Dr. Ken Prager is a distinguished physician with more than five decades of experience at Columbia University. After he began his career at Columbia in 1968 as an intern, his journey in medicine took him from training in internal medicine to becoming a pulmonologist and, ultimately, a leader in medical ethics. At Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Dr. Prager has been instrumental in advising on policies such as the ethical implications of heart transplants, life-support protocols, and ventilator usage, including the unprecedented health-care issues that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a member of the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS) M.S. in Bioethics program Advisory Board, Dr. Prager interacts closely with students in the program. The Advisory Board is one invaluable element of Columbia’s M.S. in Bioethics, made up of leaders in the field who help organize networking events and provide employment opportunities for students and alumni. The board includes individuals from across the University, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia Law School, and the School of International and Public Affairs.
Dr. Prager is also a frequent guest lecturer in several of the program’s courses, and students have the opportunity to sit in on the New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Clinical Ethics Committee meetings, which he chairs. Students have also “shadowed” him and other clinical ethicists on the board. Through his involvement with the program, Dr. Prager strives to impart to students the knowledge he’s gained from his extraordinary career.
Firsthand Experience of the Ethical Obligations of Medical Professionals
After earning his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1968, Dr. Prager spent two years on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, providing health care during the Vietnam War era, which he describes as one of the most educational journeys of his life. His career includes notable international involvement as well. In the 1970s and ’80s, despite the risk of surveillance from the KGB, Dr. Prager facilitated medical support to Jewish people in the Soviet Union. These experiences gave him an understanding of the ethical obligations physicians hold beyond clinical boundaries and deepened his belief in the intersection of health care and human rights.
Reflecting on his career path, he noted, “Life is filled with serendipitous moments. I never planned to enter bioethics, but it’s become an incredibly fulfilling part of my career.”
The Beginning of the Bioethics Field
When Dr. Prager began in clinical medicine at Columbia, bioethics as a field was almost nonexistent. “When I was an intern here, there was no ethics committee, because we didn’t have these kinds of dilemmas,” recalled Dr. Prager. “We just did everything we could to save lives.” However, the advancement of medical technology in the 1970s—ventilators, dialysis, organ transplants—raised ethical questions previously unencountered.
A defining moment in his career occurred in 1986 when he published a critique of New York’s Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) law in The Wall Street Journal. The article gained the attention of colleagues and ultimately led to his appointment as chair of the Medical Ethics Committee at Columbia’s Medical Center. Dr. Prager has led the committee for more than 30 years and currently cochairs it with fellow M.S. in Bioethics Advisory Board member Dr. Lydia Dugdale. His work there, he said, involves “consulting on hospital policies, education, policy formulation, and advising on complex ethical issues.”
Bioethics and the Evolution of the Medical Field
Dr. Prager approaches ethics as a careful balance between patient autonomy and non-maleficence, such as balancing medical needs and individual family wishes, making each case unique. His perspective is informed by a deep respect for patients, families, and medical colleagues alike.
In Dr. Prager’s view, bioethics will only grow more essential as the medical field continues to evolve. AI and new life-sustaining technologies, he suggests, could eventually introduce new ethical questions. In response to this, he advises students to keep their humanism: “Remember why you went into this work. There will be pressures, but stay strong and committed to helping others. There’s nothing more rewarding.”
About the Program
Columbia University’s Master of Science in Bioethics program grounds students in interdisciplinary approaches and models to address pressing bioethical challenges such as stem cell research and health-care reform. The program prepares students to act as responsible and responsive leaders in this new and ever-growing field. It also includes a concentration in global bioethics—the first of its kind in the U.S. Columbia’s Bioethics program offers a range of degrees and courses.
