Overview
Robert Klitzman, MD, is the Director of the Masters of Bioethics Program and a member of the Division of Psychiatry, Law, and Ethics. He co-founded and served as co-director of the Center for Bioethics for five years. Dr. Klitzman has authored ten books and over 190 academic articles, utilizing multidisciplinary methods to explore ethical, psychological, and social issues in medicine and psychiatry. His research has focused on decision-making related to HIV disclosure, genetic testing, reproductive choices among individuals at risk for genetic disorders, Institutional Review Boards, and other critical topics in the field.
Academic Appointments
- Professor of Psychiatry (in Sociomedical Sciences) at CUMC
Administrative Titles
- Director, Masters of Bioethics Program
Gender
- Male
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- BA, 1980 Princeton University
- MD, 1985 Yale University
Committees, Societies, Councils
- Member, Empire State Stem Cell Board
- Member, Research Ethics Advisory Panel, US Dept. of Defense
- Member, Ethics Working Group, HIV Prevention Trials Network
- Member, Council on Foreign Relations
Editorial Boards
- Journal of Homosexuality
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
- Fellow, Russell Sage Foundation
- Member, Council on Foreign Relations
- 1996: Picker-Commonwealth Scholar Award
- 2001: Merck Company Foundation Fellow, Yaddo
- 1993: Aaron Diamond Foundation Fellow
Research
Ethical, psychological and social aspects of decision-making among patients, providers and others concerning genetics, HIV, end of life care and other areas.
Research Interests
- Genetics
- Global Health
- Healthcare Policy
- HIV/AIDS
- Infectious Diseases
- Maternal and Reproductive Health
- Mental Health
- Palliative and end of life care
- Public Health Education
- Religious/Spiritual Cognition
Selected Publications
- Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?: Medicine, Chaplains and Healing the Whole Person (Oxford University Press, in press - publication date: April 2024)
- Klitzman, R., Designing Babies: How Technology is Changing the Ways We Create Children, Oxford University Press, NY, 2020.
- Klitzman, R., The Ethics Police?: The Struggle to Make Human Research Safe, Oxford University Press, NY, 2015.
- Klitzman R., Am I My Genes?: Confronting Fate and Family Secrets in the Age of Genetic Testing, Oxford University Press, NY, 2012
- Klitzman R., Bayer R: Mortal Secrets: Truth and Lies in the Age of AIDS, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003
- Klitzman R., In A House of Dreams and Glass: Becoming a Psychiatrist, Simon and Shuster, NY, 1995
- Klitzman R., The Trembling Mountain: A Personal Account of Kuru, Cannibals and Mad Cow Disease, Perseus, NY, 1998
- Klitzman R., When Doctors Become Patients, Oxford University Press, New York, 2007
- Klitzman, R., Being Positive: The Lives of Men and Women with HIV, Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, 1997.
- Klitzman, R., A Year-long Night: Tales of a Medical Internship, Viking, NY, 1989.
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov
Global Health Activities
- Ethics of HIV Vaccine Trials: IRB Members' Views, South Africa, Thailand: Dr. Klitzman is interviewing IRB members in the US, South Africa, Thailand, and elsewhere
Urban Health Activities
- Am I My Genes?: Confronting Fate and Family Secrets in the Age of Genetic Testing: Dr. Klitzman's recent book, Am I My Genes?: Confronting Fate and Family Secrets in the Age of Genetic Testing, based on in-depth interviews with individuals who have or are at risk of a variety of genetic diseases, examines their views of privacy, decisions about genetic testing, participation in research, disclosures to family members and others, etc.
- When Doctors Become Patients: Dr. Klitzman's book, When Doctors Become Patients, is based on a series of in-depth interviews with 70 physicians who became patients due to a variety of serious illnesses. The book examines how these individuals change their views of risks and benefits, doctor-patient relationships and interactions, end of life care, spirituality, and other issues.