J. Richard Williams Lectureship
Initiated in the fall of 2013, this lecture series honors the legacy of J. Richard Williams, Sr, MD. Dr. Williams, a Tulane University graduate, was a well-known and well-loved physician in Selma, Alabama. After graduating from Tulane, he completed his residency at Vaughan Memorial Hospital, now the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum, and became the primary physician in Selma, where he practiced for many years. “He would get up and make night calls and take other responsibilities during World War II,” his wife Annie Laurie remembered. “He was very unselfish and giving of himself.” Along with serving as Selma’s primary physician, Dr. Williams also performed extensive studies in cancer, which were later published in the New England Journal. His work, Annie Laurie said, is something he did with pride and dedication. “He loved medicine,” she said. “He was the kind of doctor who would do anything for his patient.” Because of his great dedication to patient service, the lecture series honoring Dr. Williams focuses on the art of creating a compassionate and trusting relationship between patient and doctor.
Special Lectures
The Program in Medical Ethics and Human Values hosts a distinguished lecture series that brings nationally and internationally recognized scholars, clinicians, researchers, and authors to Tulane to explore today's most pressing ethical questions in medicine, science, and society. Covering topics ranging from reproductive ethics, climate change, public health, and health equity to end-of-life care, medical experimentation, drug policy, spirituality, and the future of human and non-human relationships, these lectures foster meaningful dialogue across disciplines. Open to students, faculty, healthcare professionals, and the broader community, the series reflects Tulane's commitment to advancing thoughtful, evidence-based conversations that shape the future of healthcare and bioethics.
Lecture Highlights
- Dr. Mary Ziegler - 'Personhood - The New Civil War over Reproduction'
- Dr. Larry Churchill - 'Bioethical Responsibilities In the Era of Global Warming'
- Dr. Carl Hart - "Drug Use For Grown-Ups: Where Liberty, Policy, and Science Collide" - Thursday, October 9th, 2025
- Dr. Mary Faith Marshall - "Coercive Interventions in Pregnancy" - Friday, April 11th, 2025
- Dr. Will Kymlicka - "Interspecies Future" - Friday, March 14th, 2025
- Dr. Carl Elliot - "The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No" - Thursday, February 6th, 2025
- Dr. Ricardo Nuila - "The People''s Hospital: How Public Healthcare and the Humanities Can Reshape Public Health" -Thursday, January 15th, 2025
