Daniel K. Sokol (born 1978) is a barrister, medical ethicist, and international lecturer, known for his academic and journalistic writings on the ethics of medicine.[1] He is a member of 12 King's Bench Walk, a barristers' chambers in London, England.[1]
Under the sobriquetEthics Man, Sokol writes a regular column in the British Medical Journal. He has criticised the decision making practices of university panels and, in response, founded Alpha Academic Appeals in 2012 to support students challenging unfair academic outcomes.
In 2005, while senior lecturer in Clinical Ethics at Imperial College, London, Sokol co-authored, with Gillian Bergson, a textbook on medical ethics and law for students.[5] Since 2007, he has written a regular column, as Ethics Man, for the British Medical Journal.[6][7] In 2012, Sokol published Doing Clinical Ethics, a textbook for clinicians.[8]
In October 2018 Book Guild Publishing released his book Tough Choices, a text aimed at a general readership.[9][10][11]
Sokol set up the Centre for Remedial Ethics in November 2019, which provides one-to-one medical ethics courses to clinicians undergoing disciplinary procedures.[12][13]
University student appeals
Sokol has criticised the decision making practices of university panels, arguing that procedural shortcomings can result in unjust outcomes with serious consequences for students.[14] In response, he founded Alpha Academic Appeals in late 2012 to provide professional support for students seeking to challenge unfair academic decisions.[14] This led to King's College London terminating his appointment as an honorary member of the teaching staff in 2014 after he had held the position for less than a year. This was on the basis that Alpha was charging students for services that they could allegedly obtain for free from the students' union, and therefore it would be undesirable for the College to continue its association with him.[15][16]
Duty of care during pandemics
Sokol has called for the introduction of professional clinical ethicists in British hospitals, argued that doctors have a strong but not absolute duty of care in times of virulent epidemics, and defended the moral permissibility of clinicians deceiving patients in rare circumstances.[17][18][19] He highlights the ethical conflict faced by healthcare workers during deadly pandemics, where their duty to care for individuals clashes with their duty to protect their own lives and families.[20][21][22][23]
History of medicine
American professor of infectious diseases, Charles S. Bryan, notes Sokol to have studied and written on medical ethics surrounding Sir William Osler and in his Encyclopaedia of Osler notes that Sokol, writing in the British Medical Journal in 2007, interprets Aequanimitas as an essay that "tackles head-on a timeless question: what makes a good doctor?"[24] In his article William Osler and the jubjub of ethics; or how to teach medical ethics in the 21st century (2007), Sokol notes that Osler’s view of ethics centred on personal character and virtues, aiming to form good doctors, teachers, and students through strong moral habits rather than by analysing specific moral problems.[25] He argues that medical ethics education today should follow this example by focusing on real interactions between doctors and patients, supported by ethics discussions on hospital wards, instead of relying mostly on classroom lectures.[25]
Personal life
In his personal life, Sokol is a semi-professional magician.[26][27] He is married to Samantha, a neurosurgeon.[1]
"How the doctor's nose has shortened over time; a historical overview of the truth-telling debate in the doctor-patient relationship". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 99 (12): 632–636. December 2006. doi:10.1177/014107680609901212. ISSN0141-0768. PMID17139067.
"William Osler and the jubjub of ethics; or how to teach medical ethics in the 21st century". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 100 (12): 544–546. December 2007. doi:10.1177/0141076807100012010. ISSN0141-0768. PMID18065704.
↑ Bennett, Belinda; KC, Ian Freckelton AO; Wolf, Gabrielle (2022). "COVID-19: law and regulation". COVID-19, Law & Regulation: Rights, Freedoms, and Obligations in a Pandemic. Oxford University Press. p.19. ISBN978-0-19-265049-8.
↑ Chiu, James Shing Ping; Lee, Albert; Tong, Kar-wai (2023). "3. Medico-legal challenges and ethical dilemmas in day-to-day peace". In Chiu, James Shing Ping; Lee, Albert; Tong, Kar-wai (eds.). Healthcare Law and Ethics: Principles & Practices. City University of Hong Kong Press. p.65. ISBN978-962-937-654-3.
↑ "Attorney Profiles". Lexhelp | International Lawyer | Avocat International. Archived from the original on 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
Bryan, Charles S. (2020). Sir William Osler; An Encyclopaedia. Novato, California: Norman Publishing in association with the American Osler Society. ISBN978-0-930405-91-5.
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