May 27, 2005

Haddad lecture features prominent Harvard economist

The third annual Ernest M. Haddad Lecture in Law and Ethics took place April 28, featuring guest speaker David Cutler, professor of Economics and associate dean for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for Social Sciences at Harvard University. Cutler also is the author of "Your Money or Your Life," a book that tackles some of the major obstacles health care policymakers and caregivers face in attempting to improve the health care system in the United States. His lecture focused on some of the issues chronicled in his book, such as the costs and benefits of health care, the value of medical advances and options for reforming the health care system.

The Ernest M. Haddad Lecture series was created in 2003 to recognize Haddad (left), who served as the general counsel at the MGH and Partners HealthCare for 21 years. He now is at Boston University School of Law, where he served as a faculty member and dean from 1966 to 1971. Haddad was instrumental in many key
developments at the MGH during those years and created a full-service legal office that continues to provide legal support to the MGH and Partners. Haddad was particularly known for setting the highest standards of ethics and conduct, as evidenced by his leading role in developing a comprehensive code of conduct and conflict of interest policy for both the MGH and Partners. It was in recognition of this aspect of his work at the MGH that this lecture series was dedicated to him.