Philosophy Department's 2024/25 Speaker Series is happy to have Ryan Hunton, DHSc, PA-C, give a talk titled "Clinical Reasoning in the Grey: Phenomenological Challenges in Diagnosis and Disease Classification" on  March 3, 2025. Ryan  is an Assistant Professor for the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, Department of Physician Assistant Studies (UKPAS). 

His current research interests are how clinical reasoning and differential diagnosis ability progresses through PA training, whether knowledge and skills in simulation training is translated to measurable behavioral and patient outcomes, and whether there is a measurable value of post-graduate clinical training for PAs. Ryan currently teaches pathophysiology and clinical methods, lectures in the clinical lecture series courses, and facilitates small groups in problem-based learning and simulation exercises.

Title: "Clinical Reasoning in the Grey: Phenomenological Challenges in Diagnosis and Disease Classification"

Abstract:  In pre-clinical training, health professional students gain foundational knowledge about the microscopic, macroscopic, and clinical manifestations of disease. Yet, even deep into the 21st century, the way we define diseases in the classroom and diagnose them in the clinical setting remains far from perfect. This persistent, and perhaps inescapable, lack of clarity often contributes to misdiagnosis, delays in treatment, and unnecessary use of healthcare resources. How we teach health professional students about these grey areas of medicine and the diagnostic process affects their readiness to address these challenges as they become clinicians. Especially in the context of the current American healthcare landscape, it is most important that these students realize their role as patient advocates and advocates for principles of evidence-based medicine.