Dr. Halverson is a faculty investigator at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics and assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.  He is a faculty member of the Bioethics and Participant Advocacy Program of the Indiana CTSI.

Dr. Halverson received his bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College. He went on to receive his master’s in Social Sciences and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. Dr. Halverson completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one at MacLean Center at the University of Chicago and another at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Halverson's research interests include ethics and genetics, return of genetic and diagnostic testing results, health communication and linguistics, communicating risk and uncertainty, and patient education. Dr. Halverson employs ethnographic and other social scientific research methods as they pertain to clinical identity, diagnosis, and patient communication.

Selected Courses: 

• GRDM-G 504 - Research Ethics 
• MHHS M504 - Medical Ethics & Professionalism
• MHHS M504 - Critical Topics in Medical Ethics

Selected Guest Lectures: 

• “Return of Research Findings,” Indiana University School of Medicine
• “Mock Bioethics Meeting,” Indiana University Kelley School of Business
• “Police Powers in the Clinic,” Medical Ethics and Professionalism, Indiana University School of Medicine
• “Hateful Patients,” Indiana University School of Medicine

Research Interests:

• Genomics
• Return of Genetic and Research Results
• Healthcare Communication and Language

Selected Publications:

• Halverson CME, Clayton EW, Garcia Sierra A, Francomano C. Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome on the Diagnostic Odyssey: Rethinking Complexity and Difficulty as a Hero's Journey. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics. 2021.
• Halverson CME, Donnelly CE, Weiner M, Lee JL. Content Analysis of Emoji and Emoticon Use in Clinical Texting Systems. JAMA Network Open. 2023.
• Halverson CME, Penwell HL, Francomano CA. Clinician-associated traumatization from difficult medical encounters: Results from a qualitative interview study on the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. Social Science & Medicine: Qualitative Research in Health. 2023.
• Halverson CME, Kroenke K, Penwell HL, Francomano CA. (2023). Evolving Attitudes Toward Numeric Pain Assessment Among Patients with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A qualitative interview study.Pain Medicine 24(6):713-715, DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnac167 

Additional Publications: PubMed

Funding:

Selected Grants:

Improving Care for Rare Genetic Diseases: Patient-Provider Communication and Patient Validation in the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (PI)

$836,066 from the NIH National Human Genome Research Institute 2022-2026

Description: Identifying the contribution of a molecular diagnossis to the social validation of subjective symptoms such as pain and fatigue.

KL2 Grant (PI)

$164,400 from the IUSM Clinical and Translational Research Institute 2022-2024

Description: Characterizing the diagnostic odysseys of hypermobile and classical Ehlers-Danlos populations. 

CHDIS PDT (PI)

$12,357.50 from IU School of Medicine / Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

Selected Activities:

• Member, Ethics Consult Sub-Committee (Fairbanks); 2019 - Present.
• Embedded Ethicist, Undiagnosed and Rare Disease Clinic, IU Health; 2020 - Present.
• Member, Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Bioethics Committee; 2023 - Present.
• Collection Editor, ELSI Hub Collections; 2024.