Fulbright Honor Takes Gielen’s Research to India

For eight months beginning January 2027, Gielen will be based in New Delhi, India, where he will conduct research at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital. He also will offer a seven-part seminar series on ethical decision-making in healthcare at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh.
 
“My Fulbright research will examine how patients, families and clinicians in India navigate end-of-life decision-making, with a particular focus on the ethical tensions that arise when biomedical norms, family-centered values and evolving legal frameworks intersect,” said Gielen. “Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, I will try to understand how decisions are actually made in this clinical setting.”
 
Gielen’s interest in this topic stems from more than two decades of work at the intersection of palliative care, spirituality ethics and cultural diversity in India, Europe and the United States.
 
“This project will lead to insights that can help ethicists and policymakers worldwide rethink communication practices, strengthen ethical guidelines and design policies that respect cultural diversity and patient rights,” he added.
 
Gielen will return to Duquesne with new insights that will integrate into his teaching, mentoring and program development.
 
“This experience will enrich our courses in global health ethics and provide students with new case studies, research opportunities and comparative perspectives that prepare them to navigate ethically complex situations in an increasingly interconnected world,” Gielen said.

One of the nation’s most prestigious international research awards, the Fulbright Program was established by Congress in 1946 to increase mutual understanding and support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the United States and of other countries. The Program awards approximately 8,000 merit-based grants every year to accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields.  
 

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