Faculty Member, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Assistant Professor
Thesis Title: Respecting Autonomy in Cases of Ambivalence about End of Life Decisions
|
Tom Tomlinson
|
About
I received my doctorate in philosophy from Michigan State University in May 2008. My areas of specialization are bioethics and ethics (esp. moral psychology and action theory). My areas of competence are logic and philosophy of science. I find bridging the analytic/continental "divide" to be particularly enjoyable and productive. I am interested in the following issues (both on their own and in relation to bioethical contexts): autonomy, ambivalence, weakness of will, decision making, advance directives, personal identity, and Ulysses Contracts. The focus of my dissertation research was on autonomy and ambivalence (particularly ambivalence about end of life decisions). I also work on facial transplantation, particularly the identity issues involved. In Fall 2008 I took up a positon at Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. There I work on how cognitive and emotional biases affect patient decision making and autonomy, the ethical implications of those effects, and on practical solutions for helping patients make better decisions. I also work on ethical and philosophical issues in psychiatry. My work is supported by a Greenwall Faculty Scholars in Bioethics Award (2011-2014) and a Pfizer Fellowship in Bioethics (2011-2013).
My teaching responsibilities at BCM include directing the required course in medical ethics for first-year medical students and directing the Ethics Track. I also teach an undergraduate medical ethics course (Philosophy 336) in the spring and an undergraduate death and dying course in the fall (Philosophy339) at Rice University, and mentor students in the Rice-BCM Health, Humanism, and Society Scholars Program.
