Leigh E. Rich

Professor of Health Administration Georgia Southern University

  • Savannah GA

Leigh Rich is an expert in bioethics, biotechnology, health communication, and gender and the media.

Contact

Georgia Southern University

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Biography

In the vein of Chekhov, Leigh E. Rich has followed two passions: medicine and literature. A professor of Health Administration, she has a Ph.D. in Health and Behavioral Sciences and an M.A. in Cultural/Medical Anthropology and teaches courses in bioethics, law and policy, and social theory. Her research focuses on bioethics, the body, health-related law and policy, visual media, and gender. A longtime “culture critic,” she is an award-winning writer and the host of the radio program Listening to Literature. She has experience as a journalist for publications in and beyond Colorado and has worked or studied in Australia, Denmark, Italy, Russia, and Switzerland.

Areas of Expertise

Qualitative Research Methodologies
Health Communication
Health-related Law and Policy
Bioethics
Philosophy, Health Care, and Television
Gender and Health

Education

The University of Colorado

Ph.D.

The University of Arizona

M.A.

The University of Colorado

B.A.

Articles

Nurses’ perspectives regarding the disclosure of errors to patients: A qualitative study

International Journal of Nursing Studies

L.E. Rich et al.

2016

Explore nurses’ attitudes and experiences concerning disclosing errors to patients and perceived barriers to disclosure.

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“Born Like This / Into This”: Tuberculosis, Justice, and Futuristic Dinosaurs

Journal of Bioethical Inquiry

L.E. Rich

2016

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Should Health Care Providers Be Forced to Apologise After Things Go Wrong?

Journal of Bioethical Inquiry

L.E. Rich et al.

2014

The issue of apologising to patients harmed by adverse events has been a subject of interest and debate within medicine, politics, and the law since the early 1980s. Although apology serves several important social roles, including recognising the victims of harm, providing an opportunity for redress, and repairing relationships, compelled apologies ring hollow and ultimately undermine these goals. Apologies that stem from external authorities’ edicts rather than an offender’s own self-criticism and moral reflection are inauthentic and contribute to a “moral flabbiness” that stunts the moral development of both individual providers and the medical profession. Following a discussion of a recent case from New Zealand in which a midwife was required to apologise not only to the parents but also to the baby, it is argued that rather than requiring health care providers to apologise, authorities should instead train, foster, and support the capacity of providers to apologise voluntarily.

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