Center for Bioethics

Dr. Gaffney is a Faculty Investigator at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, and an Emerita Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. She practiced internal medicine at Eskenazi and IU Health Hospitals until her retirement in 2014. She continues to teach dermatology and ethics for medical students and serve on Eskenazi and IU Health Ethics Committees. Since 1997, Dr. Gaffney has been Director of the Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment Competency at the Indiana University School of Medicine and member of the Indiana University Conscience Project, where she currently serves as Director.

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

Selected guest lectures:

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

Medical Ethics Education

Selected Publications:

• Eckles E, Meslin E, Gaffney M, Helft P. Medical Ethics Education: Where are we? Where should we be going? A Review. Acad Med. 2005;80:1143-1152.
• Gaffney, Galvin, Stilwell. A Conscience Sensitive Approach To Ethics and Teaching Caring Attitudes. Conscience Works, Conscience & Ethics, 3(1):6-20, 2007
• Croft D, Jay S, Meslin E, Gaffney M, Odell, J. Perspective: Is It Time for Advocacy Training in Medical Education? Acad Med. 2012;87(9):1165-1170.

Consent and Surrogacy

Selected Publications:

• 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; 7(2):31-35.
• Comer AR, Gaffney M, Stone C, Torke AM. Physician understanding and application of surrogate decision making laws in clinical practice.AJOB Empirical Bioethics. 2016;8(3):1-4.
• Comer AR, Gaffney M, Stone C, Torke AM. “What do you mean I cannot consent for my grandmother’s medical procedure?”: Key issues with state default surrogate decision making laws. Indiana Health Law Review. 2016; 14(2):2-28.
• Galvin M, Hulvershorn L, Gaffney M. (2019) Conscience relevance and sensitivity in psychiatric evaluations in the youth span. Adolescent Psychiatry 9 (3) 167-184.

Service Activities 

• Director, Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment Competency, School of Medicine, 1997–present
• Member, Ethics Committee at Wishard Memorial Hospital, 1991–Present; Chair, 1999–present
• 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.