Amitabha Palmer, PhD, HEC-C
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Pain Medicine
About Dr. Amitabha Palmer
I am Amitabha (Ami) Palmer, PhD, an Assistant Professor and clinical ethicist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Center for Clinical Ethics in Cancer Care. I also serve as Affiliate Faculty at the Institute for Data Science in Oncology, where I provide ethical guidance and education for the development and design pipeline of new AI tools.
My primary areas of research within the ethics of medical AI include participatory design, human‑machine interaction, and deployment policy. In addition, I am a longtime researcher of medical misinformation and have developed a conversation guide to help providers engage productively with patients who endorse medical misinformation related to cancer care.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Director: Education, Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Affiliate Faculty, Institute for Data Science in Oncology, Houston, Texas
Assistant Professor, Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2020 | Bowling Green State University, US, Ph.D. in Applied Philosophy |
| 2016 | Bowling Green State University, US, M.A. in Applied Philosophy |
| 2012 | University of Houston, US, M.A. in Philosophy |
| 1999 | University of British Columbia, CA, B.A. in International Relations and Philosophy |
Postgraduate Training
| 2023-2023 | Postgraduate Training, Conflict Resolution and Clinical Setting Mediation for Healthcare, Center for Conflict Resolution in Healthcare, Nashville, TN |
| 2022-2022 | Postgraduate Training, Serious Illness Conversation Certificate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2022-2022 | Postgraduate Training, Essentials of Quality of Improvement Certificate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2022-2022 | Postgraduate Training, Human Subjects Protection Training Certificate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2022-2022 | Postgraduate Training, Research Foundations Certificate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2022-2022 | Postgraduate Training, Trainee Leadership Certificate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2021-2021 | Postgraduate Training, Introduction to Social Network Analysis, UC Davis (online), Davis, CA |
| 2020-2021 | Postgraduate Fellowship, Clinical Ethics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2017 | Healthcare Ethics Consultant Certification (HEC-C) |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Instructor, Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2023 - 2024
Clinical Ethics Fellow, Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2021 - 2023
Instructor, Liberal Arts, Phoenix College, Maricopa Community Colleges, Phoenix, Arizona, 2021 - 2021
Instructor, Philosophy, Ohio Northern University, 2020 - 2021
Research Assistantship, Philosophy, Bowling Green State University, 2019 - 2020
Instructor, Philosophy, Bowling Green State University, 2016 - 2020
Instructor, Philosophy, University of Las Vegas Nevada, 2013 - 2016
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Director: Education, Critical Care Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2025 - Present
Director of Clinical Ethics Internship Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2023 - Present
Clinical Ethics Consultation Committee Member, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2021 - Present
Administrative Assistant/Student Outreach, Philosophy, Politics, Economics, & Law Undergraduate Program, Bowling Green State University, 2019 - 2020
Co-Founder and Vice President, Philosophy, Bowling Green State University, 2019 - 2020
Events Coordinator, Philosophy, Bowling Green State University, 2018 - 2020
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Ethics Representative, Ifosfamide IV Shortage Stakeholder Meeting, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2026 - Present
Ethics representative, AI Assessment and Recommendation Working Group, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2026 - Present
Member, Institutional Review Board 4, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - Present
Editorial Activities
Reviewer, Canadian Journal of Bioethics, 2023 - Present
Reviewer, American Journal of Bioethics, 2023 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2023 | Samantha Adams Award for Best Research Paper, American Medical Informatics Association |
| 2023 | Best Poster Education and Research Day, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2023 | Awesome Job, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2017 | Teaching Excellence Award for Independent Teaching, Bowling Green State University Philosophy Department |
| 2016 | Teaching Excellence Award for Teaching Assistants, Bowling Green State University Philosophy Department |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. Lessons and insights from MD Anderson's art and medicine summer program. Panelist. Interpretation and Learning Committee Semi-Annual Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Beyond the usual suspects: The ethics of big data in medicine. Invited. Post-doctoral seminar series. Houston, US.
- 2026. The ethics of AI in radiology: An introduction. Invited. Neuroradiology Summer Youth Program. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Beyond the signature: The ethics of informed consent for peri-operative oncology. Invited. Monthly Education Session for Perioperative Services. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Difficult case review. Panelist. Gyn Onc M&M. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Beyond the signature: The ethics of informed consent for endoscopy procedures. Invited. Endoscopy education session. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Ethical issues at the end of life in medicine. Invited. Ethics and the Philosophy of Death. Houston, TX, US.
