AUSTRALIA : FR. BILL UREN JESUIT HONOURED AT AUSTRALIA DAY

ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE REPORT: Monday 6 February 2012

Fr-Bill-Uren-AOCabrini Health’s Father Bill Uren, a Jesuit priest, has been honoured with an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the 2012 Australia Day Honours List.

The honour was conferred for “distinguished service to education as a philosopher and bioethicist, as a commentator on contemporary issues in Australian society, as a scholar and mentor and to the Catholic Church in Australia”. He is also a Doctor of the University, Australian Catholic University (2009).

Fr Uren was surprised and humbled to receive the award, describing it as a “bonus”.

“The true benefit I gain through my work, whether it is serving on ethics committees or working with tertiary students, is the people – an award such as this is just a bonus.”

For six years, Fr Uren has been a member of the Cabrini Health Board of Directors. He also serves on two other Cabrini Health Board Committees: he chairs the Mission and People Committee and is a member of the Health Ethics Committee.

Since 2006, Fr Uren has been Rector of Newman College at the University of Melbourne and a Board Member at the Melbourne College of Divinity.
In 1954, Fr Uren (then aged 17 years) entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1968. He is a graduate in moral philosophy, jurisprudence and theology from Melbourne, Sydney and Oxford universities and the Melbourne College of Divinity.

Services to education Fr Uren has lectured extensively in moral philosophy and bioethics at Australian universities including the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, Claremont Teachers’ College, Catholic Adult Education of Western Australia, the Catholic Pastoral Institute of Western Australia and Murdoch University.

Services to health Fr Uren was a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Health Ethics Committee from 2000-06. Fr Uren has served on both clinical and research ethics committees in hospitals, universities and research institutes including the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Clinical Ethics Committee (1990-97) and the WA Health Department’ Ethics of In Vitro Fertilisation Committee (1982).

He has published widely on issues such as the law and abortion, moral and ethical aspects of assisted reproduction, euthanasia, stem cell research, treatment of the human embryo, gene therapy, ethical dilemmas in rationing the health dollar and informed consent for research.

Fr Uren's Biographical details

Former President, Catholic Moral Theology Association of Australia and New Zealand; Founding Director, L J Goody Centre for Bioethics, St John of God Hospital, Subiaco, WA, 1985-86; Member, Australian Health Ethics Committee, 2001-06; Member, Working Committee, Review of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans, National Health and Medical Research Council, 2007; Hospital Ethicist, Mater Misericordiae Health Services, Brisbane, 2000-03; Rector, Newman College, University of Melbourne, 1987-1990 and since 2006; Dean, 1968-70 Rector, St Leo’s College, University of Queensland, 1998-2000; Rector, St Thomas More College, University of Western Australia, 1979-84; Dean, 1977-1979; Catholic Chaplain, 1977-80 Acting Head, St Catherine’s College, University of Perth, 1986; Rector, The Jesuit Theological College of the Society of Jesus, The United Faculty of Theology, Melbourne College of Divinity, 2003-05; Dean, 1997; Council Member, since 2006 Superior, Australian Province of the Society of Jesus, 1991-96; Board Member, Boystown, Brisbane 2002-04; Member, National Commission of Catholic Health, 2000-01; Member, Prison Reform Sub-Committee, Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice, 1984-86.

About Cabrini Health

Cabrini Health is a Catholic private, not-for-profit health service provided from seven sites in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1948, it is owned by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We have 3850 staff, 180 volunteers, 1225 specialist doctors and 832 inpatient beds. Our services span aged care, cancer care, cardiac services, emergency medicine, health promotion, home-based care, maternity services, paediatric services, palliative care, rehabilitation, research and education.


For interviews/media enquiries please contact: Jackie Meiers (03) 9508 1915 or 0419 009 146
http://www.cam.org.au/melbourne-news/australia-honours-rev-fr-bill-uren-ao.html

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