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Karen N. Swisher, J.D.

Professor, Health Law & Bioethics

Associate Director, Williamson Institute for Healthcare Leadership

Department of Health Administration
School of Allied Health Professions
Medical College of Virginia Campus
Virginia Commonwealth University
PO BOX 980203
1008 East Clay Street
Richmond, VA 23298

804.828.5460 (V)
804.828.1894 (F)
Email Address: kswisher@vcu.edu

Brief Biographical Sketch

Karen Swisher is a Professor of Health Law in the Department of Health Administration and the Department of Legal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. As the Associate Director of the Williamson Institute for Health Studies she designs and directs the distance learning Executive Fellowship programs. She received her Master of Science in medical sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond Law School. Professor Swisher specializes in health law, medical malpractice, risk management, bioethics, and employment law for health care systems.

Professor Swisher now has 25 years experience in health care and bioethics, the last 22 years as a professor at VCU. She was an educator and trainer for the Mid-Atlantic AIDS Regional Education and Training Center, a member of the Veteran’s Administration Hospital Ethics Committee as well as a founding member of the Richmond Consortium for Biomedical Ethics. She was the Director of Risk Management and attorney for the 520 faculty physicians at Medical College of Virginia campus at VCU.

Professor Swisher is an active participate in and co-investigator in a number of research and educational projects in the Department of Health Administration. Most recently she designed and implemented the distance learning program, Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety which trains professionals throughout the country in patient safety techniques. She was an investigator, designer, and educator for the Executive Fellowship in Health Systems sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. This was an intensive on site and distance learning training program in health systems for international professional in the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, she is also the designer and educator for the Executive Fellowship in Medicaid Disease Management and Health Outcomes sponsored by the National Pharmaceutical Council. This series of programs brings together Medicaid directors, medical directors, and pharmacy administrators from around the country to study principles and methods of disease management and outcomes assessment.

She is married to Peter Swisher, Professor of Law at the University of Richmond Law School. They have one daughter, Stephanie Swisher, who is currently an undergraduate at the University of Richmond. The Swishers live in Goochland County on their little farm with their three horses, four dogs, two cats, and only one diagnosis of Lyme disease this year. She recommends to every physician in the audience that they refer to the 2004 evidenced based guidelines for treating Lyme disease which can be obtained from the government sponsored website: Guideline.gov.

Current Projects at the Williamson Institute for Healthcare Leadership

“Executive Fellowship in Physician Leadership” Developed for the School of Medicine’s faculty physicians, the program will graduate its first class spring 2008. We anticipate more in-house programs as well as national programs for our alumni/ae and friends.

“Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety” An intensive distance learning program for fellows around the world designed to teach the tools and techniques of developing patient safety programs in a variety of healthcare settings. The program began in 2002 and will graduate its 6th class in May 2008. The one year fellowship is offered every year and classes begin in June.

“Executive Fellowship in Health Law” This program is an intensive distance learning program designed to give fellows skills in legal research and analysis in health law. The first class graduated in spring 2006. Another program is being planned for 2008-09 academic year.

Teach medical law & bioethics to students from Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, classes taught in the United States. (ongoing program began in 2003)

Teaching the Teachers, Teaching medical law and bioethics to professors at University of Almaty, Kazakhstan. (ongoing program began in 2004)

"Executive Fellowship in Medicaid Disease Management and Health Outcomes", sponsored by National Pharmaceutical Council, Inc. Executive workshops for directors in state Medicaid programs, an on going project (project ran from 1997-2002)

"Executive Fellowship in Health Systems", sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. An intensive executive training program for international professionals. Serve as director and administrator. On going project (funding - $175,000)

"Effects of Case Management Alternatives on the Cost of Care and Quality of Life for End Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients," sponsored by Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Virginia. Serve as principal investigator and administrator. Project completed 1997. (Program ran 1994-1995.)

"National Forum for the Study of Local Care Systems and Networks," sponsored by McKesson/General Medical Corporation. Roice D. Luke, Ph.D., principal investigator. Serve as co-investigator. On going project (1994-2000.)

"Outpatient Surgeons Telecommunications Research Project", sponsored by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Louis Rossiter, Ph.D., principal investigator. Serve as co- investigator. (1995.)

Publications

Swisher, K.N. (co-authored with J. Begun & D. Ulmer), "Hospital-Physician Relationships in the Integrated Delivery System: An Ethical Analysis," 13 CLINICAL LABORATORY MANAGEMENT REVIEW,3 (January/February 1999).

Swisher, K.N. (with T. Smith), "Telling the Truth About Terminal Cancer," 279 JAMA 1746 (JUNE 3, 1998). This article received much national publicity on NPR, Washington Post, New York Times, & Richmond Times Dispatch to name a few.

Swisher, K.N., "Legal Issues Involved in the Delivery of Critical Care Medicine," in Textbook of Critical Care (4th ed) W.B. Saunders Co. 1998.

Swisher, K.N. (co-authored with S. Ayres), "The Ethics of Resource Allocation in the Intensive Care Unit," in Textbook of Critical Care (4th ed) W.B. Saunders Co. 1998.

Swisher, K.N., "The Legal and Ethical Issues in Managed Care," ," in Textbook of Critical Care (4th ed) W.B. Saunders Co. 1998.

Swisher, K.N., "Physician Assisted Suicide and the United States Supreme Court Decisions on June 26, 1997," 5 Bioethically Speaking 7, (Fall 1997).

