Chara Kokkiou

Dr. Chara Kokkiou is a Medical Ethics Professor of Practice at Tulane University. Her research is interdisciplinary, bridging medical ethics, ancient philosophy, and the philosophy of emotion. She is particularly focused on the ethical dimensions of suffering, healing, and compassion, and is also examining the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare, especially in relation to patient care and moral responsibility.

Dr. Kokkiou has been deeply committed to service-learning, working closely with students and developing long-standing partnerships with New Orleans communities. Her teaching and research aim to connect classical philosophical insights with contemporary ethical challenges in medicine, education, and the arts.

Academic Interests / Research Areas

• Medical Ethics
• Emotions
• Ancient Philosophy
• Aesthetics
• AI and Ethics in Healthcare

Publications (Selective)

Books / Monographs

Erôs, Song, and Philosophy in Plato: Toward a Synthesis of a Cultural Ideal. Lexington Books, 2020.

Edited Volumes

Beauty and Monstrosity in Art and Culture. Routledge, 2024. Co-edited with Angeliki Malakasioti.

Articles & Book Chapters

• “Choral self-referentiality in the Prometheus Bound.” Logeion, 2015
• “The Aesthetics of Place in Plato’s Phaedrus.” Proceedings of the XXIII World Congress of Philosophy, 2018
• “Shame in Sartre and Plato’s Shame-Infused Elenchus.” Sartre Studies International (Forthcoming, 2026)
• “Female Body, Disgust, and Eros Redefined.” In Beauty and Monstrosity in Art and Culture, Routledge, 2024
• “The Construction of Space in Plato’s Phaedrus.” In LUX: Studies in Greek and Latin Literature, DeGruyter, 2024
• “Natural Beauty and Mythical Beasts in Plato’s Phaedrus.” In Monstrum in Fabula, Brill (Forthcoming, 2026)

Current Projects

• Digital Bioethics Glossary (open-access resource)
• A Handbook of Compassion (edited volume under review, Routledge)
• “Freedom and Resentment in Plato’s Phaedo and Crito” (co-authored with Chad Van Schoelandt)
• “Compassion, Trauma, and Moral Responsibility in Education”
• “Compassion is Not a Virtue: Aristotle’s Account of Compassion”