- 2025. Treating patients and families who endorse medical misinformation about care. Invited. Palliative Medicine Grand Rounds. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. The ethics of privacy and disclosure of genetic information to third parties. Invited. Clinical Ethics Difficult Case Review Monthly Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. The ethical implications of human-machine interactions in medicine. Invited. Research Nursing Community Forum. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. The public justification of immunization policy under conditions of widespread misinformation and conspiricism. Invited. Houston Community College Monthly Public Philosophy Colloquium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Ethical issues in human-machine interaction. Invited. AI and Digital Health Subcommittee Monthly Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Ethics and policy for LLMs in the research & writing process. Panelist. MD Anderson Cancer Center: AI Tea Time Educational Panel. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. The Meaning and Limits of Autonomy in Medical Ethics. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. A. Live Like Nobody Is Watching: Relational Autonomy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Health Monitoring. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Code Status and Futility: An Ethical and Legal Analysis. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. The Ethics of Communication: Correcting Patients or Families who endorse Medical Misinformation about Cancer Care. Quarterly Ethics Discussion for Nursing CE. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Conversational Techniques for Correcting Patients who Endorse Medical Misinformation about Cancer Care. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. The Ethics of Communication: Provider Experiences with Correcting Patients or Families who Endorse Medical Misinformation about Cancer Care. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Literature, Art, and Ethics: The patient examines the physician. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. An introduction to the ethics of AI in mental healthcare. Invited. Colloquium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Literature, Art, and Ethics: Caring for the Difficult Patient. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. The Impermissibility of Social-Impersonal Harm: A Rebuttal to Procreative Beneficence. Poster. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. Case Study: Ethical Perspectives on Medically Appropriate Care and Discharge for a Non-Cancer Patient in Cancer Hospital. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2014. The case for justice pluralism: Victim impact statements and restorative justice in a retributivist world. Invited. UNLV Philosophy Department Colloquium, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2026. The ethics of building and maintaining proton therapy facilities. Conference. 16th Annual Midwestern Medical Humanities Conference. Kalamazoo, Michigan, US.
- 2026. The ethics of AI and big data in medicine: The disappearing patient. Invited. OhioHealth Ethics Grand Rounds. Columbus, Ohio, US.
- 2026. A doctor remembers a patient: Confidentiality, the duty to warn, and the right not to know. Invited. 9th Annual Hereditary Cancer Symposium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. The ethics of AI in healthcare: Smuggled values. Invited. Cook Children's Grand Rounds. Fort Worth, Texas, US.
- 2026. The good, the bad, and the ugly: How to write an AI ethics paper. Conference. Ethics, Medicine, and Innovation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Opening remarks: The disappearing patient. Invited. Ethics, Medicine, and Innovation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Unequivocal benefit? The ethics of AI in medical research. Invited. Inaugural Emerging Interdisciplinary Leaders in Healthcare AI Conference. San Luis Obispo, California, US.
- 2025. Foundational advancement toward practical integration of cancer digital twins into a clinical workflow. Invited. Joint Center for Computational Oncology 6th Annual Research Retreat. Houston, TX, US.
- 2025. Supporting patient autonomy in the context of high medical uncertainty and risk. Invited. Texas Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX, US.
- 2025. Ethical and legal issues in medical AI: Rights-based vs principles-based approaches. Panelist. UT System AI Symposium in Healthcare. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. More process, less principles: The ethics of AI and robotic deployment in healthcare. Invited. Invited Speaker Series. St. Luis Obispo, California, US.
- 2022. Assessing the Effects of Medical Misinformation about Cancer Care on Patient-Provider Interactions. Poster. UT Austin MD Anderson Collaborative Research Summit. Austin, Texas, US.
- 2021. The ethics of civility in online discourse. Invited. Colloquium. Las Vegas, Nevada, US.
- 2020. Artificial intelligence and robotics in nursing: Ethics of caring as a guide to dividing labor between AI and humans. Conference. MidSouth Philosophy Conference. Memphis, Tennessee, US.
- 2019. Democratic Policymaking in a Fact-Free Word: Scientific Facts in the Space of Public Reason. Long Island Philosophy Conference, US.
- 2019. Ancient Problem, Ancient Solution: Stoic Identity Concepts in the Face of Identity Politics and Crumbling Norms of Civil Discourse. MidSouth Philosophy Conference, US.
- 2018. What would Epictetus do? The Stoics on civil discourse in an uncivil world. Conference. Conference on Applied Ethics. Bowling Green, Ohio, US.
