Sister Jean Katherine deBlois, CSJ, PhD
Ascension Health Board of Trustees

Sister Jean deBlois, CSJ, PhD, is a member of the Ascension Health Board of Trustees. In 2002, she was named Provincial Councilor for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, located in St. Louis, Mo., and a Sponsor Liaison for Ascension Health. Additionally, Sister Jean is an Assistant Professor of Moral Theology and Director, Master of Arts in Health Care Mission at the Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, Mo.

Sister Jean entered religious life with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1968.

Her education began at St. Joseph College of Nursing, San Francisco, Calif., where Sister Jean received her nursing degree in 1967. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in 1971 from Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, Calif.; a Master of Arts/Theology degree in 1980 from the University of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.; and a doctorate in moral theology and medical ethics from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., in 1987.

Widely respected for her extensive knowledge in the field of healthcare ethics, Sister Jean launched her career in medicine in 1971 as a staff nurse at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, Inglewood, Calif. She later became an intensive care supervisor and an instructor in cardiology in the hospital's department of education.

After completion of her advanced degrees, Sister Jean's career shifted to medical ethics. In 1987, she became an instructor in medical ethics at Mount St. Mary's College, and an ethics consultant for the Carondelet Health Care Corporation in Inglewood, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz. From 1988 to 1993, she was Associate Director for the Center for Health Care Ethics at St. Louis University Medical Center, St. Louis, Mo., and provided ethics consulting to the Carondelet Health System in St. Louis. Sister Jean also held assistant professorships in the departments of Internal Medicine and Hospital and Health Administration for St. Louis University Health Sciences Center.

In 1993, she joined the St. Louis headquarters for the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) as Senior Associate, Theology and Ethics. Three years later, Sister Jean served as CHA's Vice President, Mission Services/Sponsorship until 1999.

Evidence of her contributions in medical ethics is apparent in both her publications and professional honors. She has published articles in numerous national newsletters such as Ethics and Medics, Insights and the National Catholic Reporter. In 1997, she was given the Prestigious Award from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and in 2001 she received the Thoma Award from the Gateway Catholic Ethics Network. In addition to authoring articles and chapter contributions, Sister Jean published a book in 1994, A Primer for Health Care Ethics: Essays for a Pluralistic Society.

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