Alexandra F. M. Cist, MD

Alexandra F. M. Cist, MD, is an active member of several Ethics committees and performs clinical ethics services at MGH. She completed fellowships in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and in Clinical Ethics at Harvard Medical School, and has combined these interests in her clinical work at MGH since 1992.  She focuses on clinical ethics—especially in end-of-life care and in intensive care units; and she trains new members of Ethics committees in ethics consultation at MGH and other Partners hospitals.  She advocates for holding multidisciplinary Ethics Rounds in many venues around the hospital as a means of “keeping moral spaces open."  Her particular interest in manifestations of religion and spirituality among patients, families and staff informs her bio-psycho-social-spiritual support approach to ethics consultation and conflict resolution.  She is a consultant to the MGH Emergency Preparedness group and to the Disaster Relief Ethics and Management team (DREAM team). She teaches in the ethics curriculum at Harvard Medical School; and she serves on the MGH Optimum Care Committee, the MGH Ethics in Clinical Practice Committee, the Partners Ethics Leaders Group, the Harvard Ethics Leaders Group, and the Harvard Task Force on Ethical Issues in Emergency Preparedness. She particularly enjoys going for walks in the woods with her dog and anyone interested in having a long conversation about matters of consequence.