Dr. Buchanan is an Assistant Professor with the UK Program for Bioethics. She received her PhD in Philosophy in 2017 from the University of Kentucky and completed a Bioethics Internship at UK prior to joining the Program for Bioethics as a Post-Doctoral Scholar.

Dr. Buchanan wrote her dissertation on personhood and autonomy in 19th century German philosophy, and has presented numerous papers on topics in the history of philosophy. She has taught a wide variety of upper level university courses, including business ethics, feminist theory, political and social philosophy, existential philosophy, issues in death and dying, and the history of modern philosophy, as well as many introductory-level philosophy courses. In the hospital setting, Dr. Buchanan has given presentations on ethical issues covering a wide range of topics, including outpatient cancer care and hospital care for refugee patients.

Dr. Buchanan is an active member of the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service; she rounds throughout the hospital and serves on the hospital ethics committee; and she leads ethics education conferences for multiple units. Dr. Buchanan’s research interests include reproductive ethics, definitions of personhood and capacity, research and laboratory ethics, and ethics of surrogate decision-making.