Dr. Daryl Pullman
Associate professor of medical ethics
The health care field is fraught with ethical issues, and part of medical training involves learning what those issues are and how to approach them. While there is not yet a curriculum for medical ethics at Memorial, it won't be long before one is developed.
That's the job of Dr. Daryl Pullman, recently appointed to faculty. Dr.
Pullman's background includes five degrees. He started his studies in theology at
Briercrest College in Saskatchewan, and went on to graduate school at the Talbot School of
Theology in California. By the time he finished that, his interest in entering the
ministry had been replaced by a desire to pursue studies in philosophy. He did a doctorate
in philosophy at the University of Waterloo, also completing an education degree.
For the past eight years, Dr. Pullman has taught at the University of Waterloo, mainly in the Faculty of Engineering in the Centre for Society, Technology and Values. He was also an adjunct in the School of Optometry, and he facetiously refers to himself as the Canadian expert in optometric ethics, since there is only one School of Optometry in Canada and he was the only ethicist teaching there.
Dr. Pullman said it was difficult teaching optometrists because the issues they were most concerned with were related more to business than to medicine. But he did get experience in the field of medical ethics through his role as consultant on ethical issues with hospitals in southwestern Ontario.
In Newfoundland, Dr. Pullman will continue to work with hospitals as the ethical consultant to the Health Care Corporation. "This will enable me to get the clinical experience I need, which is essential to effective teaching."
Dr. Pullman is working together with Dr. John Crellin, History of Medicine, on an advisory group to develop a curriculum for ethics/humanities education that spans undergraduate and postgraduate training. "Our aim is to integrate humanities and ethics throughout the curriculum."
"I'm also very interested in doing some integrated work around health care ethics in the broad sense," said Dr. Pullman. "I'd like to work with the schools of Pharmacy and Nursing as well, since ethical issues are often the same for health care provides other than physicians. Health care professionals work together and it would be helpful to do some co-ordinated work as students."
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