D. Micah Hester

Chair/Professor

UAMS primary University of Arkansas

Also affiliated: Mercer (Czechia) (2002); Arkansas Children's Hospital (2006–2025); Nebraska Medical Center (2008); Johnson & Johnson (United States) (2019); Mercer University (2001–2004); Vanderbilt University (1998–2015); University of Arkansas Medical Center (2004–2025); Inova Fairfax Hospital (2019); Mercer University Health Sciences Center (2001–2002); Cal Humanities (2025); Virginia Cancer Institute (2019); HonorHealth (2024); Printed Electronics (United Kingdom) (2016); Nashville Oncology Associates (2014–2018); University of Nebraska Medical Center (2007–2008); Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2016–2020)

Faculty Researcher

Department Chairs, College of Medicine

12 h-index 144 pubs 753 cited

Research Areas

Biomedical Subjects

Links

ORCID UAMS TRI Profile

OverviewAI-generated summary

D. Micah Hester, Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities & Bioethics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, conducts research focused on ethical considerations in healthcare and research. His work specifically addresses patient-provider relationships, end-of-life issues, pediatric ethics, and ethics education. Hester has a particular concern for transparency in research consent processes, including the challenges posed by "therapeutic misconception," where potential participants may overemphasize potential therapeutic benefits while overlooking their role as research subjects. He has also investigated assent in pediatric research protocols.

Hester brings extensive experience to his role, with over two decades of Institutional Review Board (IRB) service. He offers research ethics consultations and collaborates with researchers to navigate ethical challenges from protocol development through consent and IRB review. His scholarly output includes numerous publications, with an h-index of 13 and over 766 citations. His recent publications explore topics such as consensus recommendations for pediatric decision-making, the ethical implications of "medical benefit" in pediatric oncology research, and considerations for consent during medical crises.

His collaborations include work with researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, such as Lauren Bunch and Joshua Daily. Hester's expertise is frequently sought for discussions on ethical issues arising from specific research projects, contributing to the responsible conduct of research.

Research Overview

I am the Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities & Bioethics and a clinical and research ethicist here at UAMS since 2004. I have a PhD in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. My scholarly work has been in the areas of patient-provider relationships, end-of-life issues, pediatric ethics, and ethics education. I am deeply concerned by issues of transparency in consent processes for research, including challenges posed by what has been called "therapeutic misconception"--when would-be participant are focused on therapeutic outcomes, and blind to the fact that they are agreeing to be research subjects. I have done work in assent in pediatric research protocols, as well. I also have over two decades of IRB service experience, and provide research ethics consultations, as requested. I am available to discuss ethical issues that are raised by specific research, and thereby to help think through and monitor ethical challenges in research, from protocol development to consent issues to IRB considerations.

Metrics

h-index: 12
Publications: 144
Citations: 753

Selected Publications

Of Course Reasons Matter. The Question is How (2025)

The American Journal of Bioethics 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
A Potential Clinical Ethicist Weighs in with Insights and Concerns Form the Findings of Fox and Wasserman (2025)

The American Journal of Bioethics 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Oversight for First-in-Human Surgical Procedures (2025)

PEDIATRICS DOI OpenAlex
Partial waiver of consent to overcome translational science barriers in neonatal clinical research (2025)

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science DOI OpenAlex
Non-Beneficial or Harmful: Furthering the Futility Discussion (2025)

The American Journal of Bioethics 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Achieving Live Birth is Not an Endpoint but a Steppingstone (2024)

The American Journal of Bioethics DOI OpenAlex
Equitable Access of Delandistrogene Moxeparvovec for Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Call for Discussion (2024)

Pediatric Neurology 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
Healthcare Privacy in an Electronic Data Age (2024)

Technology, work and globalization 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
Careful Considerations for Midcrisis Consent to and Refusal of Blood Products (2024)

Obstetric Anesthesia Digest DOI OpenAlex
Careful Considerations for Midcrisis Consent to and Refusal of Blood Products (2023)

Anesthesia & Analgesia 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
Ethics at the Edges: Normative Considerations When Spheres of Morality Overlap (2023)

The American Journal of Bioethics DOI OpenAlex
Consent and Assent in Pediatric Research (2023)

Pediatric Clinics of North America 6 citations DOI OpenAlex
Pediatric Decision Making: Consensus Recommendations (2023)

PEDIATRICS 65 citations DOI OpenAlex
Membership and Structure of Institutional Bioethics Committees (2023)

Collaborative bioethics DOI OpenAlex
Respecting Autonomy and Balancing Benefits by Disclosing the Secondary Finding of Klinefelter’s (2022)

The American Journal of Bioethics DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

Grants & Funding

As listed on this researcher's institutional profile.

Partnership for Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Rural Primary Care NIH Co-Investigator
Arkansas Center for Clinical and Translational Research NIH Co-Investigator
1/6 HBCD Prenatal Experiences and Longitudinal Development (PRELUDE) Consortium NIH Co-Investigator
Arkansas Center for Clinical & Translational Research NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Co-Investigator