Cornerstone President's Industry Council Member Dr. Kristin Collier Publishes Op-Ed Defending the Sanctity of Life
Every human life has God-given worth — a foundational truth that Cornerstone University boldly upholds in its mission and values. That conviction is courageously championed by Dr. Kristin M. Collier — a respected physician and valued member of Cornerstone’s President’s Industry Council — who recently authored a significant op-ed in The Michigan Daily defending the dignity of human life at all stages.
In the December 5 published piece, “Michigan Medicine should remember its best, not its worst,” Dr. Collier — clinical associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and director of its program on Health, Spirituality & Religion — challenged Michigan Medicine’s decision to honor Jack Kevorkian, a physician convicted of murder and known for promoting physician-assisted suicide, among the university’s “leaders and best.”
Dr. Collier argues that celebrating Kevorkian undermines the foundational calling of medicine to do no harm — writing that honoring such a legacy “would suggest that the medical school is in favor of suicide.” She emphasizes that “directly enabling the death of a patient under a doctor’s care is antithetical to any coherent understanding of medicine as a vocation that does no harm.”
“Life is neither a political or ideological issue. It is not just a subjective choice. Life — both physical and spiritual — is one of the defining and bedrock foundations of any community or society committed to real human flourishing. Cornerstone’s defense of life is rooted in its unwavering commitment to the centrality of Jesus Christ — the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is a great joy to have Dr. Collier, a member of Cornerstone’s President’s Industry Council, so eloquently and boldly proclaim and defend the importance of Life.”
— Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, President, Cornerstone University
As part of Cornerstone’s President’s Industry Council, Dr. Collier contributes meaningful real-world insight that strengthens our academic mission — ensuring students are formed not only with professional competence, but with moral clarity grounded in Biblical Truth. Her example gives students direct exposure to a healthcare leader who upholds the sacredness of life — a vital influence as Cornerstone expands its School of Health, Science & Technology to prepare clinicians, scientists and innovators guided by Christ-centered principles.
She has also participated as a guest panelist for Cornerstone’s Wisdom Conversations series, and Community Chapel speaker helping students engage complex cultural challenges through the lens of faith and public responsibility.
Her op-ed arrives at a time when many institutions are redefining long-held values, making moral formation in higher education, and medicine in particular, more essential than ever. The beliefs future physicians — and professionals across scientific and technological fields — are taught today will influence their practice tomorrow: how they view patient care, human dignity, God-honoring social responsibility and the sacredness of life.
Cornerstone University applauds Dr. Collier for her principled public leadership and her dedication to upholding the God-given value of every person.
