Jason Wasserman, Ph.D.
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Jason Wasserman, Ph.D.
About Me
His research addresses some of the most contested problems in contemporary clinical ethics. He has written on the proper scope of conscientious objection — arguing that conscience protections apply to healthcare institutions as well as to individual clinicians — and on the standards governing treatment decisions for patients who cannot speak for themselves, including those with diminished or absent decision-making capacity. His work in pediatric ethics examines parental authority, the best-interest standard, the normative status of pediatric assent.
Wasserman is also a scholar of the medical humanities, with sustained attention to how the darker corners of the history of medicine continue to shape the foundations of contemporary medicine and bioethics. His work on medicine and the Holocaust examines questions of human dignity and its role in medical ethics.
His book Social and Behavioral Science for Health Professionals (2021) explored the various ways that sociological insights can be applied in clinical practice. His scholarship has appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, JAMA Pediatrics, Social Science and Medicine, Bioethics, the American Journal of Bioethics, The Hastings Center Report, and the Journal of Medical Ethics, among other venues.
Faculty Appointments
Interim Professor - Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics (SMD)
Credentials
Education
PhD | University of Alabama at Birmingham. Medical Sociology. 2007
MA | University of Alabama at Birmingham. Medical Sociology. 2005
BA | University of Alabama at Birmingham. Philosophy. 2000
Awards
Vanguard Neighborhood Champion Award for Service. 2023
Excellence in Service Award. 2023
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Excellence Recognition, Founders' Day Annual Award. 2021
Educational Innovation/Educational Research Award. 2015
Excellence in Safety Research Active Living Research Poster Award for "Playground Safety is Associated...". 2013
Annual Book Award - Honorable Mention (1st Runner Up). 2010
Outstanding Graduate Student Award. 2005
Publications
Journal Articles
Giving and Taking: Navigating the Complex Relationship with Student-run Clinics.
Lee D; Tayag A; Amoush R; Wharton K; Wasserman JA.
Journal of community health. 2026; 51(1): 162-169.
Stahl D, Wasserman JA, Barron L, Weaver SP
The Gerontologist.. 2025 November 1065 (12)Epub 1900 01 01.
Wasserman JA
Bioethics.. 2025 May 39 (4):368-374. Epub 03/20/2025.
Wasserman JA, Brummett AL, Navin MC, Menkes DL
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB.. 2025 March 25 (3):10-21. Epub 11/30/2023.
What Premedical Students Need to Succeed: Updated Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students.
Wasserman JA; Lopez AA; Knickerbocker R; Haywood A; Kibble J; Fraser R; Fletcher L.
Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2025; 100(12): 1452-1458.
A Defense of Institutional Conscience Rights for Secular Hospitals: Philosophical Justifications and Practical Applications.
Wasserman JA; Brummett A; Navin MC.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2025; .
Clinical Ethics Fellowship Programs in the U.S. and Canada: A Descriptive Study of Program Characteristics and Practices.
Fox E; Wasserman JA.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2025; 25(10): 51-66.
The Impact of a Study Trip to Auschwitz: Place-based Learning for Bioethics Education and Professional Identity Formation.
Li M; Stamatin R; Wald HS; Wasserman JA.
Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees. 2025; 34(3): 310-320.
The Proper Uses and Constraints on Exercises of Conscience in Cases of Profound Neurological Injury: A Dialogue with Our Colleagues.
Wasserman JA; Brummett AL; Navin MC; Menkes DL.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2025; 25(4): W17-W21.
Clinical Ethics Fellowship Programs in the United States and Canada: Program Directors' Opinions About Accreditation and Funding.
Fox E; Wasserman JA.
AJOB empirical bioethics. 2025; 16(1): 1-9.
Comparative treatment of homeless persons with an infectious disease in the US emergency department setting: a retrospective approach.
Barnes J; Segars L; Wasserman JA; Karabon P; Taylor TAH.
Journal of epidemiology and community health. 2024; 78(12): 799-805.
It's Worth What You Can Sell It for: A Survey of Employment and Compensation Models for Clinical Ethicists.
Wasserman JA; Brummett A; Navin MC.
HEC forum : an interdisciplinary journal on hospitals' ethical and legal issues. 2024; 36(3): 405-420.
