Drew Clark

PhD, HEC-C, RCC

Bio

Dr. Drew B. A. Clark is a Certified Healthcare Ethics Consultant (HEC-C) and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). Their clinical work has primarily been in mental health, substance use, palliative, pediatric, and gender-affirming care. Dr. Clark’s research focuses on healthcare ethics and health equity. Through qualitative, participatory, and empirical ethics research, as well as arts-based knowledge translation, they contribute to the scholarly literature and health professions education in areas such as ethical decision-making, youth capacity to consent to healthcare, and healthcare access for Two-Spirit, transgender, and non-binary people.

Profile

Educational Background

• PhD (Interdisciplinary Studies), The University of British Columbia
• MM (Music Therapy), Western Michigan University
• MM (Music Education), The University of Maine
• BM (Music Education), The University of Maine

Credentials

• Healthcare Ethics Consultant – Certified (HEC-C)
• Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
• Music Therapist – Board Certified (MT-BC)
• Music Therapist Accredited (MTA)

Affiliations

• Clinical Ethicist, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, BC
• Subject Faculty (Pediatric Bioethics), Mercy Children’s Hospital, Kansas City, MO

Area of Research

Research Interests

Dr Clark’s research is focused on issues at the intersection of health, ethics, and social justice. It is interdisciplinary in nature, employs empirical methods to generate new theoretical understandings. Their current program of research comprises two streams: health services and clinical ethics. In the health services stream, they study healthcare experiences, generate recommendations for addressing inequities, and develop and evaluate interventions to improve systems of care. The clinical ethics stream contributes to improving health equity through empirical ethics research, building strategies to address ethically complex issues grounded in the experiences and knowledge of people directly impacted by healthcare systems and health policy. At its core, Dr. Clark’s research program centres improving health equity and promoting social justice through engaging with communities marginalized and underserved due to race, class, gender, ability, citizenship, and/or other factors.

Current Projects

Addressing youth gender health information needs via participatory action research: Developing a research agenda and identifying knowledge mobilization priorities with Two- Spirit, transgender, and non-binary youth in Canada

Role: PI
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

The role of clinical ethicists in addressing moral distress within Canadian healthcare systems during the COVID-19 pandemic

Role: PI
Funder: Hampton Fund

Developing a Moral Empowerment Program to address moral determinants of providers’ wellbeing and contribute to healthcare effectiveness and sustainability

