Hopkins Nursing’s Rushton Named Fellow in Bioethics

Newswise — Professor Cynda H. Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been named a 2014 Hastings Center Fellow for her eminent accomplishments in bioethics. She will be inducted at the Annual Hastings Center Fellows Meeting on October 16 in San Diego. As a fellow, Rushton will help the Center accomplish its mission of researching, collaborating, and addressing medical and environmental ethical issues. “Dr. Rushton is a stellar example of dedication in the pursuit of ethical care,” says Dean Patricia M. Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN. “This new recognition is well deserved and her work continues to have culture-changing impact on the nursing profession and healthcare.” As an American Academy of Nursing “Edgerunner” and one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Rushton teaches, researches, and consults, and has received numerous awards for her work including the recent Center for Health Care Ethics Milestone Award. She is a founding member of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, holds a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, and has served as Chair of the Maryland State Council on Quality Care at the End-of-Life. She also was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Executive Fellow (2006-2009) and a founding board member of the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health. Proud of the honor, Rushton says it opens doors for new opportunities to collaborate with interprofessional colleagues, to explore the complex ethical questions that face clinicians, and to advocate for a culture that supports ethical practice. “Nurses in all roles and settings confront ethical issues every day in their practice. The perspective of nurses is vital to a robust understanding of the ethical landscape and is crucial to the health and well-being of patients and their families." Most recently, Rushton organized and co-chaired (with Dr. Marion Broome) a National Nursing Ethics Summit, a joint endeavor of the School of Nursing and the Berman Institute of Bioethics, which brought together nurse ethicists and key nursing stakeholders to define a blueprint for nursing ethics in the U.S. The first of its kind, the Summit laid a foundation for reconnecting nurses to ethical values and principles and creating a blueprint for 21st century ethics in clinical practice, education, policy, and research. "It is a pivotal time in health care that requires bold, ethically grounded and courageous solutions. I am delighted to be part of such an impressive community of scholars, practitioners, and leaders in bioethics to address these vexing issues," says Rushton. ### The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a global leader in nursing research, education, and scholarship. The School and its baccalaureate, master’s, PhD, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are recognized for excellence in educating nurses who set the highest standards for patient care and become innovative national and international leaders. Among U.S. nursing schools, the Hopkins Nursing graduate programs are ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit http://nursing.jhu.edu.