Meet Gavin Enck, Ph.D.
Gavin G. Enck, Ph.D., HEC-C
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Pain Medicine
About Dr. Gavin G. Enck
As the Director of the Clinical Ethics Fellowship at the Center for Clinical Ethics in Cancer Care at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, I am dedicated to guiding clinical ethics fellows as they develop practical skills and professional insight. I also hold an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Critical Care Medicine, where I provide clinical ethics consultations, help shape institution-wide ethics education, and actively support interdisciplinary teams throughout the cancer center as a clinical ethicist.
After earning my master’s in philosophy at Ohio University and my doctorate at the University of Tennessee, I pursued a clinical ethics fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2013. I then founded and directed the clinical ethics program at INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City, where I led both the adult and pediatric ethics committees, integrated ethics documentation and a database in EPIC (IICARD), and launched a perinatal supportive care program.
In 2018, I passed the inaugural Healthcare Ethics Consultation Certified (HEC‑C) examination and recertified in 2024. In 2020 at OhioHealth, I conducted clinical consultations, co‑chaired an ethics committee at two hospitals, and developed a consultation database, thereby enhancing consultation service capabilities.
In January 2024, I returned to MD Anderson as an Assistant Professor and clinical ethicist. By October, I was honored to be appointed director of the clinical ethics fellowship and initiated program revisions that prioritized interactive clinical training to help fellows develop and refine their clinical ethics consultation skills.
My research explores the frontiers of clinical ethics, end-of-life communication, and the complex questions surrounding pharmaceutical neuromodulation. Lately, I am especially intrigued by clinicians’ attitudes and understanding of medical aid-in-dying, agent-regret, and the emerging discourse on pessimistic clinical ethics. I welcome opportunities for conversation and collaboration in these evolving areas, as well as on clinical ethics issues.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Director of Clinical Ethics Fellowship, Center for Clinical Ethics in Cancer Care, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Assistant Professor, Center for Clinical Ethics in Cancer Care, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2013 | The University of Tennessee, US, Dissertation: "Enhancing the Virtues of Students", Ph.D. Philosophy |
| 2007 | Ohio University, US, Thesis: "A Comparison of Two Bioethical Theories", M.A. Philosophy |
| 2003 | Lebanon Valley College, US, B.A. Philosophy |
| 2013 | The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, US, Section of Integrated Ethics, Post-Doctoral Fellowship |
Postgraduate Training
| 2012-2013 | Clinical Ethics Fellow, Clinical, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2023 | Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention |
| 2020 | Basic Quality & Safety, IHI Open School |
| 2020 | COVID-19 Contact Tracing, Johns Hopkins University, Coursera |
Experience & Service
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Clinical Ethicist, Ohio Health, Columbus, Ohio, 2020 - 2023
System Director of Clinical Ethics, Integris Health, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 2013 - 2020
Other Professional Positions
Ethics Committee Member, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2010 - 2012
Honors & Awards
| 2018 | You Make A Difference, INTEGRIS Health |
| 2011 | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award |
| Prados-Graber Summer Value Theory Dissertation Fellowship |
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2013. The Choice between Hospice and Zometa. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2013. Pitfalls of a Long-Distance Relationship. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2012. The Ethics of Neuroenhancement: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Pharmaceutical Enhancement. Ethics Seminar. Houston, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2022. Using Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies for Enhancing Healthcare Providers Moral Courage and Resiliency, Ohio, US.
- 2021. The Illusion of Autonomy. CME Conference. Columbus, Ohio, US.
- 2021. Broken Hearts: Missed Opportunities in Palliative Care with Shannon Storey, Kristen Campbell and Tommy Petros. Palliative Care CME Case Conference. Columbus, Ohio, US.
- 2021. Tripping is not Wrong: Physicians' ethical obligations to undergo psychedelic-assisted therapies. CME Conference Taking a Trip: Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies in Healthcare. Colombus, Ohio, US.
- 2020. Advance Care Planning. Ethics Education Week. Columbus, Ohio, US.
- 2019. Ethical Disagreement in the ICU. Comanche, Oklahoma, US.
- 2019. Clinical Ethics 2.0. Tulsa, Oklahoma, US.
- 2018. Ethics of Voluntarily Stopping of Eating and Drinking. 2018 OU Palliative Care Summit. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2018. Ethically Consistent: Best Interests Standard and Interventions for Improving Organ Viability in Anencephalic Organ Donation?. 2018 Society of Transplant Social Workers. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2017. Clinical Ethics 101. Hillcrest Medical Staff Annual Meeting. Tulsa, Oklahoma, US.
- 2017. Dying Dialogues 2017. Tulsa, Oklahoma, US.
