Emory Purpose Project Staff

Ira Bedzow

Director

Ira Bedzow, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Emory Purpose Project, an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, a core faculty member of Emory's Center for Ethics, a senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, and the unit head of the International Chair in Bioethics at Emory University.

His interests relate to understanding the ethical implications of biotechnology and healthcare policy as well as how organizations can create an ethical culture through values-driven leadership. When it comes to ethical leadership, he tries to show that making a values-driven decision and implementing it effectively consist of different skills and face different challenges. Understanding the difference between asking "what to do" and "how can I act on my values successfully" is key to leadership and organizational success.

Bedzow is also Senior Scholar of the Aspen Center for Social Values, co-director of the Ferencz Institute for Ethics, Human Rights and the Holocaust, and a regular contributor in Forbes. He is also an Orthodox rabbi (yoreh yoreh, yadin yadin).

Christine Whelan

Consultant

On the Emory campus, Dr. Christine Whelan is known as the "Purpose Professor," spearheading campus-wide integration of purpose and flourishing initiatives as part of the innovative Emory Purpose Project convened by Provost Ravi Bellamkonda in 2022. In its flagship initiative, Dr. Whelan integrated purpose interventions to all first-year students at Emory with the support of the Center for the Study of Human Health's Health 100 course. She also provides talks and workshops on purpose, well-being and personal definitions of success to students, faculty and staff.

Dr. Whelan brings her expertise as an author, professor and speaker to the Emory campus. She is the author of Living on Purpose, a bestselling Audible Original lecture series from The Great Courses (2021), The Big Picture: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life (Templeton Press, 2016), Generation WTF: From "What the &%#$?" to a Wise, Tenacious and Fearless You (Templeton Press, 2011), Marry Smart: The Intelligent Woman's Guide to True Love (Simon & Schuster, 2009) and Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

She is also a clinical professor in the Consumer Science department of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She directs the Money, Relationships and Equality Institute, a program dedicated to facilitating those tricky conversations about the intersection of love and money.

Dr. Whelan is passionate about translating academic research into actionable programs for our everyday lives. She has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and countless other national and international publications, appeared on television and radio stations worldwide. In addition, she is a nationally recognized thought leader, helping groups like the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, the DeBruce Foundation, AARP's Life Reimagined, Jackson National, Hackensack-Meridian Health and others on purpose-focused approaches to health, finances and self-improvement strategies for life's transitions. Dr. Whelan serves on the board of SEEK Safely as an outspoken advocate for the dissemination of research-based advice.

Dr. Whelan earned degrees from Princeton University and the University of Oxford. Her motto comes from Seneca — "not for school but for life we learn" — and she does her best to practice what she preaches. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her partner, five kids, a dog… and does her best to embrace this chaos… on purpose.

Angela Sudu

Senior Program Coordinator

Angela Sudu is the Senior Program Coordinator of the Emory Purpose Project. She joined the Project in its first year of inception and contributes to creating and executing the programs and projects offered in collaboration with partner offices throughout Emory.

She got her start in higher education after a brief exploration of the field of Human Resources, which she decided was not the right fit for her. Her own journey through college and as a young professional was foundational, but it took a lot of personal reflection on her own values and goals following those experiences for her to realize her passion for education and the experiences provided through it. At this point, she joined Emory in 2017 first as an Undergraduate Program Coordinator for Mathematics and Computer Science and then as an Academic Advisor for undergraduate students in Emory College of Arts and Sciences. Her educational background includes a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and International Studies from The University of South Florida.

Angela and her spouse, Kyle, live in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta with their two cats, Juniper and Rye. The perennial hosts, neither of them has ever met a stranger and they are always open to a new adventure. They enjoy traveling, hiking, photography, all things food, and spending time with friends and family.