Program Faculty
The Certificate in Clinical Ethics is under the leadership of Colleen M. Gallagher, PhD, LSW, FACHE, Chief and Executive Director of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care and Associate Professor in the Department of Critical Care. Dr. Gallagher and respective program faculty bring in excess of 25 years of professional practice in clinical ethics. Our nationally acclaimed faculty members are responsible for curriculum development and ongoing review. At this time, all faculty members for the certificate program are appointed at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Full Time Faculty
Colleen M. Gallagher, PhD, MA, FACHE
Primary Appointment: Chief & Executive Director, Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment: Adjunct Associate Professor, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center - School of Health Sciences at the School of Health Professions.
Dr. Gallagher has been working in the fields of social work and health care ethics since 1985. She received her doctoral degrees in bioethics in health care professions and social work from The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2004.
In June 2008, Dr. Gallagher joined the staff at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where she is the Chief and Executive Director of the Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care. Prior to this appointment, she was the System Director of Clinical Ethics for Resurrection Health Care in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to multiple institutional committees, including IRB#1, 2, & 5, she currently participates in several international, national, and regional health care and social services organizations including:
- The International Ethics Expert for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in Science and Technology
- The International Ethics Expert for the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights
- Member and , Clinical Ethics Consultation Affairs Standing Committee, American Society of Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH)
- Voting Panel Member, Molecular and Clinical Genetics Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services - Public Health Service, in Silver Spring, Maryland
- Fellow, America College of Healthcare Executives
Jessica A. Moore, DHCE, MA
Primary Appointment: Assistant Professor, Department of Critical Care, Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care, and Clinical Ethicist, Clinical Ethics Service
Dr. Moore joined the faculty of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, in March 2009, as an Instructor in the Department of Critical Care and Clinical Ethicist in the Clinical Ethics Service.Dr. Moore received a Master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Doctorate in Health Care Ethics from Duquesne University. Her doctoral research focused on and emphasized the interdisciplinary care of the whole person.
Her position in the Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care encompasses several components including: serving as a clinical ethicist in the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service, participating in weekly interdisciplinary rounds on various patient units, providing ethics education for institutional faculty and staff, and supervising Clinical Ethics Service interns. Dr. Moore is also supporting the Section’s ethics education expansion through coordination of Continuing Medical Education opportunities.
Joint Faculty
Larry C. Driver, MD
Primary Appointment: Professor and Chair Ad-interim, Department of Pain Medicine
Dr. Driver is Professor and Chair Ad-interim, Department of Pain Medicine, Program Director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship, and also Professor, Section of Integrated Ethics, Adjunct Ethicist for Clinical Ethics Consultation, at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He received his undergraduate education at Austin College followed by medical education at The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio. Anesthesiology Residency was completed at The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, and he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Pain and Symptom Management at M. D. Anderson. He is Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He was a Visiting Research Scholar in the Center for Clinical Ethics at Georgetown University’s Kennedy Institute of Ethics. He is a Mayday Pain and Society Fellow and chairs the Texas Pain Advocacy and Information Network. He serves on numerous state and national organizations’ boards and committees. He has been recognized in several Best Doctors and Top Doctors listings, and has received numerous state and national awards for his advocacy efforts. Interests include clinical pain and symptom management for patients with active cancer and advanced cancer, as well as cancer survivors; ethical issues surrounding those clinical situations; research focused on symptom burden and impact in cancer patients; and pain education and public policy initiatives.
Susan Gaeta, MD
Primary Appointment: Assistant Professor, Department of Critical Care, Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment: Assistant Professor, Department of Critical Care, Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care
Dr. Gaeta is an assistant professor in the Department of Critical Care and has been on staff for the past 3 ½ years. Prior to coming to M. D. Anderson, Dr. Gaeta was on staff as an intensivist at New York Hospital Queens in the Cardiovascular Unit.
Her Critical Care Fellowship training took place at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), June 2002 - June 2004. She provided clinical care to critically ill medical and surgical patients admitted to the ICU. While at MSKCC, Dr. Gaeta also had the opportunity to deal with end-of-life care issues. Her experiences at MSKCC taught her that during end-of-life care issues one must consider the patient’s family during the process. At times, the family requires more attention than the patient and a multidisciplinary team is very helpful.
