1990, holds four goals:

1. Strengthening ethical knowledge and stimulating moral imagination
2. Generating and promoting original scholarship in ethics
3. Translating ethical thought into practice
4. Fostering lives of moral meaning and ethical engagement

The Center achieves these goals through public programs, consultations with both private and public organizations and through teaching Emory students.

Wagner has authored over 115 publications and has been a member of the National Materials Advisory Board.

Wagner was awarded the 1994 George E. Owen Award for excellence in teaching and dedication to undergraduates.

Sources:

Emory University
The White House
Emory Center for Ethics