George Annas

George Joseph Annas Jr. was an American scholar and ethicist. He was the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights at the Boston University School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and School of Law.

Biography

Annas was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota on July 13, 1945. He held a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard College, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health, where he was a Joseph P. Kennedy Fellow in Medical Ethics. He worked in the fields of health law, bioethics, and human rights.
Annas was the cofounder of Global Lawyers and Physicians, a transnational professional NGO that states it is dedicated to promoting human rights and health. He taught health law and human rights courses in the Boston University School of Public Health, the Boston University School of Law, and the Boston University School of Medicine. He was a Hastings Center fellow, a former member of the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, and a member of the National Academies' Committee on Human Rights.
Annas was married for 55 years to Mary Frances Roche, who died in October 2024. They had two children, Katie, an attorney, and David, a forensic psychiatrist.
Annas died at the age of 79 at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts on May 30, 2025, after a recent cancer diagnosis.

Selected bibliography

Books

Annas, George J.. Public Health Law. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520272454.
Annas, George J., & Elias, Sherman. *Genomic Messages: How the Evolving Science of Genetics Affects Our Health, Families, and Future*. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0062228253.

Journal articles

Annas, George J.. "Conjoined Twins — The Limits of Law at the Limits of Life." *New England Journal of Medicine*, 344, 1104–1108. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM200104053441419

Honors and recognition

Member, National Academy of Medicine
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Vice Chair, American Bar Association’s Committee on Health Rights and Bioethics
Member, Committee on Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences
Held various government regulatory posts, including:
-- Vice Chair, Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
-- Chair, Massachusetts Health Facilities Appeals Board
-- Chair, Massachusetts Organ Transplant Task Force

Advocacy and impact

Advocated for patient rights, including the right to refuse medical treatment
Criticized force-feeding of detainees and medical complicity in torture
Contributed to the field of health and human rights, particularly in response to public health crises like HIV/AIDS