Ronald MacKenzie is Attending Physician at Hospital for Special Surgery and Director of Perioperative Medicine with the HSS Spine Care Institute. He is also Chair of the American College of Rheumatology Ethics and Conflicts of Interest Committee.

Dr. MacKenzie's interest in bioethics grew out of a melding of his former role as Chairman of the HSS Institutional Review Board and his affinity for the humanistic aspects of medical practice. Over the years he has had the opportunity to explore a range of subjects relevant to medical ethics, including an appointment as a Faculty Scholar in the Ethics Division of Weill Cornell.

Dr. MacKenzie has written a number of papers pertaining to a range of ethical issues, including medical professionalism, justice in the rheumatic diseases, informed consent, and conflict of interest. In addition, he has contributed chapters on ethics of clinical research for a number of major textbooks in rheumatology, and is responsible for the creation of Ethics Forum, a quarterly column in The Rheumatologist journal which features analysis and commentary on ethically challenging cases solicited from the practicing rheumatologic community.

It is Dr. MacKenzie's vision that HSS continue to expand its national influence in rheumatology while establishing an important role in shaping ethical standards for medical research and practice.