- Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics
Berman Institute of Bioethics
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing - Professor
Dept. of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Cynda Hylton Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics in the Berman Institute of Bioethics and the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University, with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. A founding member of the Berman Institute, Dr. Rushton co-chairs the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Ethics Consultation Service.
An international leader in nursing ethics, in 2014 Dr. Rushton co-led the first National Nursing Ethics Summit, convened by the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and School of Nursing. The Summit, supported by strategic partners from 9 national nursing organizations and 7 collaborating organizations, developed a Blueprint for 21st Century Nursing Ethics. The Blueprint highlights recommendations for clinical practice, education, policy and research and has been a catalyst for strategic action coinciding with the American Nurses Association 2015 designation of the “Year of Ethics”.
Dr. Rushton’s current scholarship in clinical ethics focuses on moral distress and suffering of clinicians, the development of moral resilience, designing a culture of ethical practice, and conceptual foundations of integrity, respect, trust and compassion.
Research Interests
- Moral distress and suffering of clinicians
- The development of moral resilience
- Designing a culture of ethical practice
- Conceptual foundations of integrity, respect, trust and compassion
Education
- PhD, Catholic University of America
- MSN, Medical University of South Carolina
- BSN, University of Kentucky
Recent Publications
- Rushton, C.H., Batcheller, J. Schroeder, K., & Donohue, P. (2015). Burnout and resilience among nurses practicing in high intensity settings. American Journal of Critical Care, 5(7), 377-84.
- Haywood, C., Williams-Reade, J., Rushton, C. H., Beach, M. C., & Geller, G. (2015). Improving clinician attitudes of respect and trust for persons with Sickle Cell Disease.Hospital Pediatrics. 5(7):377-84.
- Sugarman, J., Kass, N. Rushton, C.H, Hughtes, M., Kirsch, T. D. (2015) Translating professional obligations to care for patients with Ebola virus disease into practice in nonepidemic settings. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 9(5) 527-530.
- Bosslet, G. T., Pope, T. M., Rubenfeld, G., Lo , B., Truog, R., Rushton, C., Curtis, J. R., Fords, D. W., Osborne, M., Misak, C., Au, D. H., Azoulay, E., Brody, B., Fahy, B., Hall, J., Kesecioglu, J., Kon, A. A., Lindell, K., & White, D. B. (2015) An official ATS/AACN/ACCP/ESICM/SCCM policy statement: Responding to requests for potentially inappropriate treatments in intensive care units. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
- Henry, L. M., Rushton, C., Beach, M. C., & Faden, R. (2015). Respect and dignity: A conceptual model for patients in the Intensive Care Unit. Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 5(1A), 5–14.
- Geller, G., Branyon, E., Forbes, L., Rushton, C., Beach, M. C., Carrese, J.,Sugarman, J. (2015). Health care professionals’ perceptions and experiences of respect and dignity in the intensive care unit. Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 5(1A), 27–42.
- Lewis-Newby, M., Wicclair, M., Pope, T., Rushton, C., Curlin, F., Diekema, D., Durrer, D., Ehlenbach, W., Gibson-Scipio, W., Glavan, B., Langer, L., Manthous, C., Rose, C., Scardella, A., Shanawani, H., Siegel, M. D., Halpern, S. D., Truog, R. D., & White, D. B. (2015). Managing conscientious objections in intensive care medicine: An official policy statement of the American Thoracic Society. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 191(2), 219-27.
- Back, A., Rushton, C., Kaszniak, A., & Halifax, J. (2015). Why are we doing this? Clinician helplessness in the face of suffering. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 18(1), 26-30.