Helene Starks

Helene Starks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical History and Ethics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Starks’ research interests include issues related to the end-of-life for patients, their family members, clinicians, and health systems. Her research also includes qualitative and mixed methods research, surrogate decision-maker and family caregiver issues, utility assessment, medical decision-making, and clinician-patient communication. Special interests include feminist and narrative approaches to bioethics, and research ethics, especially involving vulnerable human subjects in research.

Recent Publications include: Pearlman RA, Hsu C, Starks H, Back AL, Gordon JR, Bharucha A, Koenig BA, Battin MP. Motivations for physician-assisted suicide: Patient and family voices. Journal of General Internal Medicine, in press for 2005 Pearlman RA, Starks H, Cain KC, Cole WG. Improvements in advance care planning in the VA: Results of a multifaceted intervention. Archives of Internal Medicine, in press for 2005 Sharp ND, Pineros SL, Hsu C, Starks H, Sales AE. A qualitative study to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation of pilot interventions in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Northwest Network. Worldviews in Evidence-based Nursing, 2004; 1(2):129-13. Back AL, Starks H, Hsu C, Gordon JR, Bharucha A, Pearlman RA. Clinician-patient interactions about requests for physician-assisted suicide: A patient and family view. Arch Intern Med, 2002; 162:1257-65 Pearlman RA, Cain KC, Starks H, Cole WG, Uhlmann RF, Patrick DL. Preferences for life-sustaining treatments in advance care planning and surrogate decision making. J Pall Med 2000; 3(1):43-54.

Helene received a MPH. in Health Policy and Administration from the University of California at Berkeley and a PhD in Health Services Research from the University of Washington.