Nancy S. Jecker

Nancy Ann Silbergeld Jecker (born October 25, 1960) is a bioethicist, philosopher, and author.

She is Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Bioethics and Humanities, with Adjunct Professorships at the university's Department of Philosophy, School of Law, and Department of Global Health.

She also holds visiting professorships at the University of Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa and the Chinese University of Hong Kong Centre for Bioethics

Jecker earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Stanford University (1982), and master's degrees in Philosophy from both Stanford University (1982) and the University of Washington (1984).

She was awarded the PhD in Philosophy from the University of Washington (1986)

Jecker has published over 200 journal articles and chapters.

Her research focuses on individual and societal aging, justice, human dignity, medical futility, and global perspectives in philosophy and bioethics.

Her other books include Wrong Medicine: Doctors, Patients and Futile Treatment, 2nd Edition co-edited with Lawrence Schneiderman (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, Japanese translation by Keiso Shobo Publishing Company 2021, Chinese translation by Ho-Chi Book Publishing Company 2015); Bioethics: An Introduction to the History, Methods, and Practice, 3rd edition, co-edited with Albert Jonsen and Robert Pearlman (Jones and Bartlett, 2012) ; and Aging and Ethics: Philosophical Problems in Gerontology (Humana Press, 1991).

Jecker was elected President of the International Association of Bioethics (2022-2024).

She was a two time recipient of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science International Fellow award (2021–2022 and 2018–2019) and a three time Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship awardee.

Jecker was a Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Centre for Biomedical Ethics (2018); Scholar-in-residence at the Brocher Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland (2017); Visiting Professor at The University of Bucharest Research Institute, Romania (2017); and keynote speaker at the Israeli Ministry of Health (2017).

Jecker was elected to the board of directors for the International Association of Bioethics (2019–2024) and to the board of directors for the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (2016–2019).

Her 2020 book, Ending Midlife Bias: New Values for Old Age (Oxford University Press), coined the term, 'midlife bias,' to refer to the privileging of midlife values across the lifespan.