Prominent Southern California Physician and Author Dr. Aaron Kheriaty Named The Unity Project's Chief of Medical Ethics

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Nov 17, 2021, 14:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Unity Project announced today that Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, MD, has been named the organization's chief of medical ethics. Dr. Kheriaty, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and director of the Medical Ethics Program at UCI Health, is a highly regarded and internationally recognized psychiatrist and author. Additionally, he currently serves as chairman of medical ethics for the California Department of State Hospitals.

"Dr. Kheriaty is an outspoken advocate of human rights and self-determination," said Laura Sextro, CEO of The Unity Project. "He is an important part of The Unity Project's efforts to protect California school children against government-forced COVID-19 vaccine mandates. His outstanding background and brilliant communication skills are essential in promoting reason and evidence-based science."

Dr. Kheriaty will also serve on the strategic advisory council of the non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to unify, resource, and amplify the best strategies of countless grassroots community organizations across the state of California and beyond that are opposed to the proposed K-12 COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Although The Unity Project officially launched just last week, the organization has already established existing strategic partnerships with more than 60 grassroots organizations across the state and beyond. In fact, the current portfolio of partnerships reflects nearly 350 county or school district-based chapters across 32 states.

"No competent adult should have their rights to informed consent steamrolled when it comes to their decisions about the COVID-19 vaccine or other medical interventions," Dr. Kheriaty said. "Parents, especially, should be allowed to determine whether their children should receive these novel interventions. The state cannot arrogate this right. The Unity Project is poised to harness the immense grassroots energy needed to halt coercive COVID vaccine mandates for healthy children and to defend parental rights to informed consent."

During the pandemic, Kheriaty consulted with the University of California Office of the President, the Orange County Healthcare Agency, and the California Department of Public Health on COVID-related ethical issues, including ventilator triage and vaccine allocation.

Dr. Kheriaty is also senior fellow and director of the Program in Health and Human Flourishing at the Zephyr Institute, Fellow and Director of the Bioethics and American Democracy Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Scholar at the Paul Ramsey Institute, and member of the Simone Weil Center for Political Philosophy's advisory board.

Dr. Kheriaty has authored multiple books and articles about bioethics, social science and psychiatry, and is a frequent interview source on local and national print and television media.

He received his undergraduate degree in philosophy and pre-med from the University of Notre Dame and earned his Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University.

About The Unity Project

The Unity Project, a non-partisan, non-profit educational organization, works to support, coordinate and amplify the efforts of the various California-based community organizations opposed to the state's proposed K-12 COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Unity Project was launched and is led by a highly diverse board of directors, credentialed strategic advisory council and executive management team; members include successful business leaders, globally recognized and respected scientists and doctors, and engaged local, regional and national community leaders. In bringing together various grassroots groups under its "broad tent," The Unity Project promotes a "parents-first" agenda focused on integrity, care, rationality, and evidence-based motivation. For more information, visit https://www.unityprojectonline.com/