I am an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Marywood University, in Scranton, PA, USA.  My teaching and research interests lie mainly in the areas of biomedical ethics, animal and environmental ethics, ethical theory, and the philosophy of death and dying.  Much of my research focuses on the issue of moral standing: to what extent different kinds of entities deserve some form of moral respect in our actions.  I am especially interested in the extent to which different kinds of entities can be harmed by what happens to them and, in particular, harmed by death.  My work on moral standing aims to address a variety of practical issues including our treatment of animals and the environment, medical research on human embryos, genetic enhancement of humans, and our treatment of severely brain-damaged patients.  I am also interested in examining and defending the moral significance of empathy and compassion.

I am the creator and director of Marywood University's Bioethics Certificate Program, an undergraduate program in which students learn to think through complex ethical issues in medicine and medical research, including end-of-life care, decision-making for incompetent patients, mental health, genetics and reproduction, and healthcare justice.  The program is available to internal and external students, and courses can be taken either in a classroom or online.  

My CV

I can be contacted here: asimmons@marywood.edu

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