How do we make meaning out of suffering? This task has occupied human minds for millennia. Moral injury offers a new way to understand the consequences of betrayal resulting in the destruction of personhood.

This talk assesses how the complexities of contemporary medical work, the rise of a patients-as-consumers orientation, and the lack of health literacy in the United States has created environments where moral injury can flourish among health workers and what treatment is needed to recover.


Her nerd-heart drove her to attend university for entirely too long, resulting in a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies, a Master of Public Health, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in the Medical Humanities, all with mental health among incarcerated people as her research focus.

As she was completing her studies in the Texas, she met and married a practically perfect woman who smokes the best Texas-style BBQ beef ribs. They live in Oakland, California where she helps people to think well about the moral dimensions of medicine. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx