Dr Simon Walker
Contact Details
- Phone
- 64 3 471 6124
- simon.walker@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Senior Lecturer
- Department
- Bioethics Centre
- Qualifications
- BA MA PhD PGDipArts(Otago)
- Research summary
- Moral philosophy, the nature of value, meaning, suffering, end of life care.
- Teaching
Ethics to students of medicine, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and dentistry and oral health. BITC 301, BITC 401.
Research
Simon is familiar with a wide range of philosophical authors, and has a particular interest in the works of Kant, Wittgenstein, and Spinoza. While working as a palliative care researcher he became interested in the links between moral philosophy and our understanding of health, and began reading healthcare literature exploring this connection. He discovered a broad acceptance of the idea that a person's values will shape their experience of and response to suffering, and yet that this relationship is scarcely mentioned in contemporary ethical discourse.
He is currently developing a conception of ethics that shows the fundamental link between values and suffering, and which indicates how and to what extent life may retain value in the midst of suffering. This research draws on many different sources, including clinical experience, ancient and modern philosophy, and literature
Publications
Walker, S., Reid, P., Anderson, L., Bull, S., Jonas, M., Manning, J., … Pitama, S., Rennie, S., Snelling, J., Wilkinson, T., & Bagg, W. (2023). Informed consent for medical student involvement in patient care: An updated consensus statement. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 136(1579), 86-95. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Newton-Howes, G., Walker, S., & Pickering, N. J. (2023). Epistemic problems with mental health legislation in the doctor–patient relationship. Journal of Medical Ethics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/jme-2022-108610
Rennie, S. C., Anderson, L., Merry, A. F., Pitama, S., Reid, P., Snelling, J., Walker, S., Wilkinson, T., & Bagg, W. (2022). Medical students and informed consent: Response to "Consent for teaching". New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1566), 100-102. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Walker, S., Williams, O., Newton-Howes, G., & Pickering, N. (2022). Reformulating decision-making capacity. American Journal of Bioethics, 22(11), 92-94. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2022.2123995
Pickering, N. J., Newton-Howes, G., & Walker, S. (2022). Risk-relativity is still a nonsense. Journal of Medical Ethics, 48(12), 1056-1057. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2022-108379
Walker, S., & McMillan, J. (2021). Ethical concepts in clinical decision-making and ethics teaching. In M. Mant & C. Mounsey (Eds.), The history and bioethics of medical education: "You've got to be carefully taught". (pp. 130-146). New York, NY: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003107156-11
Chapter in Book - Research
Nie, J.-B., & Walker, S. (2015). Truth telling. In H. ten Have (Ed.), Encyclopedia of global bioethics. Springer International. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_427-1
Chapter in Book - Research
Walker, S., & McMillan, J. (2015). Memory, identity and dementia. In T. Schramme & S. Edwards (Eds.), Handbook of the philosophy of medicine. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_64-1
Chapter in Book - Research
Newton-Howes, G., Walker, S., & Pickering, N. J. (2023). Epistemic problems with mental health legislation in the doctor–patient relationship. Journal of Medical Ethics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/jme-2022-108610
Journal - Research Article
Walker, S., Reid, P., Anderson, L., Bull, S., Jonas, M., Manning, J., … Pitama, S., Rennie, S., Snelling, J., Wilkinson, T., & Bagg, W. (2023). Informed consent for medical student involvement in patient care: An updated consensus statement. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 136(1579), 86-95. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Article
Pickering, N. J., Newton-Howes, G., & Walker, S. (2022). Risk-related standards of competence are a nonsense. Journal of Medical Ethics, 48, 893-898. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2021-108107
Journal - Research Article
Donnelly, S., & Walker, S. (2021). Enabling first and second year doctors to negotiate ethical challenges in end-of-life care: A qualitative study. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002672
Journal - Research Article
Nie, L., Smith-Han, K., Iosua, E., & Walker, S. (2021). New Zealand medical students’ views of euthanasia/assisted dying across different year levels. BMC Medical Education, 21, 125. doi: 10.1186/s12909-021-02558-2
Journal - Research Article
