Courtenay  Bruce

Courtenay Bruce, JD, MA, CPHQ

Associate Professor of Medicine, Academic Institute
Houston Methodist


Biography

Professor Bruce is currently Associate Chief Experience Officer at Houston Methodist Hospital Systems and associate professor at the Institute of Academic Medicine at Houston Methodist and an adjunct associate professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. She helps develop, support, implement, monitor, and sustain patient and family experience initiatives and oversees some patient-centered digital technology programs and pilot projects.

In terms of her research productivity, Professor Bruce has been awarded 4 local grants, served as a co-investigator on multiple federally-funded grants, and has written over 65 articles in peer-reviewed medical, legal, and ethics journals. She has served as first author in over 50 articles. She has served as first author of 2 textbooks and 5 book chapters.

With regard to her teaching activities, Professor Bruce has taught over 3,000 medical students and residents, nurses, and other allied healthcare professionals. In recognition of her teaching effectiveness and educational contributions, she has been awarded the Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award in Enduring Education, the Norton Rose Fulbright Excellence Award in Educational Leadership, and the Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching and Evaluation.

Professor Bruce has developed and/or sustained at least 15 ethics committees for various hospitals and has served as an ethics consultant to several others. She conducted over 4,000 ethics consultations in tertiary and community hospitals throughout the nation.

As a result of her contributions to ethics, she has been selected for numerous leadership positions on national committees for bioethics and was a representative on the ethics committee for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

She has a doctorate of Jurisprudence, a Master's degree in Bioethics, a certification in mediation, and a law license for the state of Texas. She completed a two-year fellowship in bioethics at the Cleveland Clinic. She was also among the first cohort of nationally-credentialed clinical ethicists. She is also a certified professional healthcare quality consultant (CPHQ).

Description of Research

Outcomes-based quality improvement in healthcare

Patient-centered, digital technologies and innovation

Process engineering in healthcare

Clinical ethics consultation

Patient-centered decision making

Surrogate decision making

Transplantation ethics

Critical care ethics

Education & Training

MA, Case Western Reserve University
JD, University of Houston Law Center
BA, Texas A&M University
Publications

Impacts of an Acute Care Telenursing Program on Discharge, Patient Experience, and Nursing Experience: Retrospective Cohort Comparison Study
Bruce, CR, Klahn, S, Randle, L, Li, X, Sayali, K, Johnson, B, Gomez, M, Howard, M, Schwartz, R & Sasangohar, F 2024, , Journal of medical Internet research, vol. 26, pp. e54330. https://doi.org/10.2196/54330

Investigating patient engagement associations between a postdischarge texting programme and patient experience, readmission and revisit rates outcomes
Bruce, C, Pinn-Kirkland, T, Meyers, A, Javaluyas, E, Osborn, J, Kelkar, S, Bruchhaus, L, McLaury, K, Sauceda, K, Carr, K, Garcia, C, Arabie, LA, Williams, T, Vozzella, G, Nisar, T, Schwartz, RL & Sasangohar, F 2024, , BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. e079775. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079775

Investigating patient engagement associations between a postdischarge texting programme and patient experience, readmission and revisit rates outcomes
Bruce, C, Pinn-Kirkland, T, Meyers, A, Javaluyas, E, Osborn, J, Kelkar, S, Bruchhaus, L, McLaury, K, Sauceda, K, Carr, K, Garcia, C, Arabie, LA, Williams, T, Vozzella, G, Nisar, T, Schwartz, RL & Sasangohar, F 2024, , BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 3, e079775. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079775

Impacts of an Acute Care Telenursing Program on Discharge, Patient Experience, and Nursing Experience: Retrospective Cohort Comparison Study
Bruce, CR, Klahn, S, Randle, L, Li, X, Sayali, K, Johnson, B, Gomez, M, Howard, M, Schwartz, R & Sasangohar, F 2024, , Journal of medical Internet research, vol. 26, no. 1, e54330. https://doi.org/10.2196/54330

Design and Integration of a Texting Tool to Keep Patients’ Family Members Updated During Hospitalization: Clinicians’ Perspectives
Bruce, CR, Kamencik-Wright, A, Zuniga-Georgy, N, Vinh, TM, Shah, H, Shallcross, J, Giammattei, C, O’Rourke, C, Smith, M, Bruchhaus, L, Bowens, Y, Goode, K, Arabie, LA, Sauceda, K, Pacha, M, Martinez, S, Chisum, J, Benjamin Saldaña, R, Nicholas Desai, S, Awar, M & Vernon, TR 2023, , Journal of Patient Experience, vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231160423

Design and Integration of a Texting Tool to Keep Patients’ Family Members Updated During Hospitalization: Family Members’ Perspectives
Bruce, CR, Kamencik-Wright, A, Zuniga-Georgy, N, Vinh, TM, Shah, H, Shallcross, J, Giammattei, C, O’Rourke, C, Smith, M, Bruchhaus, L, Bowens, Y, Goode, K, Arabie, LA, Sauceda, K, Pacha, M, Martinez, S, Chisum, J, Saldaña DO, RB, Desai, SN, Awar, M & R. Vernon, T 2023, , Journal of Patient Experience, vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231154963