- 2018. Roundtable on Teaching. Shanklin Awards Workshops, US.
National Presentations
- 2027. Learning at the nexus of museums, arts, and healthcare. Conference. American Alliance of Museums 2027 Annual Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Ethics of AI in pediatric oncology. Invited. AYA Cancer Coalition.
- 2026. The use of therapeutic conversational agents (TCAs) for depression treatment in cancer patients: How to guide patients who “self-prescribe” TCAs and considerations for potential future clinical implementation. Conference. American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference. Indianapolis, Indiana, US.
- 2026. Absolute risk, psychiatric stigma, and the ethics of cancer treatment decisions: The unexamined asymmetry between suicide and somatic lethal risk. Conference. ASBH Annual Conference. Chicago, Illinois, US.
- 2026. Medical misinformation and goal discordant care. Conference. ALIGN: Goal Concordant Care Conference. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. The dark side of progress: Safeguarding physician skill, knowledge, and character in the AI enhanced clinic. Poster. Healthcare Ethics Consortium Annual Conference. Atlanta, GA, US.
- 2024. Advanced technology in medicine: Safeguarding physician skill, knowledge, and character in the AI-enhanced Clinic. Conference. Midwestern Medical Humanities Conference. Kalamazoo, Michigan, US.
- 2023. The ethics of deployment for AI in healthcare. Invited. AMIA Samantha Adams ELSI Award Special Lecture. Online, US.
- 2023. Protecting patient autonomy from medical misinformation: A pilot project to train providers to effectively engage with patients who endorse medical misinformation about cancer care. Invited. ASBH Annual Meeting, US.
- 2023. Access vs the human element of care: Ethical challenges for AI chatbots in mental healthcare. Invited. ASBH Annual Meeting, US.
- 2023. Organizational ethics and AI in healthcare: Pitfalls and solutions. Invited. Organizational Ethics Affinity Group, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference. St. Louis, Missouri, US.
- 2022. Ethical challenges to informed consent for brain tissue banks. Conference. American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference, US.
- 2021. The holy grail of teaching: Improved learning outcomes with less time grading. Conference. American Association of Philosophy Teachers Annual Meeting, US.
- 2020. Beneficent dehumanization: employing artificial intelligence and carebots to mitigate shame-induced barriers to medical care. Conference. Medical Humanities Conference. Kalamazoo, Michigan, US.
- 2020. Addressing vaccine hesitancy and skepticism with social epistemology. Conference. Western Michigan Medical Humanities Conference. Kalamazoo, Michigan, US.
- 2020. Teaching strategies for addressing science denialism under conditions of high social and political polarization. Conference. American Philosophical Association Annual Meeting (Pacific), US.
- 2020. 1DaySooner Organization. Addressing ethical barriers to establishing informed consent for SARS-CoV-2 human challenge trials. Invited, US.
- 2020. Argument judo: Can the principles of judo be applied to civil discourse?. Conference. Special Session on Philosophy of Martial Arts, US.
- 2020. Public justification and vaccine policy under conditions of widespread misinformation and conspiracism. Invited. Central Washington U Forum on Social Media, Propaganda, Public Opinion, US.
- 2019. How to get angry online…properly: Design principles for online deliberative systems that harness political anger’s power without its costs. Conference. Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress, US.
- 2019. The ethics of online political discourse. Invited. The Ethics of Online Political Discourse. South Orange, New Jersey, US.
International Presentations
- 2026. The ethics of AI and big data in research oncology. Invited. Cancer Bioethics Consortium Inaugural Conference.
- 2025. Ethical Issues in Generative AI for Medical Imagining. Invited. International Symposium of Biomedical Imagining. Houston, US.
- 2024. Developing a Conversation Guide and Training Workshop to Address Misinformation About Cancer Care: Preliminary Results of a Quality Improvement Project. Conference. 21st International Conference for the Society for Integrative Oncology. Los Angeles, US.
- 2024. Ethical Deployment of Patient-Facing Advanced Technologies in Clinical Settings. Invited. Toronto, CA.
- 2023. A Model for Teaching Clinicians How to Address Patients who Endorse Medical Misinformation about Cancer Care. Invited, US.
- 2023. The Ethics of AI in Healthcare: A Stakeholder-Based Model. Invited, PT.