Capacities to Refuse Treatment: A Reply.
Navin MC; Brummett A; Wasserman JA.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2024; 24(3): W15-W19.
Limits on Parental Discretion in Medical Decision-Making: pediatric intervention principles converge.
Navin MC; Wasserman JA; Diekema DS; Pope TM.
Perspectives in biology and medicine. 2024; 67(2): 277-289.
Pediatric Assent in Clinical Practice: A Critical Scoping Review.
Wasserman JA; Najor AN; Liogas N; Swanberg SM; Brummett A; Laventhal NT; Navin MC.
AJOB empirical bioethics. 2024; 15(4): 336-346.
Paradoxical experiences of healthcare workers during COVID-19: a qualitative analysis of anonymous, web-based, audio narratives.
Lackman Zeman L; Roy S; Surnis PP; Wasserman JA; Duchak K; Homayouni R; Mulhem E.
International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being. 2023; 18(1): 2184034.
Education Research: Changes in Medical Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Clinical Death After Teaching the Philosophy of Death.
Neurology. Education. 2023; 2(2): e200055.
Navin MC, Brummett AL, Wasserman JA
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB.. 2022 November 22 (11):73-83. Epub 08/03/2021.
The capacity to designate a surrogate is distinct from decisional capacity: normative and empirical considerations.
Navin M; Wasserman JA; Stahl D; Tomlinson T.
Journal of medical ethics. 2022; 48(3): 189-192.
Practising what we preach: clinical ethicists' professional perspectives and personal use of advance directives.
Wasserman JA; Navin MC; Drzyzga V; Gibb TS.
Journal of medical ethics. 2022; 48(2): 144-149.
Ang NB, Wasserman JA
BMC research notes.. 2021 February 414 (1):44. Epub 02/04/2021.
Understanding the Perceptions of Case Managers on Needed Resources when Working with Homeless Patients
Smallwood, H.; Wasserman, J.
Collaborative Case Management. 2021; 77: 15-19.
On Triggering and Being Triggered: Civil Society and Building Brave Spaces in Medical Education.
Wasserman JA; Browne BJ.
Teaching and learning in medicine. 2021; 33(5): 561-567.
Centrifuged-Concentrated Intravitreal Slurry Triamcinolone Acetonide: An Inexpensive, Easy, and Viable Alternative to Long-Term Steroid Delivery.
Malinowski SM; Wasserman JA.
Journal of vitreoretinal diseases. 2021; 5(1): 15-31.
Navin MC, Wasserman JA, Opel DJ
Pediatrics.. 2020 December 146 (6)Epub 11/06/2020.
Hamilton, N.; Olumolade, O.; Aittama, M.; Samoray, O.; Khan, M.; Wasserman, J.; Ragina, N.
Journal of Public Health (Berl.). 2020; .
Implementing a Successful Faculty-Driven Diversity Liaison Program: an Innovative Approach to Faculty Recruitment at OUWB School of Medicine.
Pitts DG; Wasserman JA; Gould DJ.
Medical science educator. 2020; 30(3): 1007-1009.
Responding to Unprofessional Behavior by Trainees - A "Just Culture" Framework.
Wasserman JA; Redinger M; Gibb T.
The New England journal of medicine. 2020; 382(8): 773-777.
When Do Pediatricians Call the Ethics Consultation Service? Impact of Clinical Experience and Formal Ethics Training.
Navin MC; Wasserman JA; Jain S; Baughman KR; Laventhal NT.
AJOB empirical bioethics. 2020; 11(2): 83-90.
Wasserman JA, Navin MC, Vercler CJ
Pediatrics.. 2019 November 144 (5)Epub 1900 01 01.
Navin MC, Wasserman JA, Haimann MH
Mayo Clinic proceedings.. 2019 October 94 (10):1936-1938. Epub 09/16/2019.
Navin MC, Wasserman JA, Ahmad M, Bies S
American journal of preventive medicine.. 2019 March 56 (3):359-367. Epub 1900 01 01.
Wasserman JA, Kononova A, Moldovan T, Cotten SR
Medical science educator.. 2019 March 29 (1):139-148. Epub 11/16/2018.
