Areas of Expertise
Stroke treatment and care, end-of-life decision-making and medical ethics.
Expert Bio
Amber Comer, Ph.D., J.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences. She is an expert in medical decision-making whose research has led to a change in Indiana's health care consent law. Her research goal is to reduce suffering at the end-of-life by improving quality medical decision-making.
Her research has a special focus on the role of palliative care in medical decision-making for hospitalized patients. Her current work includes researching the role of palliative care in medical decisions for hospitalized patients with severe stroke. Additionally, she is studying the effect of state health care consent laws on hospitalized patients' medical decisions and care.
Comer received an Early Career Achievement Award in 2017 from the IU McKinney School of Law for her work changing Indiana's health care consent law. She is a member of the Eskenazi Hospital medical ethics committee and ethics consultation service and holds appointments as an affiliate research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and faculty in both the IU School of Medicine Center for Bioethics and the IU RESPECT Center. Additionally, she holds adjunct professor appointments at the IU School of Medicine and the IU McKinney School of Law.
Comer has a Ph.D. in health policy from the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health and a JD with a concentration in health law from the IU McKinney School of Law.
She is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the American Public Health Association and the Indiana State Bar.
View full bioUpdated on: June 17, 2021