Bartha Knoppers

Bartha Maria Knoppers
Born	May 26, 1951 (1951-05-26) Hilversum, Netherlands
Alma mater	McMaster University University of Cambridge University of Alberta McGill University University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
Employer	Université de Montréal McGill University

Bartha Maria Knoppers, OC (born May 26, 1951) is a Canadian lawyer and an expert on the ethical aspects of genetics, genomics and biotechnology.

Born in Hilversum, Netherlands, she received a Bachelor of Arts (French and English Literature) from McMaster University, a Diploma of Legal Studies from University of Cambridge, a Master of Arts degree in comparative literature from the University of Alberta in 1972, a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from McGill University in 1981, a Doctorate of Laws from the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne in 1985.

From 2001 to 2009, She held the Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine at the Université de Montréal. She is also a counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. In 2009, she was hired as a Full Professor in McGill University's Department of Human Genetics. She is the chairman of the International Ethics Committee of the Human Genome Project. Knoppers is the lead author of the Stem Cell Charter.

Honours

In 2002, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition for being "a world authority on the ethical aspects of genetics, genomics and biotechnology". She received a Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa from the University of Waterloo (2001), a Doctor of Medicine Honoris Causa from Université de Paris V (René Descartes) (2002), a Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa from McMaster University, Ontario (2007) and a Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa from the University of Alberta in 2008. In 2002, she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a fellow of the Hastings Center, an independent bioethics research institution.