Jeffrey Spike

Jeffrey Spike, PhD, is a Clinical Professor at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in the Departments of Pediatrics and Clinical Research and Leadership, and serves as the Ethics Scholar-in-Residence at Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. His academic background includes graduate studies in philosophy at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University.

His educational background includes:

• Graduate work in Philosophy at the University of Chicago (advisors: Donald Davidson, Paul Ricoeur, Stephen Toulmin)
• Graduate work in Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University (advisor: Jaegwon Kim)

Dr. Spike's primary research interests lie in bioethics, with specific expertise in clinical, research, organizational, environmental, public health, and interprofessional ethics. He has pioneered the use of film in bioethics education, analyzing works like "Wit" and "Lorenzo's Oil," and has developed innovative teaching methods including video documentaries for patient history taking and narrative medicine sequences in clinical clerkships.

His recent publications (2016-2021) focus on foundational ethical principles in pediatrics, the distinctions between ethics and politics/religion, models for ethics boards in innovative practice, and principles for public health ethics. His work consistently bridges theory and practice, with a strong emphasis on clinical ethics consultation, informed consent, and interprofessional ethics case studies.

Dr. Spike has been actively involved in medical curriculum development for both undergraduate and graduate medical education, including innovative approaches to teaching history taking and narrative medicine. While specific grant details are not provided, his work in bioethics education has been disseminated through publications in MedEdPortal and other venues.

Dr. Spike founded the ethics case study series in the American Journal of Bioethics and serves on the Editorial Board of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics. He has collaborated on projects such as the casebook in interprofessional ethics with R. Lunstroth, demonstrating his commitment to team-based approaches in bioethics education and consultation.