 Phoebe Rhea Berman believed there was no better place than Johns Hopkins to address the ethical dilemmas raised by advances in medical discovery. "With all the complexities of modern life - new discoveries in science, changes in medicine and medical care - medical professionals and policy makers are faced with very difficult decisions. There is a need for the teaching of ethics in our society." To underscore this conviction, Phoebe Berman established an endowment for the Bioethics Institute, saying, "If you have more money than you need, you should give some of it away, shouldn't you? And what better to support than the Bioethics Institute? The work that is being done there has great meaning for me and can make a real difference in society." Mrs. Berman earlier established the Edgar Berman Professorship in International Health and the Edgar Berman and Hubert Humphrey Fund in International Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health to honor her husband, Edgar Berman, who was a pioneering surgeon, an outspoken social critic, and a best-selling author. Phoebe Berman grew up on a farm and very early developed what she calls a reverence for life. Many decades later, the Bermans went to French Equatorial Africa to work with Albert Schweitzer as extended volunteers. His work inspired her, and her commitment to the need for ethical considerations in medical and scientific decision-making was reaffirmed and strengthened. One of Baltimore's most celebrated hostesses, she owned a thoroughbred racing stable, published a newspaper, and collected modern art. Mrs. Berman was also a dedicated supporter of the arts, contributing to the Peabody Institute, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Baltimore Symphony. Phoebe Berman revered life. "You have to have a strong heart and great will to make the kind of difference someone like Dr. Schweitzer made. All I am doing is making a contribution in a way that is meaningful for me." Phoebe's bequest was absolutely critical to the creation of the Berman Institute of Bioethics and we are indebted to her beyond measure. Phoebe had the deep conviction that questions of bioethics were essential to the future of humanity, and she expressed that conviction by entrusting us with her legacy. It is a privilege for all of us to have the Institute bear her name. | 