As a faculty member of MD Anderson, Dr. Gaeta has been appointed as the chair of the ICU subcommittee on end of life. The goal of the committee is improving the quality of end of life in the ICU. She is also member of the psychosocial behavioral research committee that reviews research protocols focusing on psychosocial issues. As an attending physician, Dr. Gaeta has been active in the weekly multidisciplinary meetings to discuss patient who have been in the ICU more than 10 days. During these rounds, she often addresses end-of-life issues, psychosocial issues, as well as ethical issues in conjunction with a multidisciplinary team.
Recently, Dr. Gaeta was appointed to the Respecting Choices Advisory board which focuses on advance care planning for cancer patients. As well, she was appointed to the psychosocial council. Finally, Dr. Gaeta recently received a joint faculty appointment to the Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care. She brings to this appointment her vast experience and a firm belief that health care professionals should provide compassionate and comprehensive care to address the psychosocial and emotional needs of our critically ill cancer patients in an ethical manner. Moreover, she strongly believes health care professionals should extend that compassionate care in dealing with patients’ family members as well as the staff of the Intensive Care Unit who care for cancer patients.
Selvaraj Egbert Pravinkumar, MD, FRCP, EDIC, FCCP
Primary Appointments:
- Assistant Professor, Department of Critical Care, Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
- Associate Medical Director, Department of Critical Care, Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
- Educator, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Educator, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment: Adjunct Faculty, Department of Critical Care, Section of Cancer Bioethics in Cancer Care
Dr. Pravinkumar graduated from Stanley Medical College, University of Madras. After completing Family Practice training, he served as a missionary doctor before pursuing postgraduate training in the United Kingdom. He completed postgraduate and specialist training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary / Critical Care Medicine, and Anesthesiology at the University of Leeds, England and University of Aberdeen, Scotland.Before joining the faculty at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Pravinkumar served as a faculty in the academic division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Dr. Pravinkumar has been involved with the Clinical Ethics Service for several years and has a keen interest in the delivery of healthcare and practice of ethical decision making in complex critically ill patients. He served as a member of the Harris County Medical Society’s Public Grievance Committee and has been nominated to the Harris County Medical Society’s Board of Socioeconomics. He is currently the chair of ICU Clinical Practice Committee and vice-chair of Infection Control Committee. He has authored or coauthored more than 50 articles including reviews, case reports, abstracts, book chapters and comments.He has been a speaker in ethics conferences and critical care conferences.Dr. Pravinkumar’s clinical interests include noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, ventilator weaning, ARDS/ALI and ventilator associated pneumonia.
Richard Theriault, DO, MBA
Primary Appointment: Professor of Medicine, Department of Breast Medical Oncology
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment: Professor, Section for Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care
Dr. Theriault received his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. His postgraduate training included a Rotating Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Normandy Osteopathic Hospital in St. Louis. He also completed a Residency in Internal Medicine at Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital in Tulsa and a Fellowship in Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Theriault is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston.
Dr. Theriault has authored or co-authored over 100 original articles in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer.He serves as a reviewer for journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and British Journal of Cancer. Dr. Theriault is the Chairman of the Institutional Review Board-2 at MD Anderson Cancer Center.He has served as a panel member for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research program and as a scientific reviewer for the NCI/National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. His research interests include breast cancer bone metastasis and breast cancer during pregnancy.
Alan D. Valentine, MD
Primary Appointment: Professor and Chair ad interim, Department of Psychiatry
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment: Professor, Department of Critical Care, Section of Integrated Ethics in Cancer Care
Dr. Valentine received his medical degree from The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and completed residency training in Psychiatry at the same institution. He joined the medical staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1990. He is board-certified in Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Medicine. Dr. Valentine previously served as Adjuvant Clinical Ethicist and co-authored Net Medical Ethics, the Clinical Ethics Service’s online education course.
Dr. Valentine is author or co-author of over fifty peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and abstracts. His clinical and research interests are in characterization and management of neuropsychiatric side effects of chemotherapy and biotherapy agents. Dr. Valentine sits on the NCCN Distress Management Guidelines Panel. He is former President of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, and received that organization’s Jimmie C. Holland Distinguished Leadership Award in 2009.
Announcements
Certificate Program starts January 2012.