Marie T. Hilliard, MS, JCL, PhD

Bioethics, Adjunct Faculty

Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences

About Me

I am a Senior Fellow of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and have served there since 2006, primarily directing initiatives impacting public policy consistent with natural moral law. The students at Mary provide the best avenue for scholarly interaction grounded in natural moral law, especially as we mutually analyze the public policies impacting health care delivery. One cannot interact with these students without understanding how special they are, and what an impact they will have in the realms of health science and health care. This mutual regard, shared by and with colleagues, provides for collegial relationships that extends to mutual trust.

Why I’m At Mary

It is an honor for me to be part of the Mary team. It is such a unique community committed to the truth. In particular, the breadth of offerings in the health sciences is the perfect setting for a graduate program in bioethics. There is a tremendous ability to impact the delivery of ethical health care through many disciplines. And the format of distance learning creates the potential for a national and even an international impact. The fact that the program is grounded in natural moral law is critical to its success and consistent with my own approach to this discipline.

Expertise

I am a bioethicist, canon lawyer, registered nurse, and retired Colonel (USA). I have years of experience in health care education and educational administration (former tenured nursing program administrator). In terms of public policy, I am the former executive officer of a state board of nursing, regulating over 62,000 licensed nurses and 30 nursing programs. I also served as the public policy advocate for a State Catholic Conference, representing the Catholic Church at the state capitol.

Currently I am on the Board of Directors of the Catholic Medical Association, co-chairing the Ethics Committee, as well as the Board of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability on whose Ethics and Public Policy Committee I serve. I am a former president of the National Association of Catholic Nurses, USA, and am a member of its Ethics and Spirituality Committee. I also am a former member of the Board of Governors of the Canon Law Society of America.

I have published extensively and was awarded 2nd place by the Catholic Press Association for "Best Essay" in a Scholarly Magazine (2008).

(2021) "Protected through Pandemic under Mary's Mantle," Legatus.

(2020) "Canons 843 ¬ß1; 213. The Right to the Sacraments during a Pandemic," Roman Replies and CLSA Advisory Opinions.

(2020) "The Gift of the Apostolic Pardon," Ethics & Medics.

(2020) "Sacraments and the Pandemic," Ethics & Medics.

(2020) "Care of Fetal Remains A Pastoral Matter," Catholic Health Care Ethics A Manual for Practitioners, 3rd ed., Edward Furton editor (Philadelphia, PA, 2020), 16.1.

(2019) "Conscience Rights under the New HHS Rule," Ethics & Medics.

(2019) "Evangelizing Extended Family Hands on Life-enriching Gift of Faith," Legatus.

(2018) "Entrust Kids to Schools Teaching Ultimate Truth, Moral Law," Legatus.

(2015) "Canons 1041 and 1055: Tubal Ligation, Marriage and Orders," Roman Replies and CLSA Advisory Opinions (Washington, DC: CLSA, 2015), 96-100.

(2015) "Resolving Vasectomy and Tubal Ligation Regret," Legatus.

Education

PhD: (Professional Nursing Higher Education Administration): University of Connecticut, 1986
JCL (Canon Law): Catholic University of America, 2002
MS (Nursing): Boston University, 1973