Cynda Hylton Rushton

Cynda Hylton Rushton is the Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine. Her roles include co-chairing the Johns Hopkins Hospital Ethics Committee and Consultation Service, and serving as Chief Synergy Strategist for Maryland’s R3 Resilient Nurses Initiative. Dr. Rushton earned her PhD in Nursing from the Catholic University of America, MSN from the Medical University of South Carolina, and BSN from the University of Kentucky.

Her research focuses on moral distress, moral resilience, and ethical practice culture in healthcare. Key areas include conceptual frameworks for integrity, compassion, and trust, as well as systemic interventions to address clinician burnout and moral injury. She co-created the Mindful Ethical Practice & Resilience Academy (MEPRA) and the Rushton Moral Resilience Scale (RMRS), a validated tool measuring healthcare workers’ resilience.

Dr. Rushton has led major initiatives such as the National Nursing Ethics Summit and the State of the Science Initiative on Moral Resilience. Her work emphasizes transforming ethical challenges into opportunities for systemic change, particularly during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Awards include the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Distinguished Career Award and recognition as a Hastings Center Fellow and American Academy of Nursing Fellow.

• Education: PhD, Catholic University of America; MSN, Medical University of South Carolina; BSN, University of Kentucky
• Key Roles: Co-chair, Johns Hopkins Hospital Ethics Committee; Chief Strategist, R3 Resilient Nurses Initiative
• Grants & Initiatives: Leadership in national nursing ethics summits, pandemic-related resilience programs, and policy work on clinician well-being

Her recent work addresses pandemic-era moral injury, nursing workforce resilience, and ethical challenges in critical care. She contributes to interdisciplinary efforts to align healthcare systems with core ethical principles of compassion and respect.