Congratulations to Dr. Aly Massof, who yesterday defended her dissertation, “The Demands of Partnership: A Normative Foundation for Shared Medical Decision-Making”!

Aly’s dissertation argues that there is a tension between the leading partnership models of the doctor-patient relationship and their underlying theoretical commitment to patient self-determination. She argues that a theory of non-domination (instead of self-determination) provides a better underpinning for the doctor-patient relationship, and that a theory of shared agency consistent with non-domination makes possible true partnership in medical decision-making.

Aly is seated on the left in the photo. The dissertation committee consisted of (left to right): Dana Howard, Abe Roth, Tristram McPherson, and Piers Turner (advisor).

As she enters the job market this fall, Aly will be working on programs at the OSU Center for Ethics and Human Values.