Marie-Jo Thiel

Marie-Jo Thiel (born 7 July 1957) is a French ethics academic.^[1] She is the director of the Centre européen d’enseignement et de recherche en éthique (CEERE - the European Centre for teaching and Research in Ethics)^[2] in Strasbourg. She is a university professor at Strasbourg; her primary assignment is at the faculty of Catholic Theology, Strasbourg, France.^[3]

She has a PhD in Medicine and in Catholic Theology (Ethics). As a medical doctor and theologian, Thiel is particularly interested in bioethical research, theological and social ethics. Since 10 January 2011 she has been a member of the European Group on Ethics and New Technologies (EGE). She was nominated for this position by the European Commission.^[4] She teaches and writes in English, German and French languages in Universities in France, the USA, Canada and Germany.

Publisher of many works in ethics, Thiel's works include books and articles in referred international journals. She has also supervised a number of researches. Notably, she was the editor of the award winning book: Où va la médecine? Sens des représentations et pratiques médicales, Presses Universitaires de Strasbourg, 2003. She is the convener of the Journées internationales d’ethique de Strasbourg (International symposium on Ethics in Strasbourg), the fifth edition of which was held in April 2013.^[5] CEERE, which she has directed since its inception in 2005, was awarded in 2008 the first prize in the teaching of ethics in France.^[6]

Biography

Thiel was born on 7 July 1957 at Sarralbe (Moselle) in France. She studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg and became an interne at Nancy in 1980. She obtained her Ph.D in medicine in 1983. She subsequently took up the study of Catholic theology culminating in her thesis on “the Status of the Human Embryo” in 1987. After her defense of her thesis was judged “tres honorable” by the jury, she began to teach ethics and bioethics at the University of Metz and at the Seminary at Nancy. While a lecturer, she undertook studies for and obtained a university degree of the 3rd cycle in European Health Policies (1993). In 1998 she defended her thesis for her HDR on the theme: “The Assets of Systematic Ethics”. This work would define the evolution of Thiel’s researches and academic career.

Academic career

Appointed as a university professor at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of Strasbourg in 1999, she immediately created the interdisciplinary research group “Bioethics and Society” which assembled researchers from different disciplines. This research would be the precursor of what has become the European Centre for the Study and Research in Ethics (CEERE). Since 2005, CEERE has been open for postgraduate studies (including masters and doctorate degrees) in Ethics. The centre also has both French, and bilingual (French and English) curricula for its masters and other research programmes. As the director of CEERE, Thiel is involved in the organization of different kinds of research. She is the editor of the CEERE newsletter and website, and the organizer of the biennial trilingual (French, English and German with simultaneous translations in all three languages) International Symposium in Ethics, Strasbourg (IES). She teaches mainly in France, but also in the US, and Canada.

Her contacts and research activities in collaboration with Yale University in the USA led Thiel to begin a summer school on interdisciplinary European Ethics in the summer of 2013. The summer school drew 41 students from 22 countries and five continents around the world.

Awards and recognition

The Maurice Rapin Price in Medical Ethics (2003)

In November 2003, Thiel won the Maurice Rapin Prize in medical ethics for her direction of the book: Où va la médecine ? Sens des représentations et pratiques médicales.^[1]

Trophy for teaching ethics (2008

Thiel won the first trophy for teaching ethics in France in 2008 for her accomplishments with and through CEERE.^[7] This trophy was presented by the renowned French Doctor and Ethician, Prof. Didier Sicard, the honorary President of the French National Consultative Committee on the Ethics of Life Sciences and of Health (Comité consultative national d’ethique pour les sciences de la vie et de la santé).

Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (2013)

On 29 June 2013, Thiel was decorated with the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.^[8] She was decorated at the Palais Universitaire of the University of Strasbourg, by M. Hubert Haenel, Member of the Constitutional Council for the award of the title of Legion of Honour. The ceremony was witnessed by Prof. Alain Beretz, the President of the University of Strasbourg. The legion of honour is a national award given in France to outstanding citizensand to foreigners who have contributed immensely to society. The order is in ranks and the President of the country is the overall grand commander of the order.

Fellowship and membership of academic/research groups

National

• Member of the Ethics Committee of the French Society of cardio-vascular and thoracic surgeries since its creation in 2010.
• Member, Forum for a Democratic Europe.
• Member, Ethics Research Group of the Hospital Team of Saint Vincent.
• Member, Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Strasbourg,
• Member, Institute of Social liaisons.
• Member, Society of Friends of the University Academy of Strasbourg.
• Member, Regional Experts Group (Region Alsace/DREST) 2008-2011.
• Member, Regional Observatory agency for the Quality of Hospital facilities.
• Member, Supervisory Council for the Regional Agency for Health, Alsace.
• President, Association Herrade de Landsberg for Ethical Reflection in Alsace.
• Member, AGIRA (Association for the management of information on the risk in Insurance).
• President of the Orientation Council of the Regional Space for Ethical Reflection (ERERAL) in Alsace, France.

International Engagements

• Member, European Group of Ethics for Sciences and New Technologies of the European Commission (since 2011 for 5 years).^[9]
• Member, Societas Ethica, since August 2006.
• Member and President since 2010 of the European Presidium of Catholic Theology (AETC).

Some Works and publications

• Marie-Jo Thiel, Avancer en vie. Le troisième âge. Ed. Desclée de Brouwer, Coll. Petite Encyclopédie du christianisme, 1993. Réédition avec nouvelle présentation en novembre 1998. Traduction en italien, San Paolo Edizioni, 1995.
• Marie-Jo Thiel et Xavier Thévenot, Pratiquer l'analyse éthique. Étudier un cas, examiner un texte. Paris, Cerf, 1999.
• Guy Avanzini et Marie-Jo Thiel. Éduquer à la beauté. Eduquer aux valeurs. Éd. don Bosco, 2000. Première partie « Eduquer à la beauté », p. 1-67.
• Marie-Jo Thiel, Au nom de la dignité de l’être humain. Paris, Bayard, 2013.
• Marie-Jo Thiel, Faites que je meure vivant ! Vieillir, mourir, vivre. Paris, Bayard, 2013.^[10]

References