Navin MC, Wasserman JA
The Hastings Center report.. 2019 January 49 (1):43-51. Epub 1900 01 01.
Resistance, Medicine, and Moral Courage: Lessons on Bioethics from Jewish Physicians During the Holocaust
Wasserman, J.; Yoskowitz, H.
Conatus: Journal of Philosophy. 2019; 4: 359-380.
Guidance and Intervention Principles in Pediatrics: The Need for Pluralism.
Navin MC; Wasserman JA.
The Journal of clinical ethics. 2019; 30(3): 201-206.
Wasserman JA, Navin MC, Krug EF
JAMA pediatrics.. 2018 July 1172 (7):613-614. Epub 1900 01 01.
The Complexity of Experience with First Dissection: A Qualitative Study of Medical Students
Fortunato, J.T.; Hankin, M.; Wasserman, J.
Medical Science Educator. 2018; 28: 359-365.
Capacity for Preferences: Respecting Patients with Compromised Decision-Making.
Wasserman JA; Navin MC.
The Hastings Center report. 2018; 48(3): 31-39.
Navin MC, Wasserman JA
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB.. 2017 November 17 (11):6-14. Epub 1900 01 01.
Harm and Parental Permission: A Response to Our Critics.
Navin MC; Wasserman JA.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2017; 17(11): W1-W4.
Nonmaleficence, Nondisclosure, and Nocebo: Response to Open Peer Commentaries.
Fortunato JT; Wasserman JA; Menkes DL.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2017; 17(7): W4-W5.
When Respecting Autonomy Is Harmful: A Clinically Useful Approach to the Nocebo Effect.
Fortunato JT; Wasserman JA; Menkes DL.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB. 2017; 17(6): 36-42.
Epistemic cognition in medical education: a literature review.
Eastwood JL; Koppelman-White E; Mi M; Wasserman JA; Krug Iii EF; Joyce B.
International journal of medical education. 2017; 8.
Making Sense of Everett's Arrival: A Commentary on the Power of Birth Narratives.
Wasserman JA; Wasserman RN.
Narrative inquiry in bioethics. 2017; 7(3): 225-230.
Differences in emotional experience and coping with human cadaver dissection between a sample of US and Lebanese medical students: A pilot study
Hajj Hussein, I.; Wasserman, J.; Raoof, A.; Jurjus, A.
Medical Science Educator. 2016; 25: 203-206.
Ottomeyer M, Graham CD, Legg AD, Cooper ES, Law CD, Molani M, Matevossian K, Marlin J, Williams C, Newman R, Wasserman JA, Segars LW, Taylor TA
Frontiers in public health.. 2016 4 :234. Epub 10/25/2016.
Suminski R, Presley T, Wasserman JA, Mayfield CA, McClain E, Johnson M
Journal of physical activity & health.. 2015 March 12 (3):402-8. Epub 04/17/2014.
Walking during Leisure-Time in Relation to Perceived Neighborhoods
Suminski, R.R.; Wasserman, J.; Mayfield, C.
Environment and Behavior. 2015; 47: 816-830.
Culture, Personality, and Attitudes toward Euthanasia: A Comparative Study of Iran and the United States
Wasserman, J.; Aghababaei, N.; Nannini, D.
OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying. 2015; 72: 247-270.
Autonomy at Odds with Empathy: Experimental Evidence Showing that Physician Guidance Promotes Perceptions of Physician Empathy
Hans, D.J.; Dube, P.; Wasserman, J.
American Journal of Bioethics - Empirical Bioethics. 2015; 7: 135-139.
Perceived neighborhood size: implications for physical activity-environment research.
Suminski R; Heinrich K; Wasserman JA; Rasu RS.
Journal of physical activity & health. 2015; 12(2): 282-8.
Moral Reasoning among HEC Members: An Empirical Evaluation of the Relationship of Theory and Practice in Clinical Ethics Consultation.
Wasserman JA; Stevenson SL; Claxton C; Krug EF.
The Journal of clinical ethics. 2015; 26(2): 108-17.
Wasserman JA
The Journal of clinical ethics.. 2015 26 (3):270-1. Epub 1900 01 01.
