Thesis Title:
Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James, MD
Supervisors:
Professor Alister McGrath & Dr Matthew Kirkpatrick
College:
Wycliffe Hall
Biography:
Dr Ariel Dempsey earned her MD at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and is at University of Oxford completing a DPhil Science & Religion. She studies uncertainty in end-of-life care and how we can better deal with uncertainty in medicine. Her DPhil is on "Palliating Uncertainty," emphasizing an approach to uncertainty that is modelled after the ethos and values of palliative care and draws on tools from the philosophy of pragmatism. She helps design and teach a Medical Humanities Curriculum for the Oxford Medical School and is a Rotary Global Grant Scholar who has led trauma healing groups in Oxford. After the PhD, Ariel plans to do residency in psychiatry with fellowship in palliative care. She also loves to dance.
Educational Background:
University of Oxford: DPhil Candidate
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine: MD
University of Oxford: MSt Science & Religion
University of Michigan: BA
Research Interests:
Uncertainty, Palliative Care, Pragmatism, Science & Religion, Theology
Recent Publications:
Dempsey, A. (2025). A Tribute to Robert Twycross: Pioneer of Palliative Care and His Hopes for the Future. Journal of Palliative Medicine.
Dempsey, A. (2024). Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James, MD. Paper presented at the McGill Pallaitive Care Congress, Montreal, Quebec.
Dempsey, A. (2024). Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James. Paper presented at the Palliative Care and Psychiatry Conference: The Merging of Two Disciplines, Belfast, Ireland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF6xfCaAPFY&t=817s
Watson, M., Dore, M., Twycross, R., Dempsey, A., & Flemming, K. (2024). Hospice UK Clinical ECHO May 2024. Hospice UK Project Echo. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZVlzi-Lukc&ab_channel=HospiceUKECHO
Dempsey, A., & Mulder, J. (2023). Living with Uncertainty in End of Life Care. Paper presented at the UK Palliative Care Congress 2023 Plenary Address, Edinburgh, Scotland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHiG2v0lzVk&t=19s&loop=0
Dempsey, A., & Mulder, J. (2023). Quality versus quantity of life: beyond the dichotomy. Palliative Medicine Reports, 3(1), 17-23.
Dempsey, A. (2023). “Theological Aesthetics and Clinical Care.” In Poltrum, M., Musalek, M., Galvin, K., & Saito, Y. The Oxford Handbook of Mental Health and Contemporary Western Aesthetics. Oxford
University Press.
Dempsey, Ariel. (2022). “How Can Bread and Wine Change Into Flesh and Blood?” Theological Puzzles (Issue 11). https://www.theo-puzzles.ac.uk/2022/07/07/dempsey/.
Dempsey, A. (2020). Live Like You're Dying?: Acting in Uncertainty. TED Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ariel_dempsey_live_like_you_re_dying_acting_in...
