Albert Jonsen, a Founding Scholar of Bioethics and S.F. Native, Dies at 89

November 10, 2020

(San Francisco Chronicle) – Patients have a right to tell their doctors what kind of treatment they want, said Albert Jonsen, and doctors have an obligation to listen. Jonsen, one of the founding scholars of the field of bioethics and among the first advocates of the concept of informed consent, helped doctors and patients to navigate their complex relationship and to understand, as he said, that “ethical questions are raised with every scientific discovery.” Jonsen died October 21 in his San Francisco home after a brief illness. He was 89.