- 2023. Clinicians’ Experiences with Cancer Patients or their Families who Endorse Medical Misinformation. Invited. ASCO Annual Meeting, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2025 - Present |
| Title: | Serum cell-free DNA methylation and radiomics signatures for the early detection of recurrence after initial treatment in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer |
| Funding Source: | CPRIT |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | RP250156 |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Blair A, Palmer A. The Use of Therapeutic Conversational Agents (TCAs) for Depression Treatment in Cancer Patients. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. e-Pub 2026.
- Palmer A. The political justification of immunization policy under conditions of widespread misinformation and conspiracism about vaccines. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy. e-Pub 2026.
- Baldassarre A, Mastroleo G.S., Palmer A. Chemical coping and the role of palliating existential suffering. The Journal of Clinical Ethics 37(1). e-Pub 2026.
- Palmer A, Schwan D. The Promise and Peril of Digital Mental Health Tools and AI Therapy Chatbots. Hastings Cent Rep, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Palmer Amitabha, Gorman, Sara. Misinformation, Trust, and Health. Soc. Sci. Med, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Baldassarre A, Palmer A. Marketing cancer care. J. Cancer Policy, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Binkley C, Ho A, Palmer A. Predicting the future. AJOB Prim Res 25(3):135–138, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Ho A, Break J, Palmer A, Binkley C.E.. A Holistic, Multi-Level, and Integrative Ethical Approach to Developing Machine Learning-Driven Decision Aids. American Journal of Bioethics 24(9):110-113, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Palmer A. Addressing the ethical challenges to informed consent for brain tissue donation. Medicina y Etica 35(3), 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Palmer A, Gallagher, C. Difficult discharge in the context of suspected malingering: Reflections on the value of epistemic and professional independence in clinical ethics. Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Long B, Palmer A. AI and access to justice: How AI legal advisors can reduce economic and shame-based barriers to justice. Journal of Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice. Journal of Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice 33(1):21-7, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Palmer A. How to get angry…properly: Creating online deliberative systems that harness political anger's power and mitigate its costs. Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Hawkins, HG, Nortje, N, Palmer, A. Culturally Informed Care. Canadian Journal of Bioethics 7(2-3):189-191, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Dezort, S, Palmer, A, Nortje, N. “We Don't Want to Talk About It”. Canadian Journal of Bioethics 7(2-3):192-194, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Nortje, N, Palmer, A. Evolving Landscape of Ethics in Oncology: A Journey Through the Past, Present, and Future. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Palmer A, Gallagher C. Clinicians’ Experiences with Patients with Cancer or Their Families who Endorse Medical Misinformation. Journal of Clinical Oncology 41(16):1104-11042, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Palmer A, Schwan D. More Process, Less Principles: A Model for the Ethical Deployment of AI and Robotics in Medicine. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 33(1):121-134, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Quinn, A, Palmer, A, Nortje, N. Decision-making at Life’s End. BioethiqueOnline 6(3-4):134-136, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Palmer, A. Love without Food: Supporting Families’ End-of-Life Care Decisions for Critically Ill Late-Stage Cancer Patients. BioethiqueOnline 6(1):81-83, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Palmer A. The ethical use of AI in nursing practice. Position Statement American Nurses Association. Position Statement American Nurses Association, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Palmer A, Schwan D. Beneficent dehumanization. Bioethics 36(2), 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Stokes, F, Palmer, A. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Nursing. Nursing Philosophy 21(4):PMID: 32609420, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32609420.
- Palmer A. Transitions of care in clinical oncology. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics.
Abstracts
- Palmer A, Lopez, Gabriel, Taylor, Jolyn Sharpe, Gallagher, C. Addressing misinformation about cancer care in the clinical setting: A pilot study of a conversation guide and training for cancer care providers. J Clin Oncol, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Palmer A. Helping clinicians develop skills to address patients who endorse medical misinformation about their cancer care. Journal of Hospital Ethics, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Palmer A, Baldassarre A. Marketing cancer care. ASCO Annual Meeting 2025.
Book Chapters
- Schwan D, Palmer A. Advanced Technologies in Medicine:. In: Ethics and Medical Technology. Springer, 2025.
- Palmer A, Masciari C. Telehealth as a Window into the Future. In: Ethics and Technology in Medicine. Springer, 2025.
- Palmer A. Epictetus in the gym: The Stoics on Physical Health. In: Stoicism today: Selected writings. Independent, 209-218, 2021.
- Palaganas, J., Kimble, S., Gigray, C., Sanko, J., Botes, M., Bajwa, M., Palmer A. Implementation frameworks for new AI and healthcare simulation. In: Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare Simulation. Springer.
Web Publications
- Palmer A. Respect for Autonomy, 2024.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified September 22, 2026