Swisher, K.N. (co-authored with K.B. Miller) "An Ethical and Legal Analysis of Enteral Nutrition" Practical Handbook of Nutrition in Clinical Practice, CRC Press, 1994.Swisher, K.N., "Case Law Update," Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, American Hospital Association, Vol 14, No. 1,2,3,4, 1994.

Swisher, K.N., "When Patients Refuse Medical Treatment: An Ethical Dilemma for Physicians," Bioethically Speaking, Newsletter of the Richmond Bioethics Consortium, Vol 2, No. 2, Summer 1994.

Editorial Boards

Editor, Legally Speaking, column in Bioethically Speaking, Newsletter of theRichmond Bioethics Consortium, (1996-Present)

Editorial Review Board of Perspectives in Healthcare Risk Management (1992-1994).

Editor, A Symposium on Medicine, Law and Ethics (1991)

Board of Editors of Journal of Law and Ethics in Dentistry (1988-1992).

Editor for Health Law Newsletter, Virginia State Bar (1984-1989).

Professional Presentations (1996-1999)

Presenter, "Integrating Complementary & Alternative Therapies in Medical Practice" CME presentation for physicians at Retreat Hospital'' Center for Mind/Body Medicine, Richmond, VA Oct. 8-9, 1999.

Presenter, "Legal & Ethical Issues Surrounding Breast Cancer", presented to the Nueces County Medical Education Foundation, Corpus Christi, Texas, June 26, 1999

Presenter, two workshops, "Legal & Ethical Issues Surrounding thre Terminally Ill in Virginia", and "When Physicians Refuse Medically Indicated Treatment: Balancing the Ethical Cannons of Physician Beneficience & Patient Autonomy", Annual Spring Meeting, Virginia Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, Charlottesville, Va. April 20, 1999.

Resident Rounds, "Legal & Ethical Issues Surrounding Resuscitation: Futile Treatment or Full Life?", Spohn Memorial Hospital, Corpus Christi, Texas, March 11, 1999.

Medical Rounds, two workshops, "Coma, Persistent Vegetative State, Brainstem Death, & Brain Death: Ethical & Risk Management Issues in Communicating Death with Family Members" March 9, 1999 and "Friend or Foe: Physicians & Patients using the Internet for Medical Information", March 10, 1999 at Columbia Health System, Corpus Christi Medical Center, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Presenter, "Managing the Diabetic Patient: Legal & Risk Management Concerns", Presented at the Annual Corpus Christi Diabetes Symposium, Texas, November 14, 1998.

Resident Rounds, two presentations, "Legal & Ethical Issues Surrounding the Terminally Ill in Texas", November 16, 1998, and "Everything Your Mama Should have told you about Contract Law", November 17, 1998 for Columbia Healthcare System, Texas.

Presenter, "Liability & Ethical Issues for Physicians in Managed Care" CME presentation for physicians of Columbia/HCA, Corpus Christi, TX June 2, 1998.

Presenter,, "The Future of Health Care: Quality Improvement in Integrated Systems", sponsored by the Virginia Health Quality Center, October 3, 1997.

Presenter, 12th Annual Critical Care Conference, "Armor Plating the Medical Record: The Lawyer's Perspective", & "Legal and Ethical Issues Surrounding Resuscitation: Futile Treatment or Full Life?", Corpus Christi, TX, August 21-22, 1997.

Presenter, Grand Rounds, "Ethical Issues surrounding DNR Orders" Spohn Health System, Corpus Christi, TX, August 21, 1997.

Presenter, "The Ethics of Medical Care in America" sponsored by theRichmond Bioethics Consortium for the Community of Churches, Richmond, June 17, 1997.

Presenter, "Contemporary Risk Management Issues for Nurse & Family Practitioners", sponsored by Corpus Christi Family Practice Residency Program & Texas A&M Interdisciplinary Training Program, Corpus Christi, TX, May 8, 1997.

Presenter, Grand Rounds, "Contemporary Issues in Medical Malpractice",MCV Hospitals, Richmond, April 15, 1997.

Presenter, Annual Spring Institute of the Southside Medical Society, "New Liability Issues in Informed Consent: A Risk Management Approach for Physicians", Hampton Sydney College, April 12, 1997.

Panelist, "Before I Die, A National Conversation Videoconference", sponsored by Central Virginia Public Broadcasting, Richmond, April 3, 1997.Faculty, "Especially for Medical Residents", sponsored by the Office of Community programs, MCV/VCU, November 1996.

Presenter, all day workshops in "Ethics: A Nationwide Dilemma", for nurses, administrators, and physicians, Spohn Medical Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, August 14, 1996.

Presenter, Regional Chief Resident Training Conference, "Sexual Harassment", May 10-11, 1996, Richmond, Va.Presenter, 16th Annual Clinical Concerns in Primary Care Conference, "Liability Issues forPhysicians in Managed Care", Williamsburg, Va., April 25, 1996.

Personal Interests

Life is so full of wonderful things; it's hard to begin with my personal interests. I have a husband who is a professor of law at the University of Richmond Law School and we have a 21 year old daughter who does not aspire to be a lawyer! We do many family activities centered around our three horses. We are all avid foxhunters, and I love show jumping and other horse competitions. We also love to work around our "farmette" doing gardening and tending the other critters that live with us.

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