World Leader in Medical Research Partners with the University of Mary to Offer International Degree in Bioethics
Agreement with Mary is first in the United States for Jérôme Lejeune Foundation
BISMARCK, ND — The Jérôme Lejeune Foundation and the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, have signed their first agreement in the United States for the training of professionals in the one-year Bioethics Expert Diploma. The French based Jérôme Lejeune Foundation is known internationally as a world leader for funding research to treat genetic disorders that effect intellectual disabilities with three objectives: research, care, and advocacy. The institution provides medical treatment for persons with intellectual disabilities, and also a powerful advocate for bioethics and public policies that respect the dignity of the human person. In accordance with its statutes, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation pursues the mission of defending life and dignity of the individual from its conception to its natural death. Also, as part of its mission, the Foundation is committed to bioethics education for professionals and for individuals interested in being formed in this field. Therefore, in 2009, the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune was established, with the aim of providing training in the field of Bioethics to professionals and individuals who want to be able to build scientific and objective criteria to defend the dignity of the human person from its origin to natural death. And this diploma is part of the educational offerings provided by the Chair.
The agreement states that the students, who previously obtained a one-year Bioethics Expert Diploma from the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune, can now earn a master’s degree in bioethics in just one year, online, from the University of Mary.
“We recognize the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, with its affiliated associations and respected world-class faculty, as an important authority for higher education in bioethics in the American Catholic world”, Dr Mónica López Barahona, president of the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune, announced. “Given our respect for the University - its patroness Blessed Mother Mary, its mission, its compassion for the dignity of the whole person and the unborn, and our admiration for its President Monsignor James Shea - this was an easy decision for us. Our two institutions share a common mission and fidelity to the Gospel of Life that regards every human person as created in the image and likeness of God, endowed with life and dignity. Venerable Jérôme Lejeune smiles from Heaven knowing that we are helping to fulfill his dreams with this partnership.”
To know the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation is to know Jérôme Lejeune, its namesake. A physician by vocation, he dedicated his life to the struggles experienced by the intellectually disabled children. Lejeune understood how powerless medicine was to help these children, so he became a researcher. The US government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) regards Lejeune’s greatest achievement as the discovery of the genetic basis of Down’s syndrome in 1958, which he named trisomy 21. His research in human genetics, as well as his humanitarian spirit and fight against therapeutic abortion, led to international recognition and being known as the father of modern genetics. In 1994, just 33 days before Lejeune’s death on Easter Sunday, Pope John Paul II, his close friend, created the Pontifical Academy for Life in Lejeune’s honor, and named him president. A year later, following his death, to honor his remarkable legacy, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation was created to pursue the work of Jérôme Lejeune. In 2021, Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Jérôme Lejeune, and he was declared Venerable by the Roman Catholic Church — the first step in the Vatican’s process on the road to canonization.
Following the example of Jérôme Lejeune, the foundation works through educational and legal means to ensure the respect for life. Within the context of an ever-accelerating scientific progress and ideological pressure that pose fundamental questions for society, the Foundation is highly vigilant about bioethical issues in relation to the research it funds.
That is where the University of Mary comes in. With the dignity of the human person as the guiding principle, students from the Lejeune Foundation will be provided a comprehensive guide towards ethical decision-making in a variety of fields including biomedicine, health care policy, and law.
For a long time, Monsignor Shea has had a mutual admiration for Lejeune and the Foundation.
“We are grateful, thrilled, and very humbled that the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation would ask us to collaborate with them in this way,” remarked Shea. “The Foundation is entrusting us with their students so that our extraordinary faculty can further educate them through our extensive Catholic bioethics curriculum. Jérôme Lejeune was a model of Catholic bioethics, a legacy championed so fervently, diligently, and without compromise by the Foundation. This partnership is providential for both parties, affording us an opportunity to walk arm-in-arm in the defense of life and refuse to accept the culture of death that is still prevalent in today’s society — just as Jérôme Lejeune stood strong with courage and truth throughout his remarkable life.”
Another step towards partnering happened recently when University of Mary’s new Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Dr. James Peliska attended the 2nd International Congress of the Jérôme Lejeune International Chair of Bioethics, entitled "Jérôme Lejeune and the challenges of bioethics in the 21st century,” held last month in Rome, at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum. World-class speakers, presenters, and experts included Word on Fire Founder Bishop Robert Barron, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and New York Times Best-Selling Author George Weigel, Dr. Carter Snead Professor of Philosophy of Law, University of Notre Dame and Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and many more.
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Anyone who wishes to learn more about the University of Mary can do so at www.umary.edu or by contacting an admissions representative at enroll@umary.edu, or by calling (701) 355-8030. The University of Mary is one of only 15 Recommended Cardinal Newman Society Residential Colleges and Universities in the US.
About the University of Mary: True to its motto “lumen vitae”—The Light of Life—the University of Mary offers education for the whole of life through cutting-edge professional programs and graduate programs animated by moral courage and leadership in chosen professions and service to the community. A private, co-educational Catholic institution, the University of Mary welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.
A Christian, Catholic, Benedictine institution founded in 1959 by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Mary offers nearly 60 bachelor’s, 18 master’s, and five doctoral programs — in Business Administration, Education, Nursing Practice, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. The 20-sport Athletic Department adheres to its Greatness Through Virtue mission under the governance of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), and the USA College Clay Target League. With more than 3,800 students, Mary has locations in North Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Rome, Italy, as well as vibrant online offerings.