Dr. Kaldjian is Director of the Program in Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, where he is also a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and holds the Richard M. Caplan Chair in Biomedical Ethics and Medical Humanities.

He received his M.D. from the University of Michigan, an M.Div. and Ph.D. in Christian ethics from Yale University, and completed his residency and fellowship training at Yale in internal medicine and infectious diseases.  He has been at the University of Iowa since 2000.

His research interests have been directed toward end of life decision making, goals of care, disclosure of medical errors, the role of foundational beliefs and values in  medical ethics, practical wisdom in healthcare, conscientious practice, and ethics education. Many of his interests are woven together in Practicing Medicine and Ethics: Integrating Wisdom, Conscience, and Goals of Care (Cambridge University Press, 2014).  His publications can be found in a variety of journals (click here). 

At the Carver College of Medicine, Dr. Kaldjian directs the Biomedical Ethics Thread in the four-year curriculum and co-directs the Humanities Distinction Track and the Personal-Professional Compass Program.

At the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Dr. Kaldjian has practiced general internal medicine, served as interim Division Director of General Internal Medicine from 2013-15, currently serves on the hospital's Ethics Committee and works as a consultant on the Ethics Consult Service.

Beyond the University, Dr. Kaldjian has served on the ethics committees of the United Network for Organ Sharing, the Society of General Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians, and the Iowa Medical Society. He also served as a Deputy Editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine and currently serves on the editorial board of Communication & Medicine.

Dr. Kaldjian's contributions to the medical profession have been recognized by a Merit Award from the Iowa Medical Society (2016) and a Laureate Award from the Iowa Chapter of the American College of Physicians (2017).

Graduate Education

• M.D. - University of Michigan
• M.Div. - Yale Divinity School
• Ph.D. (Christian ethics) - Yale University

Publications (on PubMed)

Research Interests

• Clinical Ethics
• Education in Ethics and Professionalism
• Code Status Discussions
• Goals of Care toward the End of Life
• Shared Decision Making
• Disclosure of Medical Errors
• Practical Wisdom in Medicine
• Conscientious Practice in Health Care
• Ethical Pluralism in Clinical Practice
• Religious Beliefs in Clinical Practice
• Concepts of Health

Teaching Activities

• Director, Biomedical Ethics Thread
• Co-Director, Personal-Professional Compass Program
• Course Director, Bioethics and Humanities Seminar (elective)
• Director, Oaths & Ethics (advanced elective)
• Director and Instructor, Foundations in Healthcare Ethics (advanced elective)
• Director, Ethics and Professionalism Seminar for Internal Medicine Core Clerkship
• Co-Director, Fourth-Year Professionalism Seminar

University Service

• Member, Ethical Issues Subcommittee, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
• Member, Executive Committee, Carver College of Medicine