- 2016. Pediatric Palliative Care and Perinatal Ethics with Dr. Rachna May. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2016. Interprofessional Conflict in Palliative Care. OU's Palliative and Bioethics Care Conference. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2015. Clinical Ethics. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2015. Palliative and Supportive Care of Patients Living with Serious Illness Part II. Annual Primary Care Update Conference. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2015. Unrepresented Patients: The Ethics of Giving a Voice to the Voiceless. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2015. Ethical Issues in Healthcare. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2015. Ethical Issues at End-of-Life Care: Surrogate Decision-Making, Non-Beneficial Treatment, and Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking. Annual Spring Palliative Care Conference. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2015. Ethical Foundations: Surrogate Decision-Making and Non-Beneficial Treatment. Tulsa, Oklahoma, US.
- 2014. The Ethical Necessity of Difficult Discussions. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US.
- 2013. Ethical Issues to Consider in Terminal Psychiatric Cases, Arizona, US.
- 2012. The Morality of Enhancing Students. 38th Conference on Value Inquiry: Free Will Responsibility and Science. Salem, Massachusetts, US.
- 2012. The Elephant in the Room: The Use (and Misuse) of Cognitive Enhancers by students at an Academic Health Sciences Center. Johnson City, Tennessee, US.
- 2011. The Limits to a Right to Reproductive Freedom: Why There Isn't a Right to Reproduce Assistance. Minneapolis, MN, US.
- 2011. Cognitive Enhancers, Students, and Virtues. Exploring Huma Enhancements. Dallas, Texas, US.
- 2010. Cognitive Enhancers, Students and Virtues. Transforming Humanity Conference. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
- 2001. Live Skepticism and Genius Testimony. Society for Skeptical Studies. San Francisco, California, US.
International Presentations
- 2013. How Virtues Are Useful in Clinical Ethics. 9th International Congress on Clinical Ethics Consultation. Munich, DE.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Enck G, Condley B. Preserving Complexity of Agent-Regret in Healthcare. The American Journal of Bioethics 25(5), W1–W3, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Enck, G, Nortje, N, Palmer, A, Neumann, J, Gallagher, C, Masciari, CF. Evolving Landscape of Ethics in Oncology: A Journey Through the Past, Present, and Future, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Enck, G, Condley, B. Agent-Regret in Healthcare. The American Journal of Bioethics 25(2):6-20, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37962933.
- Enck, G. The Significance of the Distinction Between “Having a Life” vs. “Being Alive” in End-of-Life Care. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 25(2):251-258, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35015173.
- Enck, G. Healthcare Decisions Are Always Supported Decisions. American Journal of Bioethics 21(11):29-32, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34710020.
- Enck, G. Virtues-Based Policies for Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement. AJOB Neuroscience 11(4):266-268, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33196365.
- Enck, G, Saunders, AL. Mental Integrity and Intentional Side Effects. AJOB Neuroscience 9(3):166-168, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Enck, G. Neurosurgery for Pediatric Psychopaths. AJOB Neuroscience 7(3):170-171, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Enck, GG. Moving Beyond Concerns of Autonomy. AJOB Neuroscience 6(4):26-28, 2015. e-Pub 2015.
- Enck, G, Ford, J. A Responsibility to Chemically Help Patients with Relationships and Love?. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 24(4):493-496, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26364784.
- Enck, G. I Talked to a Genius and All I Got was Knowledge. Philosophia (United States) 42(2):335-347, 2014. e-Pub 2014.
- Enck, G. Pharmaceutical enhancement and medical professionals. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 17(1):23-28, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 23922180.
- Enck, G. Six-Step Framework for Ethical Decision Making. Journal of Health Services Research and Policy 19(1):62-64, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24326675.
- Enck, G. An Error Theory of Biotechnology and the Ethics of Chemical Breakups. American Journal of Bioethics 13(11):32-34, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24161178.
- Bossaer, JB, Gray, JA, Miller, SE, Enck, GG, Gaddipati, VC, Enck, RE. The Use and Misuse of Prescription Stimulants as "Cognitive Enhancers" by students at one Academic Health Sciences Center. Academic Medicine 88(7):967-971, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23702522.
- Enck, G. Ideals of Student Excellence and Enhancement. Neuroethics 6(1):155-164, 2013. e-Pub 2013.
Review Articles
- Geiger, J, Enck, G, Luciani, L, Fudin, J, McPherson, ML. Evolving Roles of Palliative Care Pharmacists. Journal of pain and symptom management 64(6):e357-e361, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35940491.
Book Chapters
- Enck G. Unrealistic Expectations in Neonatal organ Donation. In: Death, Dying, and End-of-Life Care in America. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2023.
- Enck G. Surrogate Decision-Making. In: Death, Dying and End-of-Life Care in America. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2023.
- Enck G. Ethical Egoism. In: In Ethical Leadership: A Primer. 1st edition. Edward Elgar Publishing, 84-103, 2018.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified July 22, 2026