School of Medicine

Biography

Wayne Vaught is Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of Philosophy, Medicine and Bioethics. He came to UMKC in the fall of 1998 and holds a joint appointment between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. His Ph.D. in Philosophy, with a concentration in Medical Ethics, is from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Dean Vaught’s primary research is in biomedical ethics, with a focus on ethical issues in pediatrics. He has published several papers in leading ethics journals including The Hastings Center Report, The Journal of Clinical Ethics and Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics. He is co-author of Ethics Across the Professions, Oxford University Press. Dean Vaught regularly teaches a popular anchor course “Money, Medicine and Morals” for the UMKC General Education Core.

In addition to his role as Dean of the College of Arts & Science, Dean Vaught has served as an expert consultant and advisor for ethics education for health professionals, including Truman Medical Center in Kansas City and Children’s Mercy Hospital and can regularly be heard on the radio as one of KCUR’s “Ethics Professors.” In his “free” time Dean Vaught is often sighted on the basketball court refereeing for local high schools.