Distinguished professor Ruth Groenhout has died

Ruth Groenhout, distinguished professor of health care ethics in the Department of Philosophy, died Oct. 16.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Cabarrus Brewing Company mezzanine; RSVPs are requested.

Groenhout joined UNC Charlotte in August 2017 from Calvin University, where she was professor and chair of the Philosophy Department. Her primary research area was health care ethics, with a focus on gender, health systems and health policy. She authored several books during her career, including “Care Ethics and Social Structures in Medicine” (2019), “Bioethics: A Reformed Look at Life and Death Choices” (2009) and “Connected Lives: Human Nature and an Ethics of Care” (2004).

“Ruth Groenhout was a pioneer in applying an ‘ethics of care’ framework to issues in medicine and health policy,” said Trevor Pearce, chair of the Philosophy Department. “This focus on care and compassion also benefited the hundreds of students who attended her popular class on the Philosophy of Death and Dying, which she taught every year beginning in 2018.”

A graduate of Calvin University, Groenhout completed a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame in 1993.

The Department of Philosophy posted a brief overview of Groenhout’s life and work.