Our mission
The Center for Bioethics and Health Equity is grounded in a vision of holistic human flourishing. We strive to (1) Aid in addressing questions of value and ethical complexity that arise in the clinical and community contexts of healthcare and (2) Cultivate a pervasive ethos of care and equity.
Our role
- Guidance and discernment when faced with ethical questions
- Facilitation and conflict resolution
- Story-telling and education
- Critical thinking support
Ethics consultations – When you might need us
- Questions of autonomy: Are we providing our patients and families with the ability to make their own decisions and determinations?
- Questions of beneficence, or doing what benefits others: In pediatric terms, are we acting in the best interests of the patient?
- Questions of non-maleficence: Are we avoiding doing harm?
- Questions of justice: Is our treatment fair and equitable?
What do we do?
Ethics Committee:
- Discuss ongoing ethics consults
- Assist in ethics-related education
- Assist in policy development within the institution
Consultation:
- Chart Review
- Meetings: patient, family, requestor, medical team
- Mediating
- Value clarification
Education:
- Staff meetings
- Inpatient rounding
- ICU education
- Noon lectures
- Resident morning report
Policy Review:
- Review existing policies
- New policies or procedures
When to call
“The role of ethics consultation in healthcare is to address uncertainty or conflict regarding value-laden concerns that emerge in a healthcare context” – American Society of Bio Ethics and Humanities
In general, if someone thinks that a circumstance raises an ethical question, then it probably does.
How do you access an ethics consult?
- Call us at 901-562-3711 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. If you need to contact us after hours please use one of the methods below.
- Order an ethics consult in Epic. Please make sure to call us at 901-562-3711 when you do. Phone calls can remain anonymous if you wish.
- Our office number is 901-287-5661 and is available between 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Who is in the Center of Bioethics and Health Humanities?
Co-Directors and Committee Chairs
Arshia Madni is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in the Division of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is the Program Director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship and Co-Directs the Center for Bioethics and Health Equity.
On a national level, she is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, particularly in the health equity space and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. In her role at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, she works on health equity and diversity and is a co-editor for PC-FACS. From a research perspective, her focus is on Equity and Bioethics as well as culturally inclusive care. You can find her publications in JPM, JPSM, Pediatrics, Cancer, Pediatric Blood and Cancer, as well as The Journal of Hospitalist Medicine.
In her free time, she is an avid reader and loves to take long hikes with her family. She is also an author and has published a bereavement book for children, Prayers for My Sister.
Dr. Merlocco is the director of the cMRI program at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. He completed his Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital at Harvard Medical School and his advanced Cardiac Imaging and cMRI fellowship subspecialty training at Children's National Medical Center at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty. Dr. Merlocco is also an associate professor with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
Bioethics and Health Humanities Team
- Elise Worlow, MA, Administrative Assistant
- Peter Hossler, PhD Faculty-in-Residence, Rhodes College, focus Healthcare Policy
- Kendra Hotz, PhD Faculty-in-Residence, Rhodes College, focus Health Equity
- Duane Loynes, PhD Faculty-in-Residence, Rhodes College, focus Cultural Humility and Law Enforcement
- Ethics Committee consisting of Le Bonheur faculty and staff, community members University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Rhodes College
