Graduate Assistants

Breana Chin

Breana Chin is currently dually enrolled in the MD/MA Bioethics program at Loma Linda University. She is interested in topics related to end-of-life care including racial disparities in palliative medicine, advanced directives, outcomes of end-of-life care, elder self-neglect, physician assisted suicide, and more. After graduating, she plans to pursue residency in Family Medicine and a fellowship in Palliative Medicine. Breana's thesis, currently entitled "Artificial Intelligence: Cure or Obstruction for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems," discusses current research advances in medical AI, will highlight how AI usage in medical care can positively influence a population’s trust in healthcare systems and will explore obstacles and ethical considerations with AI implementation in medicine.

• MD Class of 2021
• MA, Bioethics Class of 2020

Graduate Assistant Responsibilities:

• Advocated for and contributed to a revision of the institution’s strategic plan
• Drafted and edited Sabbath Policy Guidelines for the Adventist Health Policy Association
• Maintained and updated the CCB Bioethics Library as its librarian
• Assisted in planning and set up of multiple CCB events including Grand Rounds, Provonsha Lectures, and more
• Wrote and edited quarterly newsletter
• Performed photography, graphic design, and web design for maintaining the CCB and ABC website
• Interviewed and assisted with production of podcasts
• Assisted with running institutional webinars

Thesis:
Chin, Breana, Dubov, Oleksandr, & McKellar, Derek. “Artificial Intelligence: Cure or Obstruction for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems.” In progress.

David Deemer

David Deemer is a dual-degree MD/MA Bioethics student at Loma Linda University. His academic interests include survey design and assessment, research ethics, and competing conceptions of justice. He plans to apply to Internal Medicine residency, followed by additional training in Quality Improvement and Clinical Informatics in fellowship. 

• MD Class of 2021
• MA, Bioethics Class of 2020

Graduate Assistant Responsibilities:

• Advocated for and contributed to a revision of the institution’s strategic plan
• Developed IRB in-service education presentations
• Composed academic summary pieces on labor unions and conscientious objection to care of COVID-19 patients
• Developed, implemented, analyzed, and presented results from institutional surveys
• Wrote and edited quarterly newsletter
• Performed regular website design updates and maintenance
• Developed and implemented marketing strategies
• Assisted with production of institutional webinars

Thesis:
Deemer, David A, Chooljian, David M., Dubov, Oleksandr. “VA’s New VistA: best practices for EHR public procurement.” In progress.

Martha Duah

Martha Duah is an MD/MA Bioethics student at Loma Linda University. She graduated from Andrews University with a BS in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience.  Her academic interests include topics on race, psychiatry, the problem of evil, and anything that affects black women. She plans to apply to a Psychiatry residency and one day work with African governments on medical ethics within the continent.

• MD Class of 2021
• MA, Bioethics Class of 2020

Matthew Hagele

Matthew Hagele is pursuing an MD/MA Bioethics degree at Loma Linda University. He is interested in clinical ethics, hospital policies, and end of life care. He is planning to apply to Psychiatry residency after graduation, with the additional goals of practicing as a clinical ethicist and completing a fellowship in Palliative Medicine.

• MD Class of 2021
• MA, Bioethics Class of 2020

Matthew worked on three major projects. He digitized, edited, and curated significant lectures given at the Center for Christian Bioethics. He also worked on drafting policy statements for the Adventist Health Policy Association. Finally, he served as a research assistant for the ethics committee at Patton State Hospital. This last responsibility allowed him to advise on the clinical consult process, gather relevant resources, and present the purpose of the ethics committee to departmental leaders.

His thesis is currently titled “Ethical Challenges of Historical and Contemporary Psilocybin Research.” The paper discusses the history of psilocybin research (a naturally occurring hallucinogenic substance) in the United States along with ethical failings of that research which resulted in criminalization. It then connects the significance of these ethical failings to current psilocybin research and call for study designs which address these unique problems. Finally, the paper argues for a classification change for psilocybin due to its potential benefits in psychiatric therapies.

Amanda Jacovani

DDS/MA Bioethics Combined Degree Program

• DDS Class of 2021
• MA, Bioethics Class of 2021

Karl Wallenkampf

Karl Wallenkampf is a candidate in the MD-MA Bioethics dual-degree program with an expected graduation in 2021. He has been committed to interdisciplinary studies since his time in Walla Walla University, where completed the honors general studies program and earned a BA in humanities with a concentration in English and a BS in biology. His professional interests include pursuing training in medicine and pediatrics to practice critical care medicine and palliative care—first in a major metropolitan area and then in a more rural setting. His academic interests include bedside patient-physician dynamics, beginning- and end-of-life care, and the tension of individual and communal moral commitments.

• MD Class of 2021
• MA, Bioethics Class of 2020