Ethics Fellowship Program

ethics fellows

Introduction

UCLA Health Ethics Center's primary commitment is to the promotion of excellence in patient care. Given the value-laden nature of healthcare, this excellence can only be achieved in care environments where moral insight, sensitivity and commitment flourish. Our 2-year Clinical Ethics Fellowship Program exists to educate and train gifted individuals who share this vision.

Our fellows commit to a demanding clinical schedule, providing supervised clinical ethics consultation, on call coverage, education throughout the UCLA Health system, assistance in developing policies, service as a member of three ethics committees and a participating in research projects and individual scholarship.

Given the volume and complexity of UCLA ethics consultation (which includes transplant medicine, trauma surgery, oncology, emergency medicine, psychiatry, neurology, neonatology, pediatrics and gerontology), our close relationship with various academic departments at the university and the intensive individual mentorship and thorough assessment built into our program, we believe that it provides our fellows with an unrivalled opportunity to acquire and refine the full range of skills necessary to offer ethics consultation on a professional basis.
It is our confident expectation that those who graduate from our program will be uniquely placed both nationally and internationally to assume the responsibilities of leadership in clinical ethics as it emerges as a fully professional practice.

Admission Criteria

The successful candidate must have a PhD in bioethics/health care ethics or in philosophical ethics with a bioethics related dissertation.

Preference will be given to candidates with teaching experience in ethics at university-level and a demonstrated record of ethics publication in peer review journals.      

The successful candidate must have a strong aptitude for clinical ethics, commitment to the professionalization of clinical ethics, and be able to demonstrate significant potential to become a leader in the field. The ability to integrate cross-cultural care, end-of-life/palliative care, psychosocial and spiritual care into clinical care is critical to this role. We are searching for a compassionate and empathic professional with excellent interpersonal skills who is able to utilize critical and creative thinking in navigating complex ethical issues. A commitment to collaborative work in a fast-paced environment is essential.

hynds

 

 

 

 

 

Fellowship Director
James A. Hynds, LL.B., Ph.D

Current Fellows

DYLAN MANSON

Senior Fellow 
Dylan Manson, PhD (2022-2024)

MAX 2023

Junior Fellow 
Max Kramer, PhD (2023-2025)

Former Fellows

JOANNA SMOLENSKI

Joanna Smolenski, PhD (2021-2023)
Assistant Professor
Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine

CALLIES

Daniel E. Callies, PhD (2020-2022)
Clinical Ethicist 
Manager of the Clinical Ethics Program
University of California San Diego Health System

Allison M. McCarthy,

Allison M. McCarthy, PhD (2019-2021)
Core Faculty, Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

MATTHEWSHEA

Matthew F. Shea, PhD (2018-2020)
Assistant Professor of Philosophy (Bioethics) 
University of Steubenville
Editorial Advisory Board Journal of Medicine and Philosophy

milleson headshot

Valerye M. Milleson, PhD, MS (2017-2018)
Director of Ethics Integration for Ascension
Florida/Gulf Coast & Ascension Alabama

JOHN FRYE

John W. Frye III, PhD, MA (2017-2019)
Clinical Bioethicist at Sutter Health

placeholder

Marie-Josée Potvin, PhD (2015-2017)

JR 2023

Joseph Raho, PhD (2014-2016)
Clinical Ethicist
UCLA Health Ethics Center
Vice Chair, UCLA Santa Monica Ethics Committee
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

tyler

Tyler S. Gibb, JD, PhD (2013-2015)      
Associate Professor 
Co-Chair, Department of Medical Ethics
Humanities & Law at Western Michigan University Homer

keven

Kevin M. Dirksen, M.Div., M.Sc. (2011-2013)
Regional Director for Ethics and Honzel Endowed
Chair in Applied Health Care Ethics
Providence Center for Health Care Ethics
Portland, Oregon

Publications by Fellows

Max F. Kramer, PhD (2023-2025)

Dylan Manson, PhD (2022-2024)

Joanna  Smolenski, PhD (2021-2023) 

Daniel E. Callies, PhD (2020-2022) 

Allison M. McCarthy, PhD (2019-2021)

Matthew F. Shea, PhD (2018-2020)

John W. Frye III, PhD, MA (2017-2019)

Valerye M. Milleson, PhD, MS (2017-2018)

Joseph Raho, PhD (2014-2016)

Tyler S. Gibb, JD, PhD (2013-2015)

Kevin M. Dirksen, M.Div., M.Sc. (2011-2013)