Ethics Staff

Brian M. Kane is senior director of ethics for the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). Dr. Kane serves as a resource for CHA members, including theologians, ethicists and executives within the ministry, as well as CHA staff and other individuals and groups with shared interests.He is responsible for developing programs and materials on clinical and organizational ethics and assisting in promoting Church relations between the ministry and individual bishops, as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He is editor of Health Care Ethics USA and writes a regular column for Health Progress.Prior to joining CHA in September 2019, Dr. Kane was dean of the division of liberal arts and social sciences, and director of international academic affairs at DeSales University, Center Valley, Penn.In his role at DeSales, Dr. Kane managed the academic programs of one of five divisions, and was responsible for negotiating, assessing and maintaining the academic international partnerships of the university. He was also legal representative to Italy and the Vatican and served as representative to the Salesian communities in Arusha, Tanzania; Bangalore, India; and Guwahati, India.In addition, he was consultant to the ethics program at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, Allentown, Penn., where he conducted clinical ethical consults, advised on polices regarding bioethics, assisted with ethics education, and served on the Institutional Review Board (IRB).Dr. Kane writes and lectures on issues in bioethics, health care and Catholic moral teaching. Publications include The Blessing of Life: An Introduction to Catholic Bioethics (Rowman and Littlefield, 2011); and Just War and the Common Good: Jus ad Bellum Principles in Twentieth Century Papal Thought (Catholic Scholars Press, 1997). Articles include “Pacifism” for the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought (Scarecrow Press, 2008); and, for the National Catholic News Service, “Patriotism” (January 2002), “Is Just War Impossible?” (November 2001), “Vacations and Spirituality” (August 2001), “New Catholic Marriage Traditions” (June 2001), and “GenX Catholics” (October 2000).Dr. Kane received his bachelor of arts degree in English literature, peace studies and religious studies from Manhattan College (1983); his master of theological studies degree in social ethics from Boston University (1985); and his doctorate in Catholic moral theology from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisc. (1994).Contact

Nathaniel Blanton Hibner, Ph.D., is senior director of ethics for the Catholic Health Association of the United States. In this role, he provides research and suggested implementation of the church's moral tradition for CHA member organizations in areas of clinical and organizations ethics. Nathaniel creates educational and formational programming on moral theology and its relationship to current topics for the Catholic health ministry.Prior to joining CHA in 2017, Nathaniel earned his Ph.D. from the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University, where he researched organizational ethics, bioethics and Catholic health care ethics. He also taught an undergraduate course on Foundations in Health Care Ethics. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and theology and a master's degree in theological studies from Boston College. He also has a master's degree in health care ethics from Saint Louis University.Contact