Role: Co-I
Funder: Northern Health

Publications

Selected Publications

1. Clark, D. B. A. (2023) Trans Youth in Translation: Arts-based knowledge translation for health professions education. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 12(2), 17-31. https://www.theartsjournal.org/index.php/site/article/view/2334
2. Townsend, M., & Clark, D. B. A. (2022). Universal gender screening: A simple strategy to enhance primary care for transgender and gender diverse people. Family Practice, 39(5), 985-987. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmab176
3. Clark, D. B. A. (2021). Narratives of regret: Resisting cisnormative and bionormative biases in fertility and family counseling for transgender youth. International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 14(2), 157-179. https://doi.org/10.3138/ijfab-14.2.09
4. Clark, D. B. A., & Virani, A. (2021). “This wasn’t a split-second decision”: An empirical ethical analysis of transgender youth capacity, rights, and authority to consent to hormone therapy. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 18, 151-64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-020-10086-9
5. Clark, D. B. A., Marshall, S., Virani, A., & Saewyc, E. (2020). Conditions for shared decision-making in the care of transgender youth in Canada. Health Promotion International, 36(2), 570-580. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa043
6. Clark, D. B. A., Marshall, S., & Saewyc, E. (2020). Hormone therapy decision-making processes: Transgender youth and parents. Journal of Adolescence, 79(2), 136-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.12.016
7. Pang, K., Notini, L., Clark, D. B. A., Gillam, L., Savalescu, J., McDougall, R., Wilkinson, D., Telfer, M., Olson-Kennedy, J., & Lantos, J. (2020). Ethics Rounds: Long-term puberty suppression for a non-binary teen. Pediatrics, 145(2), e20191606. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-1606
8. Clark, D. B. A., Virani, A., & Saewyc, E. M. (2019). “The edge of harm and help”: Ethical considerations in the care of transgender youth with complex family situations. Ethics and Behavior, 30(3), 161-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2019.1652097
9. Coelho, J., Suen, J., & Clark, D. B. A., Marshall, S., Geller, J., & Lam, P-Y. (2019). Eating disorder diagnoses and symptom presentation in transgender youth: A scoping review. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21(107), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1097-x
10. Clark, D. B. A., & Virani, A. (2019). Words matter in the lives of transgender youth: Response to: “Family discordance regarding fertility preservation for a transgender teen: An ethical case study”. Journal of Clinical Ethics, 30(3), 297-299.
11. Clark, D. B. A., Virani, A., Ehrensaft, D., & Olson-Kennedy, J. (2019). Resisting the Post-Truth Era: Maintaining a Commitment to Science and Social Justice in Bioethics. The American Journal of Bioethics, 19(7), W1–W3. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2019.1618951 
12. Watson, R. J., Veale, J. F., Gordon, A. R., Clark, D. B. A., & Saewyc, E. M. (2019). Risk and protective factors for transgender youths’ substance use. Preventive Medicine Reports, 15, 1-6.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100905
13. Clark, D. B. A., Veale, J., Townsend, M., Frohard-Dourlent, H., Saewyc, E. (2018). Non-binary youth: Access to gender affirming primary health care. International Journal of Transgenderism, 19(2)158-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2017.1394954
14. Clark, D. B. A., Preto, N., Everett, B., Young, J. M., & Virani, A. (2018). An ethical perspective on the use of secure care for youth with severe substance use. CMAJ. http://www.cmaj.ca/content/ethical-perspective-use-secure-care-youth-severe-substance-use
15. Clark, D. B. A., & Preto, N. (2018). Exploring the concept of vulnerability in health care. CMAJ, 190(11), E308-E309. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.180242
16. Clark, D. B. A., Veale, J. F., Greyson, D., & Saewyc, E. (2017). Primary care access and foregone care: A survey of transgender adolescents and young adults. Family Practice, 35(3), 302-306. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmx112
17. Clark, D. B. A., Holsti, L., & Siden, H. (2017). Pediatric palliative music therapy: Pain, distress and contentment in children with developmental delays associated with life-threatening severe neurological impairment. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 23, 22-39.
18. Clark, D. B. A. (2016). Ethics in child and youth care practice with transgender youth. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 7(3-4), 74-96. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n409
19. Frohard-Dourlent, H., Dobson, S., Clark, D. B. A., Duoll, M., & Saewyc, E. M. (2016). “I would have preferred more options”: Accounting for non-binary youth in health research. Nursing Inquiry, 24(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12150
20. Clark, D. B. A., Siden, H., & Straatman, L. (2015). Paediatric palliative care: Program report on the role of technology-assisted music therapy. Music Therapy Today, 11(1), 20-35.
21. Clark, D. B. A., Siden, H., & Straatman, L. (2014). An integrative approach to music therapy in pediatric palliative care. Journal of Palliative Care, 30(3), 181-189.
22. Clark, D. B. A., Roth, E. A., Wilson, B. L., & Koebel, C. A. (2013). Music therapy practice with high-risk youth: A clinician survey. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 9(1), 66-86.

Teaching

My approach to teaching and learning integrates social development theory, problem-based learning, social justice, and ethics of care. I apply these frameworks to structure learning environments for undergraduates, graduate students, health professionals, and public audiences within both in-person and online settings. I support learners in developing collaborative problem-solving skills while honing their critical thinking and abilities to communicate ideas to diverse audiences. My pedagogy is strongly influenced by social development theory, which centers social interaction in the learning process, meaning that learning experiences are carefully scaffolded to support mastery of new skills. I frequently employ problem-based learning (PBL), an evidence-based pedagogical technique that aligns well with social development theory, and specifically design problem-based learning activities to address social justice issues. Finally, I view ethics of care as foundational to relational practice within teaching and learning environments. This pedagogical approach provides a foundation for learners to strengthen their abilities to analyze problems and communicate solutions relevant to their development as health professionals and scholars.

Current Teaching

NURS 180 – Stress and Strategies to Promote Wellbeing

NURS 502 – Ethics and Politics of Nursing

Supervisor Eligibility

MN, MSN – thesis, MSN non-thesis, PhD