Faculty Position, Bioethics

The growing St. Jude Section on Bioethics is recruiting a Faculty-level Bioethicist to support ongoing program development and serve as a consultative partner on bioethics issues to the St. Jude community.

Under the supervision of the Section Director, the ethicist will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in establishing the long term agenda for and developing resources related to the Section on Bioethics. Consultation responsibilities may include questions related to clinical care, research study design, international ethics, and other bioethics topics relevant to the St. Jude Mission. The ethicist will also contribute to the Section on Bioethics’ program development and research agendas. 

Faculty appointment level and track will depend on the successful applicant’s background and interests. Faculty are expected to demonstrate academic productivity appropriate for their rank and track to include publication of peer reviewed products, obtaining extramural funding, and development of national/inter-national recognition as a subject matter expert in their field. The program seeks applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and these factors will shape the exact allocation of the incumbent’s efforts. 

Job Responsibilities:
The ethicist’s responsibilities will fall primarily within the following categories. Specific expectations will vary based on the individual selected for the role. 

• Administration: Supports program development and other administrative needs of the growing St. Jude Section on Bioethics. Contributes to institutional projects, such as operational improvement efforts, policy development/review, and service on institutional committees. May provide oversight or guidance to research associates, medical trainees, or interns related to their involvement in bioethics projects.

• Consultation: Provides clinical and/or research ethics consultations to stakeholders throughout the institution, including care teams, families/patients, researchers, and other employees. Serves as a core leader on the St. Jude ethics committee. Serves as the on-call ethics consultant (typically for a week at a time and occasionally outside of normal business hours). Conducts preventive ethics rounding in key clinical areas. Supports ethics reviews of research protocols as requested by the institution IRB.

• Education: Leads ethics training sessions for stakeholders throughout the institution. Supports CME programming for clinical staff. Develops curricula and educational resources (training materials, print resources, etc.) to address topics where additional ethics education is needed in collaboration with leaders from functional areas. Supports efforts to strengthen moral wellbeing, particularly for frontline caregivers.

• Research: Participates in collaborative or individual ethics research. Contributes to the field of pediatric bioethics at a national scale through membership in professional organizations and presentations at leading conferences.

• Other responsibilities as assigned.

The successful candidate must have a doctoral-level terminal degree in a bioethics-related field (e.g. PhD, DNP, JD, MD, DO). Completion of a one- to two-year ethics fellowship preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• Bioethics experience, preferably in an academic hospital setting: 3 years required (5 years preferred).

• Experience in ethics consultation or clinical education: 3 years required (5 years preferred).

• Additional experience within one of the following concentration areas is preferred: nursing ethics, pediatric ethics, international ethics, or research ethics.

• Demonstrated contribution to academic research and publications.

How to apply:
Interested applicants can apply by submitting a CV and letter of interest directly via the online application.

Questions about the position can be directed to Liza-Marie Johnson MD, MPH, MSB, Director, St. Jude Section on Bioethics at [email protected]

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has a diverse, global patient population and workforce, built on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our founder Danny Thomas envisioned a hospital that would treat children of the world—regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay. Learn more about our history and commitment.

Today, we continue the mission to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. As we accelerate this progress globally, we believe our legacy of diversity, equity and inclusion is foundational to success. With the commitment of leaders at all levels of the organization, we strive to ensure the St. Jude culture, leadership approaches and talent processes are equitable and culturally responsive. View our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report to learn about the hospital’s roots in diversity, equity and inclusion, where we are today and our aspirations for an even better future.

St. Jude is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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