Who We Are

The Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture is dedicated to promoting human dignity in the face of challenges to what it means to be human, and to informing and equipping people to face the vital bioethics issues of the 21st Century.

The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture is a 501(c)3 corporation.

Board of Directors

  • R. Henry Williams, M.D., M.A., Chair
  • James Bookstaff
  • Will Burns
  • M. Cile Cowan
  • C. Ben Mitchell
  • Christopher Patton
  • William Peter

Distinguished Fellow

C. Ben Mitchell, PhD, has been appointed Distinguished Fellow of the Center effective September 1, 2020. Dr. Mitchell has worked extensively in bioethics, and most recently served as the Graves professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, until his retirement at the end of August 2020. Learn more about Dr. Mitchell here.

Executive Director

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A. (Bioethics), is the Executive Director of The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture.  Board certified in internal medicine, she has also done basic science research in the field of biochemistry.  Her areas of interest include the international stem cell research and cloning debate, genetics issues, the transhumanist movement, and medical ethics, including transplantation ethics and end-of-life issues.