Suminski R, Wasserman JA, Mayfield CA, Kubic M, Porter J
Journal of physical activity & health.. 2014 September 11 (7):1373-8. Epub 12/20/2013.
Wasserman JA, Fitzgerald JE, Sunny MA, Cole M, Suminski RR, Dougherty JJ
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.. 2014 August 114 (8):643-53. Epub 1900 01 01.
Wasserman JA, Suminski R, Xi J, Mayfield C, Glaros A, Magie R
International journal of obesity : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.. 2014 July 38 (7):912-8. Epub 04/06/2014.
The Religious Person Revisited: Cross-cultural Evidence from the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure
Aghababaei, N.; Wasserman, J.; Nannini, D.
Mental Health, Religion, and Culture. 2014; 17: 24-29.
Injury Profile of Mixed Martial Arts Competitors
McClain, R.; Wasserman, J.; Mayfield, C.; Berry, A.C.; Greiner, G.; Suminski, R.R.
Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014; 24: 497-501.
Bicycling policy indirectly associated with overweight/obesity.
Suminski RR; Wasserman JA; Mayfield CA; Freeman E; Brandl R.
American journal of preventive medicine. 2014; 47(6): 715-21.
On art and science: an epistemic framework for integrating social science and clinical medicine.
Wasserman JA.
The Journal of medicine and philosophy. 2014; 39(3): 279-303.
Personality factors and attitudes toward euthanasia in Iran: implications for end-of-life research and practice.
Aghababaei N; Wasserman JA; Hatami J.
Death studies. 2014; 38(1): -5):91-9.
Suminski RR, Wasserman JA, Mayfield CA, McClain L
Perceptual and motor skills.. 2013 August 117 (1):1091-106. Epub 1900 01 01.
Suminski RR, Wasserman JA, Guillory VJ, Hendrix D, May LE
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.. 2013 April 113 (4):266-8. Epub 1900 01 01.
The Insufficiency of Fairness: The Logic of Homeless Service Institutions and Resulting Gaps in Service
Wasserman, J.; Clair, J.M.
Culture and Organizations. 2013; 19: 162-183.
Attitude toward euthanasia scale: psychometric properties and relations with religious orientation, personality, and life satisfaction.
Aghababaei N; Wasserman JA.
The American journal of hospice & palliative care. 2013; 30(8): 781-5.
Suminski RR, Hendrix D, May LE, Wasserman JA, Guillory VJ
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.. 2012 November 112 (11):716-24. Epub 1900 01 01.
The Shifting Landscape of Health and Medicine: Implications for Childbirth Education and Practice
Hinote, B.P.; Wasserman, J.
International Journal of Childbirth Education. 2012; 27: 69-75.
The Homeless 'Problem' and the Double Consciousness
Wasserman, J.; Clair, J.M.; Platt, C.
Sociological Inquiry. 2012; 82: 331-355.
Park Quality in Racial/Ethnic Minority Neighborhoods
Suminski, R.R.; Connolly, E.K.; May, L.E.; Wasserman, J.; Olvera, N.; Lee, R.E.
Environmental Justice. 2012; 5: 271-278.
The End of Modern Medicine: The Evolution of Disease and Transformations in Medical Practice
Wasserman, J.; Hinote, B.P.
Journal of Healthcare, Science, and the Humanities. 2012; 2: 45-56.
Housing Patterns of Homeless People: The Ecology of the Street in the Era of Urban Renewal
Wasserman, J.; Clair, J.M.
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 2011; 40: 71-101.
Chronic Illness as Incalculable Risk: Scientific Uncertainty and Social Transformations in Medicine
Wasserman, J.; Hinote, B.P.
Social Theory and Health. 2011; 9: 41-58.
Six in One Hand, a Half Dozen in the Other: An Ontological Analysis of Radical Islam and the Christian Right
Henson, J.; Wasserman, J.
Journal of Culture and Religion. 2011; 12: 39-58.
Picture and Social Concept: Fractal-Concept Analysis of Advertising Art
Wilson, K.L.; Wasserman, J.; Lowndes, F.
Visual Communication. 2009; 8: 1-22.
Insight on Demand: Teaching Sociology Using Heart-thinking Analysis of Visual Imagery
Wasserman, J.; Wilson, K.L.
Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy. 2009; 5: 134-148.
Problematics of Grounded Theory: Innovations for Developing an Increasingly Rigorous Qualitative Method
Wasserman, J.; Clair, J.M.; Wilson, K.L.
Qualitative Research. 2009; 9: 355-281.
Saving Society from Instrumental Rationality: A Study of Mahler and Homeless Research in the Spirit of Adorno's Critical Musicology
Wilson, K.L.; Wasserman, J.; Lowndes, F.
Journal of Music and Meaning. 2008; 7.
The social psychology of amateur ethicists: blood product recall notification and the value of reflexivity.
Wasserman JA; Dure LS.
Journal of medical ethics. 2008; 34(7): 530-3.
Clair JM, Clark C, Hinote BP, Robinson CO, Wasserman JA
Social science & medicine.. 2007 January 64 (1):248-58. Epub 1900 01 01.
Razing the Ivory Tower: The Production of Knowledge and African American Distrust of Medicine
Wasserman, J.; Flannery, M.A.; Clair, J.M.
Journal of Medical Ethics. 2007; 33: 177-180.
Racial Differences in Attitudes toward Euthanasia
Wasserman, J.; Clair, J.M.; Ritchey, F.J.
OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying. 2006; 52: 263-287.
A Scale to Assess Attitudes toward Euthanasia
Wasserman, J.; Clair, J.M.; Ritchey, F.J.
OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying. 2005; 51: 229-37.
Books
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior and Society, 2nd Ed (2026)
Authors: Cockerham WC (Senior Editor), Wasserman JA (Associate Editor)
Publisher: Wiley Blackwell, (1st Edition, 2014). Oxford, UK 2026
Medical Professionalism: Theory, Education, and Practice (2025)
Chapter: The Opportunities and Challenges of Remediating Unprofessional Behavior among Trainees through a 'Just Culture' Approach
Authors: Wasserman JA, Redinger MJ, Gibb, TS
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK 2025
Medical Sociology on the Move: New Directions in Theory (2025)
Chapter: Reflexive Modernity and the Sociology of Health, 2nd Edition (1st Edition, 2013, as Hinote and Wasserman)
Authors: Wasserman JA. Hinote BP
Publisher: Springer Publishers, New York, NY 2025
Machine Learning in Radiation Oncology: A Guide for Clinicians (2024)
Chapter: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Bioethics in Clinical Medicine
Authors: Wasserman JA, Wald H
Publisher: Elsevier, New York 2024
The Routledge International Handbook of Changes in Human Perceptions and Behaviors (2024)
Chapter: Should We Change? The Ethics of Human Enhancement
Authors: Wasserman JA, Crutchfield P, Brummett A
Publisher: Routledge, New York 2024
Bioethics and the Holocaust: A Comprehensive Study in How the Holocaust Continues to Shape the Ethics of Health, Medicine and Human Rights (2022)
Chapter: Medicine, the Holocaust, and Human Dignity: Lessons from Human Rights
Authors: Stacy Gallin and Ira Bedzow
Publisher: Springer 2022
Clinical Reasoning in the Health Professions (2021)
Chapter: Demographics and Clinical Reasoning
Authors: Wasserman JA, Loftus S
Publisher: Elsevier, Amsterdam 2021
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology (2021)
Chapter: Health Professions and Occupations
Authors: Wasserman JA, Hinote BP
Publisher: Wiley Blackwell, Hoboken, NJ 2021
Social and Behavioral Science for Health Professionals, 2nd Ed (2020)
Authors: Hinote BP, Wasserman JA
Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield, (1st Edition published in 2017). Lantham, MD 2020
Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven't, How We Can (2016)
Chapter: Controversies in the Provision of Services
Authors: Wasserman JA, Clair JM
Publisher: Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO 2016
Studies in Symbolic Interaction (2011)
Chapter: The Medicalization of Homelessness and the Sociology of the Self: A Grounded Fractal Analysis
Authors: Wasserman JA, Clair JM
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Group, Bingley, UK 2011
At Home on the Street: People, Poverty, and a Hidden Culture of Homelessness (2010)
Authors: Wasserman JA, Clair JM
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, CO 2010