A long-time member of the Berman Institute of Bioethics’s advisory board and philanthropic supporter of The Johns Hopkins University, GEORGE L. BUNTING has been integral to the institute’s growth into one of the world’s largest and most respected centers of bioethics. First proposed a decade ago, this professorship represents years of dedication, perseverance, and collaboration among the Bunting family, Berman Institute Director Ruth R. Faden, PhD, MPH, and School of Nursing Dean Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN, Nurs ’64, ’66, SPH ’87 (PhD).
Since the time of Hippocrates, medical professionals have grappled not only with their patients’ health problems, but the inevitable ethical issues that arise. To continue improving the quality and ethical delivery of patient care, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics have jointly established the Bunting Professorship, endowed by the Bunting family. This joint professorship highlights the increasingly important interprofessional role of nursing and bioethics.
“This generous gift from the Bunting family is an exceptional opportunity for The Johns Hopkins University to establish a leadership role in nursing and clinical ethics, both nationally and globally.”
-Ruth R. Faden, PhD, MPH
Held by Cynda Hylton Rushton
CYNDA HYLTON RUSHTON, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the inaugural Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics and a professor of nursing, with a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Rushton is a founding member and core faculty of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and co-chair of the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Ethics Consultation Service. She also serves as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Ethics and Program Director of the Harriet Lane Compassionate Care Program at the Johns Hopkins Childrens Center. She received her master’s of science in nursing, with specialization as a pediatric clinical nurse specialist, from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at the University of Kentucky and received a doctorate in nursing at the Catholic University of America, with a concentration in bioethics. Dr. Rushton is the recipient of two postdoctoral fellowships: a Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Executive Fellowship (2006-2009) and a Kornfeld Fellowship in end-of-life, ethics and palliative care (2000).
Dr. Rushton brings to the professorship the expert nursing perspective that is essential to today’s bioethics scholarship and debate and will be required in shaping tomorrow’s health care policies.