Design and Integration of Mobile Health Technology in the Treatment of Orthopaedic Surgery: A Qualitative Study
Bruce, CR, Jones, SL, Kash, BA, Park, KJ, Schwartz, R, Saldana, R, Zheng, F, Desai, SN, Harrison, P, Vinh, T, Khleif, A, Tran, N, P, B, Shallcross, J, Giammattei, C & Sol, J 2022, , ACI Open, vol. 6, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1754011

Improving Psychiatric Care Through Integrated Digital Technologies
Fowler, JC, Madan, A, Bruce, CR, Frueh, BC, Kash, B, Jones, SL & Sasangohar, F 2021, , Journal of Psychiatric Practice, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 92-100. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRA.0000000000000535

Improving Psychiatric Care Through Integrated Digital Technologies
Fowler, JC, Madan, A, Bruce, CR, Frueh, BC, Kash, B, Jones, SL & Sasangohar, F 2021, , Journal of Psychiatric Practice, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 92-100. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRA.0000000000000535

Evaluating patient-centered mobile health technologies: Definitions, methodologies, and outcomes
Bruce, C, Harrison, P, Giammattei, C, Desai, SN, Sol, JR, Jones, S & Schwartz, R 2020, , JMIR mHealth and uHealth, vol. 8, no. 11, e17577, pp. e17577. https://doi.org/10.2196/17577

Assessing the Impact of Patient-Facing Mobile Health Technology on Patient Outcomes: Retrospective Observational Cohort Study
Bruce, CR, Harrison, P, Nisar, T, Giammattei, C, Tan, NM, Bliven, C, Shallcross, J, Khleif, A, Tran, N, Kelkar, S, Tobias, N, Chavez, AE, Rivera, D, Leong, A, Romano, A, Desai, SN, Sol, JR, Gutierrez, K, Rappel, C, Haas, E, Zheng, F, Park, KJ, Jones, S, Barach, P & Schwartz, R 2020, , JMIR mHealth and uHealth, vol. 8, no. 6, e19333, pp. e19333. https://doi.org/10.2196/19333

How Clinician–Family Interactions Potentially Impact Clinicians’ Conceptualization and Discussions Regarding Prognostic Uncertainties
Peoples, HA, Boone, B, Blumenthal-Barby, JS & Bruce, CR 2020, , Journal of Palliative Care, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 29-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0825859719845005

Why Families Get Angry: Practical Strategies for Clinical Ethics Consultants to Rebuild Trust Between Angry Families and Clinicians in the Critical Care Environment
Stephens, AL, Bruce, C, Childress, A & Malek, J 2019, , HEC Forum, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 201-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-019-09370-y

Developing, Administering, and Scoring the Healthcare Ethics Consultant Certification Examination
Bruce, CR, Feudtner, C, Davis, D, Benner, MB & Commission, FCFTHECC 2019, , Hastings Center Report, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 15-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1050

Managing conflict when there’s disagreement in care between medical providers, caregivers, and patient
Frugé, E, Sprehe, M, Loftis, L, Brown-Hellsten, M & Bruce, C 2019, . in Ethical Issues in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Springer International Publishing, pp. 57-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22684-8_4

Stakeholder insights from Zika virus infections in Houston, Texas, USA, 2016–2017
Morain, SR, Eppes, CS, Fisher, JW, Bruce, C, Rac, M, Aagaard, KM, Lunstroth, R, Fedson, S, Dinesh, P & Raphael, JL 2018, , Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 24, no. 11, pp. 2049-2055. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2411.172108

A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial of a Patient-Centered Ventricular Assist Device Decision Aid (VADDA Trial)
Kostick, KM, Bruce, CR, Minard, CG, Volk, RJ, Civitello, A, Krim, SR, Horstmanshof, D, Thohan, V, Loebe, M, Hanna, M, Bruckner, BA, Blumenthal­Barby, JS & Estep, JD 2018, , Journal of Cardiac Failure, vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 661-671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cardfail.2018.08.008

The work of ASBH's Clinical Ethics Consultation Affairs Committee: Development processes behind our educational materials
Bruce, CR, Jankowski, J, Chanko, BL, Cordes, A, Huberman, BJ, Johnson, LM, Kasman, DL, Katz, A, Robinson, EM, Wasson, K & Hardart, GE 2018, , Journal of Clinical Ethics, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 150-157.

Legislating medicine: The need for evidence, argument, and alliance
Bruce, C, Bibler, T, Childress, A & Fedson, S 2018, , Critical Care Medicine, vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 788-790. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002941

Legislating how critical care physicians discuss and implement do-not-resuscitate orders
Bruce, C, Bibler, T, Childress, A & Fedson, S 2018, , Journal of Critical Care, vol. 44, pp. 459-461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2017.12.010