Robert S. Olick, JD, PhD, is associate professor emeritus of Bioethics and Humanities at the Center fo Bioethics and Humanities, SUNY Upstate Medical University, with a distinguished career spanning academia, public policy, and bioethics scholarship and research. He earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University and his doctorate in philosophy and bioethics from Georgetown University and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics.

Prior to joining SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2001, Dr. Olick taught in the Colleges of Medicine and Law at the University of Iowa. Before embarking on his academic career he was privileged to serve as Executive Director of the New Jersey Bioethics Commission, where he worked to develop public policy, reports, and educational initiatives addressing issues of end-of-life decision making, the role of hospital ethics committees, surrogate motherhood and reproductive technologies, and was the lead author of that state’s Advance Directives for Health Care and Declaration of Death Acts.

Dr. Olick has authored and co-authored numerous publications on various issues in bioethics and health law, with expertise spanning the patient-family-physician relationship, end-of-life decisions, genomic medicine and genetic privacy, research ethics, research involving adults with intellectual disabilities, and public policy. His work reflects a longstanding commitment to advancing the rights, autonomy, and inclusion of people with disabilities through research, education, and ethical policymaking. He also brings experience in grant writing and funding strategy to support Melwood’s continued growth and mission.