Leslie Kuhnel, MPA, MSHCE

Leslie Kuhnel is the regional ethicist for CHI Health, an integrated faith-based healthcare system serving Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. In her role, she provides leadership for various healthcare ethics initiatives, serves as the primary ethics consultant for the region, and conducts numerous ethics education programs for healthcare professionals and the community. She facilitates several ethics committees and consults frequently with clinical staff, patients and their families about the ethical dimensions of healthcare delivery. Kuhnel has been serving in the Ethics Center since 2002. Kuhnel earned a Doctorate in Bioethics with concentrations in Catholic Bioethics and Clinical Ethics at Loyola University in Chicago in May 2018. She completed the Master’s of Science in Health Care Ethics (MSHCE) degree from Creighton University in 2013 and a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2005. Kuhnel has extensive experience in ethics consultation and policy development, particularly within the context of Catholic healthcare delivery. She has also been involved in leadership formation activities at the local and regional level. She serves on the Creighton University IRB. Her areas of interest include healthcare delivery throughout the care continuum, ethics and end-of-life care, advanced care planning and Advance Directives, diversity and cultural humility, healthcare access and disparity, and understanding the principles of ethics in action. Kuhnel has presented and published regionally, nationally and internationally on topics related to healthcare ethics.