Bioethics Alumni

Shahram Ahmadi Nasab Emran, M.D., Ph.D. (Grad '20)
Visiting assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy at Villanova University

Emily Anderson, Ph.D. (Grad ‘07)
Assistant professor of bioethics at the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Alec Arnold,  Ph.D. (Grad '21)
Director of ministry formation at Bon Secours Mercy Health

Lauren Baker, Ph.D.(Grad '22)                                                           
Instructor of medicine and co-investigator for the Healthcare, Values, and the Spiritual Life Program at Washington University

Abram L. Brummett Ph.D. (Grad ‘19)
Clinical ethics fellow of the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College

Kelly Dineen, R.N., J.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Assistant professor and co-director of the Bander Center at the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics

Martin Fitzgerald, Ph.D. (Grad '22)                                                   
Assistant professor at The Ohio State University in the Division of Bioethics

Brandy Fox, Ph.D. (Grad '22)
Research fellow at Stanford Training Program in Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and the Center for Integration of Research on Genetics and Ethics (CIRGE)

Annie Friedrich, Ph.D. (Grad '21)
Fellowship staff scientist at Washington University Bioethics Research Center

Tyler Gibb, J.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Assistant professor at the Western Michigan University School of Medicine

Amanda Hine, Ph.D. (Grad '16)
Assistant professor at Regis University

Erika Ann Jeschke, Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Post-doctoral research fellow at the Uniformed Services University of Health Services

Jaime Konerman-Sease, M.A. (Grad '22)
Clinical ethics adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics 

Kayla Kostelecky, J.D, Ph.D. (Grad '20)
Affiliate faculty, health services education at Regis University

D. Robert MacDougall, M.Div., Ph.D. (Grad ‘12)
Assistant professor of philosophy in New York City College of Technology at CUNY

Reverend Jarosław. L. Mikuczewski S.J, M.A., M.Sc., M.Div., Ph.D. (Grad ‘22)
Research Fellow at Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University 

Jordan Mason, M.Div., HEC-C, Ph.D. (Grad ‘23)                             
Assistant professor of theology and bioethics at Belmont University

Ruaim Muaygil, MBBS, MBE, Ph.D. (Grad ‘18)
Healthcare ethics faculty at King Saud University

Gina Noia, Ph.D. (Grad ‘18)
Assistant professor of theology at Ave Maria University

Benjamin Parks , Ph.D. (Grad ‘20)
Assistant professor of religious studies and medical ethics at Mercy College of Ohio

Kathryn Pham, Ph.D. (Grad ‘22)                                                         
Director at EAB Global, Inc. in the student success department

Andrew Plunk, MPH, Ph.D. (Grad ‘11)
Assistant professor of pediatric community health research at Eastern Virginia Medical School

Erica Salter, Ph.D. (Grad ‘11)
Assistant professor and director of the Ph.D. program at the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics

Jerome Schmelzer, Ph.D. (Grad ‘09)
River University (NH) and West Essex

Devan Stahl, M.Div., Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Assistant professor at Michigan State University’s Center for Ethics and Humanities in Life Sciences

Bradley Thornock, MPH, Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Assistant professor at Saginaw Valley State University

Kevin Valadares, MHA, Ph.D. (Grad ‘03)
Chair of health administration and associate professor at University of Southern Indiana

Rebecca Volpe, Ph.D. (Grad ‘11)
Assistant professor of bioethics at the Hershey Medical Center

Kevin Voss, D.V.M., Ph.D. (Grad ‘12)
Associate professor of philosophy and director of the Concordia Center for Bioethics

Michelle Bach, Ph.D. (Grad ‘20)
M.D. student

Nathaniel Brown, M.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘10)
Adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellow at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Jacquelyn Harootunian-Cutts (Ph.D. candidate)                                     
Clinical ethicist at Providence

Christine Gorka, Ph.D. (Grad ‘10)
Director of the Clinical Ethics Center at Memorial Medical Center

