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Kyle Karches, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Health Care Ethics


Education

  • Ph.D. in Health Care Ethics from Saint Louis University
  • M.D. from the University of Chicago
  • B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame

Research Interests

Ethics education, virtue ethics, philosophy of medicine, technology, end-of-life care, and medical ethics in the Catholic tradition

Publications and Media Placements

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  • Karches KE. Medicine and the Common Good in the Aristotelian-Thomistic Tradition. Christian Bioethics 2020;26(2):124-144.
  • Ostertag C and Karches K. Brain death and the formation of moral conscience. The Linacre Quarterly 2019;86(4):335-346.
  • Karches KE. The ends of medicine and the crisis of chronic pain. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2019;40:183-196.
  • Karches K. Temperance, moral friendship, and smoking cessation. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 2019;44:299-313.
  • Karches KE. Against the iDoctor: why artificial intelligence cannot replace physician judgment. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2018;39:91-110.
  • Leffel GM, Mueller RAO, Ham SA, Karches KE, Curlin FA, and Yoon J. Project on the Good Physician: further evidence for the validity of a moral intuitionist model of virtuous caring. Teaching and Learning in Medicine 2018;19:1-14.
  • Karches KE and Sulmasy DP. Justice, courage, and truthfulness: virtues that medical trainees can and must learn. Family Medicine 2016; 48(7):511-16.
  • Karches KE and Sulmasy DP. Ethical considerations for turning off pacemakers and defibrillators. Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics 2015; 7(3):547-55.
  • Karches KE, Chung GS, Arora V, Meltzer DO, Curlin FA. Religiosity, spirituality, and end-of-life planning: a single-site survey of medical inpatients. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2012; 44(6):843-51.
Book chapters and other publications
  • Karches KE. Ask an Ethicist: Returning to work after Covid-19. SGIM Forum 2022; 45(1):1,14.
  • Ceceu M, Ioan BG, Ceceu M, Karches KE, Stefanescu C, Padela AI. Spiritual dimensions of biomedical research. In A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing. Edited by Shoja M, Arynchyna A, Loukas M, D’Antoni AV, Buerger SM, Karl M, Tubbs RS. Wiley-Blackwell: Hoboken, NJ, 2020.
  • Karches KE and Pomerantz DH. Technology and the physician-patient relationship. SGIM Forum 2018; 41(12):1,5.
  • Karches KE. Determination of death. In Clinical Decision Support: Hospital Medicine, 2nd edition, edited by Miller C, Burger A, Lai C, Pahwa A 2017. Decision Support in Medicine, LLC. Wilmington, DE.
  • Karches KE. Assessing decision making capacity. In Clinical Decision Support: Hospital Medicine, 2nd edition, edited by Miller C, Burger A, Lai C, Pahwa A 2017. Decision Support in Medicine, LLC. Wilmington, DE.

Honors and Awards

  • Caring Physician Award, St. Louis University Hospital, 2021
  • SLUCare Top Doctor for Patient Experience, 2019

Professional Organizations and Associations

  • Ethics Committee Chair, SSM-St. Louis University Hospital, 2020-present
  • Ethics Committee Chair, Society of General Internal Medicine, 2021-2022