Dr Claire Gilbert

Author, public speaker, retreat leader, consultant and mentor

Claire has worked extensively in public ethics, specialising in medical ethics and environmental ethics. A theologian by background, she emphasises the spiritual dimension of ethics in her writing and lecturing.

Claire was Research Fellow at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King’s College, London, then National Policy Adviser to the Church of England on medical ethics and environmental ethics. She founded a charity, the Ethics Academy, and was a lay canon of St Paul’s Cathedral where she co-founded St Paul’s Institute for ethics in finance and business. She is Founder Director of Westminster Abbey Institute for ethics in public life. Claire is now a full time author, public speaker, retreat leader, consultant and mentor.

Claire’s doctorate is on Julian of Norwich and ecological consciousness.

Virtual lectures

Claire is available to deliver her lectures online, via Zoom or streaming. Please ask about this option when making your booking.

Publications

The Manual for Research Ethics Committees (KCL 1995)
The Ethics of Medical Research on Humans (CUP 2001)
Sharing God's Planet (CHP 2005)
The Worlds We Live In (edited, DLT 2005)
How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Christian? (CHP 2007)
Don't Stop at the Lights (CHP 2008)
Hero's Journal (The Ethics Academy 2009)
The Moral Heart of Public Service (JKP, 2017), editor and contributor
The Power of Politicians (Haus Publishing, 2018), editor and contributor
The Power of Civil Servants (Haus Publishing, 2018), editor and contributor
The Power of Judges (Haus Publishing, 2018), editor and contributor
The Power of Journalists (Haus Publishing, 2018), editor and contributor
The Responsibilities of Democracy (Haus Publishing, 2019), editor and contributor
Integrity in Public Life (Haus Publishing, 2019), editor and contributor
Letters from Lockdown: Sustaining public service values in the Covid-19 pandemic (Haus Publishing, 2020)
Truth in Public Life (Haus Publishing, 2020), editor and contributor
Secret Service in an Age of Open Information (Haus Publishing, 2020), editor and contributor
Justice in Public Life (Haus Publishing, 2021), editor and contributor
Art, Imagination and Public Service (Haus Publishing, 2021), editor and contributor
Miles to Go Before I Sleep (Hodder, 2021)
I, Julian (Hodder 2023)
Trust in Public Life (Haus, 2023)
Julian of Norwich and the Ecological Crisis (Routledge, 2024)

Lecture titles

Encountering Julian of Norwich today
How does Julian, a 14th century anchoress, mystic and writer of exquisite prose, speak to the trials and challenges of our own times?
Julian of Norwich and Ecological Consciousness
How the spirituality of Julian of Norwich might guide our response to the ecological crisis
Miles to Go Before I Sleep: How my cancer became a source of joy
Faced with a diagnosis of incurable but treatable cancer, Claire started writing to a group of Dear Readers and through her writing discovered joy in the greatest challenge of her life so far
The Ethics of Medical Research on Humans and Animals
All medicine and healthcare depends upon a reliable evidence base, but this means using living research subjects. How do we determine whether research on humans or animals is ethically acceptable?
The Hero’s Journey
The classic tale of quest and discovery as a guide to personal and social responses to the challenges of the 21st century
The Moral Heart of Public Service
Politicians and other public servants as moral beings: the story of the Westminster Abbey Institute