Barbara Hinze, Ph.D. (Grad ‘14)
Clinical ethicist at Memorial Medical Center

James Hynds, Ph.D. (Grad ‘05)
Senior clinical ethicist and fellowship director at UCLA Ethics Center, and visiting professor of medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine

Elena Kraus, M.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘13)
Resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Saint Louis University

Kyle Karches, M.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘22)
Practicing physician and associate professor of internal medicine and health care ethics

Jay R. Malone, M.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘19)
Assistant professor of pediatrics, critical care medicine and section leader for ethics and health policy at Washington University
Medical director of ethics at St. Louis Children's Hospital Services

Anji Wall, M.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘09)
Clinical instructor of general surgery and abdominal transplant at Stanford Children's Hospital

Rachelle Barina, MTS, Ph.D. (Grad ‘16)
System director of ethics and formation at SSM Health

Elliott Bedford, M.A., Ph.D. (Grad ‘14)
Systems director of ethics integration at St. Vincent Health

David Belde, Ph.D. (Grad ‘05)
Senior vice president of mission services at Bon Secours Richmond Health System

Amanda Berg, M.A. (Ph.D. Candidate)                                                       
Director of Mission at Bon Secours Mercy Health

John Brehany, Ph.D. (Grad ‘03)
Director of institutional relations at the National Catholic Bioethics Center 

Kirsten Dempsey, M.A. (Ph.D. Candidate)                                               
Manager of mission integration at SSM Health

Samuel Deter, M.A. (Ph.D. candidate)
System manager of formation at SSM Health

Nathaniel Blanton Hibner, Ph.D. (Grad ‘19)
Ethics director at the Catholic Health Association of the United States

Sarah Hill, Ph.D. (Grad '16)
Systems director for palliative care initiatives at Ascension Health

Ryan Holmes, Ph.D. (Grad ‘18)
Bioethicist in Program of Medicine and Human Values at Sutter Health

John Robert Becket Gremmels, Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Systems director of ethics at Christus Health

Birgitta Sujdak Mackiewicz, Ph.D. (Grad ‘15)
Director of ethics at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Illinois

Daniel O’Brien, Ph.D. (Grad ‘00)
Senior vice president of ethics, discernment and church relations at Ascension Health

Michael Panicola, Ph.D. (Grad ‘00)
Senior vice president of mission, legal and government affairs at SSM Health

Mark Repenshek, Ph.D. (Grad ‘05)
Senior director of ethics integration and education at Ascension Health

Alan Sanders, M.A., Ph.D. (Grad ‘08)
Vice president of ethics integration and strategy at Trinity Health

Sarah Sawicki, M.A. (Grad ‘23)
Ethicist at the UAB Hospital Clinical Ethics Program

Kristen Senetar, M.A., MSPH (Ph.D. Candidate)
Director of ethics at Mercy Oklahoma City 

Kaitey Sheldon, M.A. (Ph.D. Candidate)
Ethicist at OSF Healthcare St. Francis Medical Center 

John Paul Slosar, M.A., Ph.D. (Grad ‘03)
Vice president of ethics integration and education at Ascension Health

Ann Suziedelis, Ph.D. (Grad ‘04)
Vice president of spiritual care and ethics at Holy Cross Hospital

 

Heather Danesh, Ph.D. (Grad ‘10)
Attorney at law and consultant

Craig Paterson, Ph.D. (Grad ‘10)
Director and consultant at BioEthics World

Jill Van Derven, Ph.D. (Grad ‘06)
Bioethics Consultants of Florida

Thomas Knoblach, Ph.D. (Grad ‘03)
Pastor for St. Cantius Church in the St. Cloud Diocese

Louise Lears, Ph.D. (Grad ‘01)
Teaching adjunct for the Sisters of Charity (Ohio)

Holly Bante, Ph.D., MPH (Grad ‘12)
Director of research affairs at the University of Cincinnati

Kathrine Bendtsen, M.A., Ph.D. (Grad ‘23)                                             
IRB analyst at Saint Louis University

Aaliyah Eaves, J.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘19)
Healthcare resolutions specialist for the U.S. Army

Martin Onwu, J.D., Ph.D. (Grad ‘06)
Associate general counsel for the Department of Justice’s Department of Community Policing

Tim Rubbelke, Ph.D. (Grad ‘18)
Research compliance specialist, conflict of interest programs, Office of Research Integrity and Ethics at Washington University

Devan Stahl is an associate professor of bioethics and religion at Baylor University and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Education, Innovation, and Technology at the Baylor College of Medicine.

