Research Projects
I work on understanding what it means to “die well.” This includes looking at which factors are relevant in making the dying process go better for individuals nearing the end of life, as well as investigating the relationship between living well and dying well. I aim to develop an account of dying well which can guide health care providers in improving the dying process, especially in the context of end-of-life palliative care. This includes examining quality of dying, emotional support for dying patients and grieving family members, and involvement of palliative professionals in medical aid in dying.
My goal as a bioethicist is to explore ethical issues in a way which can provide guidance to clinicians providing healthcare to patients, especially those at the end of life. I am currently engaged in projects on the definition of death, the function of palliative medicine, the ethics of access to palliative care, and how best to console grieving family members after the loss of a loved one.
Publications
8. (Forthcoming) “Rethinking Data Collection in Medical Assistance in Dying: Quality Improvement as the North Star” (with Sean Riley) Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine
7. “The Content of Laws on Declaration of Death by Neurologic Criteria” (with Nita Farahany and Samuel Thumma) in Death Determination by Neurologic Criteria: Areas of Controversy and Consensus (accepted)
6. "The Unexamined Benefits of the Expansive Legalization of Medical Assistance-in-Dying” (with Sean Riley) Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (accepted)
5. "Why Standard Drug Treatments for the ‘Death Rattle’ Should Be Discontinued” Journal of Palliative Medicine, 25 (2): 180 (2022)
4. “Review: The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom” Journal of Palliative Medicine, 25 (2): 337 (2022)
3. “Review: Almost Over: Aging, Dying, Dead” Bioethics 36 (1): 109-110 (2022).
2. “The Family as a Unit of Care in End-of-Life Conversations” AJOB Neuroscience, 12 (4): 283-285 (2021)
1. “Definitions of Death: Brain Death and What Matters in a Person” Journal of Law and the Biosciences 3: 743-752 (2016)
http://jlb.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/3/743.full