Osborne P. Wiggins Book Prize

In 2023 the Philosophy Department, in collaboration with the Department of Comparative Humanities, inaugurated the Osborne P. Wiggins Book Prize. Two prizes are given each year: one to an outstanding graduating student in the MA in Applied Philosophy-Health Care Ethics, and one to an outstanding graduating student in the PhD in Humanities. This honors Prof. Wiggins's essential work building both programs. The book is chosen with both Prof. Wiggins and the winning student in mind. A book plate, specially designed by Humanities PhD student Erica Lewis, is mounted inside the prize book.

Award Year	Award Recipient
2024	Dr. Esper Wadih In May 2024, Esper completed an MA in Health Care Ethics while simultaneously completing a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Norton Children's Hospital. During his time in the master’s program, he taught pediatric residents how to apply ethical frameworks to difficult medical decisions. His focus was on addressing conflicts with the healthcare team and caregivers, and considerations around parental autonomy. He emphasized with the residents the importance of being mindful of biases, racism, classism and how they play into these conflicts and the decision on when to override parental autonomy. He was also a member of Pediatricians Urging Safety and Health (PUSH), an advocacy group for the children of Louisville. Through this he participated in book drives and community engagement, and he worked to improve the lives of the children of Louisville and how they interact with the healthcare system. In his new role he will sit on the ethics committee at a children's hospital and continue to teach pediatric trainees ethics curricula. Esper's exemplary coursework and his capstone research project supported his selection as the second recipient of the Wiggins Prize. He was awarded the book Health Problems, by Elizabeth Barnes, which unifies empirical medical science with rigorous philosophical and ethical inquiry.
2023	Andrew Givens In May, 2023, Andrew completed an MA in Health Care Ethic alongside a Post-BA-Pre-Medical Degree. In his time in our program, he's worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Biology, as a Monitor Technician at University of Louisville Hospital, as a Patient coordinator at Baptist Health and Norton Health Care, while also completing an internship at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMDPHW) examining maternal-child health in Jefferson County. Andrew has dedicated both his personal and academic work toward addressing inequities, particularly but not exclusively those facing LGBTQ+ individuals in the community. Outside of his academic work, he has contributed in numerous ways over the years to efforts at racial justice and refugee resettlement, including teaching English for a year through Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Andrew embodies the spirit of the Osborne P. Wiggins Book Prize. We are so proud of all his accomplishments and can't wait to see what he does next.

Award Year

Award Recipient

2024

Dr. Esper Wadih

In May 2024, Esper completed an MA in Health Care Ethics while simultaneously completing a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Norton Children's Hospital. During his time in the master’s program, he taught pediatric residents how to apply ethical frameworks to difficult medical decisions. His focus was on addressing conflicts with the healthcare team and caregivers, and considerations around parental autonomy. He emphasized with the residents the importance of being mindful of biases, racism, classism and how they play into these conflicts and the decision on when to override parental autonomy. He was also a member of Pediatricians Urging Safety and Health (PUSH), an advocacy group for the children of Louisville. Through this he participated in book drives and community engagement, and he worked to improve the lives of the children of Louisville and how they interact with the healthcare system. In his new role he will sit on the ethics committee at a children's hospital and continue to teach pediatric trainees ethics curricula. Esper's exemplary coursework and his capstone research project supported his selection as the second recipient of the Wiggins Prize. He was awarded the book Health Problems, by Elizabeth Barnes, which unifies empirical medical science with rigorous philosophical and ethical inquiry.

2023

Andrew Givens

In May, 2023, Andrew completed an MA in Health Care Ethic alongside a Post-BA-Pre-Medical Degree. In his time in our program, he's worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Biology, as a Monitor Technician at University of Louisville Hospital, as a Patient coordinator at Baptist Health and Norton Health Care, while also completing an internship at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMDPHW) examining maternal-child health in Jefferson County. Andrew has dedicated both his personal and academic work toward addressing inequities, particularly but not exclusively those facing LGBTQ+ individuals in the community. Outside of his academic work, he has contributed in numerous ways over the years to efforts at racial justice and refugee resettlement, including teaching English for a year through Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Andrew embodies the spirit of the Osborne P. Wiggins Book Prize. We are so proud of all his accomplishments and can't wait to see what he does next.

Applied Philosophy - Health Care Ethics

Osborne P. Wiggins Book Prize