Ford, Paul Jason, PhD

Dr. Paul Jason Ford is a clinical ethicist and philosopher with over 20 years of experience providing neuroethics consultation, empirical ethics research, and ethics education in the context of neurological research and clinical care.

Dr. Ford is recognized for his sustained contributions to research ethics in vulnerable neurological populations, his development of novel ethical frameworks for neurosurgical and device research, and his role as a consent monitor and ethics core co-director for the Cleveland FES Center. He is also Director of the Cleveland Clinic NeuroEthics Program, which conducts cutting-edge scholarly and empirical neuroethics research and develops and promulgates best ethical practices in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.

Dr. Ford joined the professional staff in the Department of Bioethics at Cleveland Clinic in the spring of 2001. He received a B.A. in Computer Science and Humanities and a B.S. in Mathematics from Walla Walla University in 1995. Subsequently, he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University while participating in a two year transplantation ethics fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Ford was awarded a year long Educational Fellowship from the Cleveland Clinic Division of Education in 2009. He has been active in ethics consultation since arriving at Cleveland Clinic and has performed approximately 2,500 ethics consultation cases primarily using an individual consultant model.

Dr. Ford currently holds an appointment of Associate Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case. He actively teaches medical students, residents, and fellows, and has presented to audiences including the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues and the NIH Clinical Center Department of Bioethics.

Dr. Ford’s empirical ethics research employs qualitative methods — including focus groups, individual interviews, Delphi panels, and community conversations — to investigate the experiences of patients and research participants in neurological studies. He currently holds an NIH-funded research grant as multi-PI with a biomedical engineer studying prosthetics and ethics, and serves as an ethics representative on the NINDS single DSMB for all intramural research.

Dr. Ford’s primary research interests focus on ethical issues raised by neurosurgical interventions. He works closely with the Deep Brain Stimulator Team and the Epilepsy Surgery Team. He has co-edited two books and is the author of more than 70 publications. These include authorship in journal articles that have appeared in Science, The Hastings Center Report, Neurology, Neuromodulation, and Journal of Medical Ethics as well as book chapters, and invited editorials (see CV for full list here).

In terms of professional service, Dr. Ford has presented to audiences including the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, the NIH Clinical Center Department of Bioethics and the Board on Health Sciences Policy at the Institute of Medicine. He has served on editorial boards as a peer-reviewer, and has organized international conferences. He lectures nationally and internationally on a range of issues that include neuro-ethics, clinical ethics consultation, transplantation ethics, and engineering-computer ethics.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Research ethics in vulnerable neurological populations and neurosurgical patients
• Ethical frameworks for invasive neuroscience and brain device research
• Empirical qualitative ethics research (focus groups, interviews, Delphi panels)
• Ethics of clinical care in neurological disease, including moral distress and trauma-informed approaches
• Team science ethics and underlying assumptions in basic and clinical research.

MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING

• NIH-Funded Research, multi-PI with a biomedical engineer studying prosthetics and ethics (current)
• NIH-Funded Research, co-investigator on ethics of the choice of invasive versus non-invasive neurosurgery, examining different stakeholders’ perspectives and surgical decision-making
• NIH BRAIN Initiative Funded Research, Co-investigator on ethics of patients’ and care partners’ perspectives on personality change in Parkinson’s disease and deep brain stimulation
• Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant-Funded Research, co-investigator on optimizing decision support for Alzheimer’s disease research
• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Catalyst Grant, co-investigator on building trust in neurological research through community partnerships

HONORS & RECOGNITION

• Cleveland Clinic Annual Care Giver Award for Inclusion, Cleveland Clinic, 2023
• Mentor of the Year (Bioethics), Cleveland Clinic, 2020
• Scholarship in Teaching Award, Case Western Reserve University, 2011
• Senator C. Hieronymous Award in the Medical Humanities, Vanderbilt University, 2000