SLU provided me with the interdisciplinary coursework, research skills, and teaching experience I needed to land my first job teaching bioethics in a medical school as well my second job in a religion department. I was also able to gain the skills I would need to begin doing clinical ethics consults, which I continue doing a decade later. I received excellent mentorship from the faculty, most of whom I still keep in touch with years later and I have continued to collaborate with on various projects. I am grateful for the education I received at SLU and the friendships that have remained.

 

 

Assistant professor: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Clinical ethicist: Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital

Testimonial:

A typical day at my current job might begin by lecturing to a group of over 100 medical students, then racing off to the hospital for a family meeting, and sketching my next talk or paper in between. I didn't have this career vision when I decided to enroll at SLU because, to be honest, I didn't even know this was the kind of job a bioethicist could have. All I knew was that I loved philosophy, thought some subjects in bioethics sounded interesting, and wanted a job that was more directly involved in the world helping real people. At SLU, that was all I needed to know. My mentors developed my abilities and gave me space to find my interests. My classmates gave me brilliant interlocutors who argued from perspectives very different from my own, but always with a common commitment to improving ourselves in the search for answers to the vexing questions of bioethics. 

 

Assistant professor in the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at The Ohio State University

The SLU bioethics Ph.D. program is a microcosm of bioethics itself. The field, as it exists, operates at the threshold of many different disciplines. To make progress in bioethics, then, is to figure out how to traverse conversations between these different fields. SLU's program models this by bringing fields together in a way that maintains academic rigor. I was able to take advantage of this while still pursuing my own set of discipline-specific skills by graduating from SLU's new joint philosophy-bioethics Ph.D. program.

SLU's department is strong at giving students opportunities to teach, to collaborate with faculty, and to connect with other scholars in bioethics. The wide set of skills that SLU cultivates helped prepare me for my current appointment at Ohio State. To name just one example, one of the key things that helped me in the job search was my prior work teaching neuroethics at SLU. Although I wasn't aware of it at the time, the experience I was gaining in conducting that class (designing my own syllabi, etc.) was directly preparing me for a future faculty position. This is, perhaps, a portrait into my time at SLU: I was constantly moving forward, even if it was in a way I hadn't expected. For all of these opportunities and for the enduring connections I've made at SLU, I am continuously grateful to the program.

Associate professor and co-chair, Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed)

The dual J.D./Ph.D. program gave me the essential tools to navigate the intricate landscape of modern healthcare. It’s far more than just learning legal doctrine, ethical theory, or historical context — it’s about developing a dynamic skill set to solve real-world issues in clinical practice, legal frameworks, and public policy. The program pushed me to think critically about how ethics and law intersect in healthcare, influencing decisions that directly shape patients’ lives. What I appreciate most is how it equipped me to tackle these challenges with intellectual rigor, practical insight, and a deep commitment to caring for people. My mentors and colleagues at SLU exemplified these values, and they continue to inspire my work today.

Affiliate clinical professor, Texas A&M University School of Medicine

Medical director, Baylor Scott and White Transplant Center for Innovation, Science, Policy Research and Ethics (INSPIRE)

Vice chair of research, Baylor Simmons Transplant Institute

The Saint Louis University Ph.D. program set me up for a career that allows me to study ethical issues in transplantation as an abdominal transplant surgeon. My academic work is grounded in the realities of transplantation, using the various research methodologies that I learned at SLU, and this gives me the opportunity to contribute in a unique way to both my professional and academic communities.