Julie E. Kutac

Julie E. Kutac serves as Associate Professor and Director of PA Program Assessment in the Department of Physician Assistant at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) School of Medicine. Her academic journey includes a BS in Molecular Biology from Texas Lutheran University, MA in Religious Studies from Rice University, and PhD in Medical Humanities from UTMB, where she completed a National Institute on Aging Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Minority Aging.

Her educational foundation:

• BS Molecular Biology, Texas Lutheran University
• MA Religious Studies, Rice University
• PhD Medical Humanities, UTMB

Dr. Kutac's research interrogates the moral architecture of healthcare through three interconnected lenses: religious dimensions of American medicine, illness narratives, and humanistic gerontology. She pioneers approaches that integrate spiritual care with clinical practice, particularly addressing elder suffering through narrative frameworks that challenge medicine's technological imperatives. Her scholarship consistently bridges theoretical ethics and practical caregiver training.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strategic trajectory toward community-based dementia solutions. While maintaining strong roots in medical humanities theory, her work has evolved toward systems-level interventions like the Houston Alliance to Address Dementia and arts-based therapies for memory loss. This demonstrates a deliberate shift from individual moral reflection to scalable models for humanistic care in aging populations.

Key recognitions:

• National Institute on Aging Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Minority Aging

As an educator, Dr. Kutac cultivates professional identity formation in PA students through active learning methods, co-creating the Humanism in Clinical Care elective with Dr. Beach. Her pre-UTMB work at the Alzheimer's Association Houston educated over 1,000 caregivers statewide, establishing her community impact foundation. Current teaching focuses on gerontology and medical humanities within the PA curriculum.

She leads the Praise in Purple Education Series engaging underserved communities in Alzheimer's awareness and directs the Houston Alliance to Address Dementia - a multi-institutional initiative implementing systems changes across Harris County healthcare facilities, including Houston Methodist Hospital's dementia-capable care transformation.