Overview
I am the Director of the Masters of Bioethics Program, and a member of the Division of Psychiatry, Law, and Ethics, and co-founded and for five years co-directed the Center for Bioethics. I have written ten books, and over 190 academic articles, drawing on multi-disciplinary methods to examine ethical, psychological and social issues in a variety of contexts in medicine and psychiatry. Specifically, I have examined decision-making concerning HIV disclosure, genetic testing, reproductive choices among individuals at risk for genetic disorders, Institutional Review Boards, and other topics.
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
Picker-Commonwealth Scholar Award 1996-9
Merck Company Foundation Fellow, Yaddo, 2001
Aaron Diamond Foundation Fellow, 1993-6
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.