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Susan Hickman, Ph.D. Share This OHSU Content

hickman_susan

Associate Professor
Oregon Health & Science University
School of Nursing Portland Campus
3455 SW US Veterans Road, SN-ORD
Portland, Ore. 97239
Phone: 503 494-6032
FAX: 503 494-7783
E-mail: hickmans@ohsu.edu

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"My program of research is focused on ethical issues in end-of-life care and research with the goal of improving the care of older adults. I approach this issue from two angles that are represented in my current work. First, I am conducting research on end-of-life care and ensuring treatment wishes are honored through the use of a medical order form called the POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Program. The POLST converts treatment preferences into orders that are immediately actionable and can be followed by members of the health care team. For more information on the POLST, go to www.polst.org . Through my research experiences and my role as Co-Chair of the OHSU Institutional Review Board, I have become increasingly aware of the complex ethical issues that arise in conducting research with vulnerable populations. As a result, I have conducted research on ethical issues in long-term care research. I intend to expand my studies on ethical issues in research to address the issues that arise in research with persons near the end of life."

EDUCATION

Doctorate in Psychology - University of Kansas

Practice

Dr. Hickman is a licensed clinical psychologist with fellowship training in geriatrics and clinical ethics.

Service Activities

  • 1999-2000        Assistant Editor, Special Issue on End-of-Life Care, Journal of Gerontological Nursing
  • 2000-present   Member, Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Task Force
  • 2000-2005       Consultant, Task Force to Improve the Care of Terminally Ill Oregonians
  • 2000-present   Member, Oregon Cancer Center, Oregon Health & Science University
  • 2000-2002        Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Sex Research
  • 2000-2002        Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
  • 2001-2005        Faculty, Ethics in Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University 
  • 2001-2001        Ad Hoc Reviewer American Cancer Society, Psychosocial and Behavioral Research Section
  • 2002-2003        Assistant Director, Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health & Science University
  • 2003-present   Senior Scholar, Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health & Science University
  • 2004-present   Member, Research Committee Chair, National POLST Paradigm Initiative Task Force
  • 2004-present   Member, Holladay Park Plaza Board of Directors, Portland, Oregon
  • 2005-2006       Member, Institutional Review Board, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
  • 2006                  Ad Hoc Reviewer, Research in Nursing and Health.
  • 2007                  Ad Hoc Reviewer, The Cochrane Collaborations
  • 2008                  Reviewer, National Institute of Nursing Research

Research

Ongoing Research Support
R21 NR010397 (Hickman, PI) 2008-2010

National Institute of Nursing Research
End-of-Life Research Ethics: Concerns, Approaches, and Impact
Role: Principal Investigator

RSGPB-07-171-01 (Lyons, PI) 2007-2011
American Cancer Society
The Family Living with Lung Cancer: Perceptions and Outcomes
The goal of this prospective of this study is to describe the importance of congruence between patients and family members in reports of physical function and symptoms.
Role: Co-Investigator

RO1 NR 9784 (Hickman, PI) 2005-2009
National Institute of Nursing Research
Converting Treatment Wishes into Orders at End of Life
The goal of this multi-state study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Program at ensuring the wishes of nursing home residents are honored at the end of life.
Role: Principal Investigator

 The Greenwall Foundation (Hickman, PI) 2004-2006
Private Foundation
 Community Based Collaborative Research in Long-Term Care: Ethical Issues
 This pilot study is designed to assess the feasibility of sampling and methodological approaches to studying ethical issues in long-term care research.
Role:  Principal Investigator

3 R01 AT000212 (Sloane, PI) 2001-2005
National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
Subcontract: Light Therapy in Dementia (Hickman, PI)
The goal of the study is to assess the effect of high intensity, low glare ambient lighting on the sleep, mood, and behaviors of adults with dementia in Alzheimer’s care unit in Hillsboro, Oregon. 
Role:  Subcontract Principal Investigator

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundation (Tolle, Hickman, Co-PI) 2001-2004
Private Foundation
 Program of Outreach and Innovation in Compassionate Care
 The goal of this project is to launch an education and outreach program directed at nursing facility providers to promote better care for frail and vulnerable patients.
Role:  Co-Principal Investigator

Selected Publications

Hickman, S.E., Nelson, C.A., Moss, A., Hammes, B.J., Terwilliger, A., Jackson, A., & Tolle, S.W. (2009). Use of the Physicain Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Paradigm Program in the Hospice Setting. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 12, 133-141.

Hickman, S.E., Cartwright, J.C., & Young, H. (2008). Administrator perspectives on ethical issues in long-term care research. Journal of Empirical Research in Human Research Ethics, 3, 69-78.

Hickman, S.E., Sabatino, C., Moss, A.H., & Nester Wehrle, J. (2008). The POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Paradigm to Improve End-of-Life care: Potential State Legal Barriers to Implementation. Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics, 36 (1), 119-140.

Hickman, S.E., Barrick, A.L., Williams, C.S., Zimmerman, S., Connell, B.R., Preisser, J., Mitchell, C.M., & Sloane, P.D. (2007). The effect of ambient bright light therapy on depressive symptoms in persons with dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 55, 1817-1824.

Cartwright, J.C., & Hickman, S.E. (2007). Ethical and Regulatory Implications of Conducting Research in Community-Based Care Facilities. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, October, 5-11.

Hickman, S.E., Hammes, B.J., Moss, A.H., & Tolle, S. W. (2005). Hope for the future: Achieving the original intent of advance directives. The Hastings Center Report, 35(6), S26-S30.