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Patrick Tyjuan Smith

Associate Research Professor of Theological Ethics and Bioethics
Divinity School

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Research Professor of Theological Ethics and Bioethics · 2018 - Present Divinity School
Co-Director in the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine · 2021 - Present Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine, Institutes and Centers
Director of the Capacious Minds Initiative in the Kenan Institute for Ethics · 2025 - Present Kenan Institute for Ethics, University Institutes and Centers
Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2021 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published July 20, 2023
Duke Faculty Members Hone Skills With ACC Peers Through a Year-Long Experience
Published January 17, 2023
Meet Duke’s 2023 Fellows in the ACC Academic Leadership Network
Published May 18, 2022
Patrick Smith Presses Bioethicists to Address Racial Inequalities in Health Care

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Recent Publications


Bioethicists Must Push Back Against Assaults on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Journal Article The American journal of bioethics : AJOB · August 2025 Full text Cite

Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Bioethics: Recommendations from the Association of Bioethics Program Directors Presidential Task Force.

Journal Article The American journal of bioethics : AJOB · October 2024 Recent calls to address racism in bioethics reflect a sense of urgency to mitigate the lethal effects of a lack of action. While the field was catalyzed largely in response to pivotal events deeply rooted in racism and other structures of oppression embedd ... Full text Cite

Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Bioethics: Responding to the Call.

Journal Article The Hastings Center report · March 2022 As a field concerned with ethical issues in health and health care, particularly how structures, policies, and practices unfairly advantage some and disadvantage others, bioethics has a moral obligation to address the long-standing challenges that racism h ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Implementation partner-guided strategy to promote health equity in ICU prognostication

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029

Building Out The Program

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by John and Wauna Harman Foundation · 2024 - 2025

Collaborative Inquiries in Christian Theological Anthropology

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Villanova University · 2020 - 2023

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Education, Training & Certifications


Wayne State University · 2013 Ph.D.