Fredrick R. Abrams Papers

Dr. Fredrick R. Abrams received his medical degree from Cornell University (1954) and spent eight years in the U.S. Army specializing in obstetrics. In the late 1970s Abrams created a curriculum to introduce the establishment of hospital ethics committees throughout Colorado. In 1983 he founded and directed the first community hospital-based center for study and teaching of bioethics in the U.S. at Rose Medical Center. Named the Center for Applied Biomedical Ethics (CABE), the center provided training in the 1980s for all of the original Colorado hospital ethics committees. After 36 years in Denver, Colorado he retired from his Ob/Gyn medical practice in 1996.

Dr. Abrams received multiple honors and awards for his work on ethics and leadership. He founded and served on numerous advisory boards, committees, and was recognized for his work on medical ethics by many of his peers. He also worked for the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, a peer review organization contracted to the (Federal) Center for Medicare and Medicaid (1974- 2014) as well as served as Associate Director, peer reviewer, Medicaid Reviewer and as Physician Consultant for Medicare Review. Dr. Abrams presented over 2,000 workshops, lectures, and conferences on medical ethics. He also published articles on the subject in various journals including the New England Journal of Medicine. In 2006, he published the book: Doctors on the Edge: Will Your Doctor Break the Rules for You?