Dr Julia Maria Hynes

About

Julia was awarded a Ph.D. in Philosophy (Thomistic Virtue Theory: Medicine and Education) from the Queen’s University of Belfast in 2008 after which she carried out post-doctoral work in Clinical Ethics at QUB and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust while holding the position of Hon Clinical Ethicist; she subsequently took up the appointment of Assistant Professor in Medical Ethics and Law at the University of Nicosia Medical School, Cyprus, (2012-2019) where she taught on St George’s Graduate Entry Medical Programme and was instrumental in creating the strategic vision for ethics in a new successful 6-year degree in medicine at the University of Nicosia. In addition, she taught on the MSc in Family Medicine and worked as a Fitness to Practice Investigating Officer. Her interest in pedagogy, especially teaching through narrative, led to the completion of the PGCert in Biomedical & Healthcare Education with St George’s University of London in 2015.

She has worked with the General Medical Council since 2019 as a Regional Liaison Associate and delivers workshops in Medical Ethics, Law and Professionalism to International Medical Graduates and locally trained doctors. She sits on the accreditation panel for undergraduate Medical Education at the Irish Medical Council and is visiting Associate Professor and external examiner of dissertations at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for the MSc in Healthcare Ethics and Law. She holds the position of Independent Ethics Advisor at East Kent University Hospitals Trust and is a member of 3 NHS Clinical Ethics Committees. Her current, former post, national and international external activity have all bestowed her with an in-depth insight into three different medical jurisdictions (GMC, IMC, Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA, recognised by (WFME) World Federation for Medical Education. She has experience of 12 different curricula both national and international.

She has shaped the KMMS curriculum, from its inception, in her specialist fields of Medical Ethics, Law, Professionalism, Human Rights, Equality and Diversity and Medical Humanities. She has also collaboratively created the strategic vision for our Student Life and Guidance Service which includes overseeing the Personal Academic Tutor and Clinical Academic Tutor services. She has  been Fitness to Study and Practice lead since 2020 and is external F2P panelist for Brighton Sussex Medical School.

The overarching objective of her 20-year career has been to contribute to enhancing the care of patients, in the most fragile moments of life, through developing and providing high-quality education in her specialist areas and solid pastoral care for medical students while they develop their professional identity.

Research interests

1: Project on burnout in healthcare students and professionals, which may be viewed as a silent and deadly epidemic affecting the profession: entitled ‘Wellness and distress in health care professionals dealing with end of life and bioethical issues (WeDistressHELL)’. The Principal Investigators are located at the University of Pavia, Italy (Prof. P. Argentero, Dott. M. Maffoni) and Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Italy (Dott. I. Giorgi, Dott. A. Giardini). Partners include faculty from: Kent and Medway Medical School: Canterbury (Dr Julia Hynes); Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan; I.R.C.C.S. Santa Lucia; Centro Riabilitativo, Rome; Faculdade de Medicina – Universidade do Porto, Portugal; and Medical University of Lodz, Poland.

2: Expert ethics advisor: The Cyprus Foundation for Muscular Dystrophy Research (Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics). ‘The CENSUS project is to develop a national database of congenital malformations in Cyprus as part of rare diseases national registries that will help Cyprus collaborate with other EU Member States and address together the fragmentation of patient data comprised in more than 600 registries across Europe’.

3: ‘The development of the doctor as a professional’. Project aims to demonstrate how the character of the physician can be encouraged to develop, or whither, through modern medical education curricula.

Teaching

Julia currently enjoys teaching through narrative in medical ethics, medical law, professionalism and medical humanities. Topics taught from 2012-2019 included: ethical theories applied to medical practice; ethics & law regarding artificial reproductive techniques, abortion, neonatology, suicide, physician assisted suicide, organ donation, consent, capacity, care of the elderly, pain control and palliative care, mental illness, resource allocation and medical negligence, ethico-legal aspects of eating disorders, global health and access to essential medicines, notifiable diseases and research ethics and the character of the physician.

Teaching areas from 2005-2008 included both Scholastic and Analytical traditions of Philosophy. These courses included Ethics (1st and 2nd year students), Introduction to Philosophy (1st year students); The History of Philosophy (1st year students); Philosophical Theology (3rd year students); Logic and Critical Thinking (2nd year students); Philosophical Anthropology (2nd year students), and Medieval Philosophy (2nd year students). 2008 developed and delivered short course in Medical Ethics for seminary students interested in hospital chaplaincy work.

Professional

1. Maffoni M., Olson K., Hynes J., et al. (2021) A journey through roses and thorns: becoming a physician by learning from patients with life-threatening illnesses. A qualitative study with international medical students. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2021; xx:1800. doi: 10.4081/monaldi. [Epub ahead of print]

2. Williams V., Bradley R., Faruqui R., Hynes J., & Anderson J., (2021) COVID-19 pandemic moral injury in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. 1: doi: 10.1192/bjo.2021.204.

3. Hynes J. (2020) A Plea to Prevent Physical, Mental and Moral Injury to our Carers. Rapid Response BMJ.

4. Hynes J., Maffoni M., Argentero P.. Giorgi, I., Giardini A., (2019) Palliative medicine physicians: doomed to burn? BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; 9:45-46.

5. Maffoni M, Argentero P, Giorgi I, Hynes, J, & Guarding, A., (2019) Healthcare professionals’ moral distress in adult palliative care: a systematic review BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care Published Online First: . doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2018-00167

6. Hynes J., (2016) ‘I want you to pretend to be sincere’, Medical Education. (Wiley & Sons Ltd)

Book Chapter
7. Hynes J., (2012) ‘Virtue Theory: A Defence Against Consequentialism and Deontology in the Medical Ethical Arena’, McEvoy, J., Dunne, M., & Hynes, J., eds., ‘Thomas Aquinas: Teacher and Scholar: The Annual Aquinas Lectures Volume 2, (Dublin: Four Courts Press)

Edited Books
8. McEvoy, J, Dunne, M, & Hynes, J, eds. (2012), ‘Thomas Aquinas: Teacher and Scholar: The Annual Aquinas Lectures Volume 2, (Dublin: Four Courts Press)

9. Hynes, J., ed., (2011) Irish Philosophical Society Yearbook 2010.

10. McEvoy, J., & Dunne, M., eds,. Hynes J., assistant ed (2009) ‘The Irish Contribution to European Scholastic Thought’, (Dublin: Four Courts Press)