Rutter, C., & Walker, S. (2021). Infant mortality inequities for Māori in New Zealand: A tale of three policies. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20, 10. doi: 10.1186/s12939-020-01340-y
Journal - Research Article
Thompson, O., Anderson, J., Chen, M., Haack, G., Mane, R., Stewart, T., … Walthert, J., Jutel, S., Mapusua, T., Schwenke, D., Sopoaga, F., Walker, S., & Richards, R. (2020). Use of bodily tissues in research: Pacific perspectives from Dunedin, New Zealand. Pacific Health Dialog, 21(5), 245-252. doi: 10.26635/phd.2020.624
Journal - Research Article
Walker, S., Egan, R., Young, J., Jaye, C., & Jackson, C. (2020). A citizens' jury on euthanasia/assisted dying: Does informed deliberation change people's views? Health Expectations, 23, 388-395. doi: 10.1111/hex.13008
Journal - Research Article
Young, J., Egan, R., Walker, S., Graham-DeMello, A., & Jackson, C. (2019). The euthanasia debate: Synthesising the evidence on New Zealander's attitudes. Kōtuitui, 14(1), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/1177083X.2018.1532915
Journal - Research Article
Lambie, D., Egan, R., Walker, S., & MacLeod, R. (2015). How spirituality is understood and taught in New Zealand medical schools. Palliative & Supportive Care, 13, 53-58. doi: 10.1017/S147895151300062X
Journal - Research Article
McHugh, H. M., & Walker, S. T. (2015). "Personal Knowledge" in medicine and the epistemic shortcomings of Scientism. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 12, 577-585. doi: 10.1007/s11673-015-9661-5
Journal - Research Article
Nie, J.-B., Walker, S. T., Qiao, S., Li, X., & Tucker, J. D. (2015). Truth-telling to the patient, family, and the sexual partner: A rights approach to the role of healthcare providers in adult HIV disclosure in China. AIDS Care, 27(Suppl. 1), 83-89. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2015.1071772
Journal - Research Article
McLennan, S., Walker, S., & Rich, L. E. (2014). Should health care providers be forced to apologise after things go wrong? Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 11, 431-435. doi: 10.1007/s11673-014-9571-y
Journal - Research Article
McMillan, J., Walker, S., & Hope, T. (2014). Valuing hope. Monash Bioethics Review, 32(1-2), 33-42. doi: 10.1007/s40592-014-0006-7
Journal - Research Article
Walker, S. T. (2014). Spinoza, Styron, and the ethics of healing. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 11(2), 153-160. doi: 10.1007/s11673-014-9526-3
Journal - Research Article
Gillett, G., & Walker, S. (2013). Immunisation and minimally informed consent. Journal of Law & Medicine, 20(4), 723-727.
Journal - Research Article
Gillett, G., & Walker, S. (2012). The evolution of informed consent. Journal of Law & Medicine, 19(4), 673-677.
Journal - Research Article
Janssen, A. L., MacLeod, R. D., & Walker, S. T. (2008). Recognition, reflection, and role models: Critical elements in education about care in medicine. Palliative & Supportive Care, 6(4), 389-395.
Journal - Research Article
Walker, S., & MacLeod, R. (2005). Palliative care knowledge of some South Island GPs. New Zealand Family Physician, 32(2), 88-93.
Journal - Research Article
Anderson, L., Walker, S., Zaharic, T., Kenrick, K., & Subramaniam, R. M. (2022). The responsibilities of medical students in providing advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1552), 136-138. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Other
Pickering, N. J., Newton-Howes, G., & Walker, S. (2022). Risk-relativity is still a nonsense. Journal of Medical Ethics, 48(12), 1056-1057. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2022-108379
Journal - Research Other
Rennie, S. C., Anderson, L., Merry, A. F., Pitama, S., Reid, P., Snelling, J., Walker, S., Wilkinson, T., & Bagg, W. (2022). Medical students and informed consent: Response to "Consent for teaching". New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1566), 100-102. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Other
Walker, S., Williams, O., Newton-Howes, G., & Pickering, N. (2022). Reformulating decision-making capacity. American Journal of Bioethics, 22(11), 92-94. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2022.2123995
Journal - Research Other
Li, J.-r., Walker, S., Nie, J.-b., & Zhang, X. (2019). Experiments that led to the first gene-edited babies: The ethical failings and the urgent need for better governance. Journal of Zhejiang University: Science B, 20(1), 32-38. doi: 10.1631/jzus.B1800624
Journal - Research Other
McMillan, J., Malpas, P., Walker, S., & Jonas, M. (2018). Ethics education in New Zealand medical schools. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 27(3), 470-473. doi: 10.1017/S096318011700086X
Journal - Research Other
Tumilty, E., Walker, S., & Tumilty, S. (2014). Tainting by numbers: How the disadvantaged become invisible within evidence-based medicine. Physical Therapy Reviews, 19(5), 367-377. doi: 10.1179/1743288X14Y.0000000152
Journal - Research Other