Dr. Gaffney is a Faculty Investigator at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics and an Emerita Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at IU School of Medicine. She practiced dermatology at Eskenazi and IU Health until her retirement in 2014. She served as an ethics consultant at Wishard Hospital (now Eskenazi), University Hospital, and Clarian (now IU Health) for more than 20 years. After her retirement, she continues to teach dermatology and ethics to medical students.

She has been and continues to be a beloved and award-winning teacher. She was director of the Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment Competency at IU School of Medicine from 1997 to 2014. She served as the Course Director for Introduction Clinical Medicine 1 (year 1 students) from 1998 – 2014; for 7 years, she was course director of this cornerstone class for both year 1 and year 2 students (1998-2005). She created and taught a senior elective on Medical Ethics and Professionalism for almost 20 years. She won numerous teaching awards, including the Trustee Teaching Award twice and a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Department of Medicine in 2012.

Dr. Gaffney received her bachelor’s degree in English and Education at Indiana University. She went on to achieve her MD from Indiana University School of Medicine, completing an internship in Pediatrics at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, and a residency in Dermatology at Indiana University.

Dr. Gaffney has given numerous bioethics subspecialty lectures in dermatology, neonatology, and pharmacology and has published extensively on the role of ethics in medical education. She has also conducted research on informed consent and surrogate decision-making.

Selected Courses:

• Biomedical Sciences, IU - Indianapolis: GRDM-G504 - Introduction Research Ethics
• IU School of Medicine, IU - Indianapolis: Medical Ethics and Professionalism, Senior Elective
• IU School of Medicine, IU - Indianapolis: Introduction to Medicine, Introduction to Dermatology

Selected Guest Lectures:

• “Ethics in Pharmacology,” Indiana University School of Medicine, IU - Indianapolis
• “Bioethics Series,” Neonatology Fellowship, Indiana University School of Medicine, IU - Indianapolis
• “Cutaneous Manifestations of Internal Illness,” Indiana University School of Dentistry
• “Humanism in Medicine,” Fairbanks Ethics Lecture

Research Interests:

• Medical ethics education
• Conscience and moral development
• Conscientious objection

Selected Publications:

• Comer AR, Gaffney M, Stone C, Torke AM. Physician understanding and application of surrogate decision making laws in clinical practice. AJOB Empirical Bioethics. 2016.
• Comer AR, Gaffney M, Stone C, Torke A. The effects of a state health care consent law on patient care in hospitals: A survey of physicians. Journal of Hospital Administration. 2018.
• Galvin M, Hulvershorn L, Gaffney M. Conscience relevance and sensitivity in psychiatric evaluations in the youth span. Adolescent Psychiatry. 2019.

Additional Publications: PubMed

Selected Activities:

• Director, Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment Competency, School of Medicine, 1997–2014
• Member, Ethics Committee at Wishard Memorial Hospital, 1991–Present; Chair, 1999–2014
• Member, Bioethics Committee at University Hospital, 1989–present; University Hospital Chair, 1996–1998
• Research Division Member, Conscience Project, 1998–present.
• Chair, J.O. Ritchey Board, 2015–present
• Director, Indiana Healthcare Ethics Network, 1995–2012
• Research Division Member, Conscience Project, 1998–present.