Clinical & Organizational Ethicist · Educator · Researcher

Ruby
Shanker

MBBS, MHSc (Bioethics) · PhD Candidate

University Health Network — Toronto Rehab Women's College Hospital Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care Doctoral Candidate, IHPME & The Wilson Centre, U of T
Work With Ruby → Speaking & Scholarship
Ruby Shanker — Bioethicist

"There is a unique energy of hope... to ask the morally tough questions — to repair and heal from point of care across to leadership."

— Ruby Shanker, Women's College Hospital
Clinical Ethics · Organizational Ethics · Bioethics Education · Social Justice

About

Ethics is about Perspectives,
(relations of) Power, and Process.

Dr. Ruby Shanker is a Clinical & Organizational Ethicist at University Health Network's Toronto Rehab, Women's College Hospital, and the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care. Her work sits at the intersection of clinical practice, organizational decision-making, and education — bringing an ethically grounded, equity-centred lens to some of healthcare's most complex questions.

Her first profession is medicine. With a background in general and community medicine, Ruby brings lived clinical experience to bioethics practice — navigating the real tensions that arise between patients, families, and healthcare systems every day.

She teaches the Teaching Bioethics course (CHL3002Y) in the University of Toronto's MHSc Bioethics program at the Joint Centre for Bioethics, and is a doctoral candidate in Health Professions Education Research through IHPME and The Wilson Centre — where her work draws on post-structuralist thought to trace power, voice, and moral resistance within healthcare ethics practice.

MD
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Clinical experience in general and community medicine
M
Master of Health Sciences in Bioethics — University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
F
Fellowship in Clinical & Organizational Bioethics University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
Dr
Doctoral Candidate — Health Professions Education Research IHPME & The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto

Research & Interests

Areas of inquiry
and practice.

⚕

Clinical & End-of-Life Ethics

Ethics of acute care, chronic illness management, and end-of-life decisions including Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), capacity assessments, and Advance Care Planning.

🏥

Organizational & Discharge Ethics

Ethical considerations around Alternate Level of Care (ALC) status, discharge planning, and organizational decision-making around priority-setting and resource allocation.

♀

Reproductive Justice & Women's Health

Ethics in abortion care, moral injury, and conscientious care — including work with the Canadian Abortion Hospitals Network — alongside the ethics of caring for women living with HIV/AIDS.

⚖

Power, Privilege & Social Justice

Examining relations of power and oppression in healthcare through a post-structuralist lens. Cultural dexterity and ethical care for diverse patients, including LGBTQ2S+ and trans communities.

📚

Bioethics Education

Health professions education research and bioethics education for interprofessional audiences — exploring the hidden curriculum within healthcare ethics training and practice.

🤝

Patient Engagement

Patient empowerment and navigation of complex healthcare systems. Supporting patients and families in understanding their rights, roles, and choices within care contexts.

Philosophy

"Ethics is part of everyone's work. The values of our patients and healthcare professionals lie at the heart of many ethical issues."

Ruby approaches bioethics as an inherently collaborative discipline — one that must be attentive to diverse worldviews, life experiences, and the structural forces that shape healthcare encounters.

Her practice draws on frameworks including the IDEA Framework for clinical ethics (Identify, Determine, Explore, Act) and the Accountability for Reasonableness (A4R) approach for organizational ethics challenges.

At the heart of her work is a conviction that bioethics must constantly interrogate its own assumptions, amplify voices that are difficult to hear, and pursue equity not as an aspiration, but as a practice.

Scholarship

Selected publications
and presentations.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Where Do I Go to Wait? Ethical Considerations During the 90 Day Reflection Period for MAiD

Disha K, Bianchi A, Shanker R, Lukich N. Canadian Journal of Bioethics, 2023;6:70–4. doi:10.7202/1098559ar

Clinical Ethics Consultations: A Scoping Review of Reported Outcomes

Bell JA, Salis M, Tong E, et al., incl. Shanker RR. BMC Medical Ethics, 2022;23(1):99. doi:10.1186/s12910-022-00832-6

A Scoping Review of the Literature on Public Solicitations for Living Organ and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donations

Shanker RR, Anthony SJ, Wright L. Progress in Transplantation, 2018;28(3):288–295. doi:10.1177/1526924818781578

Book Chapters

Ethical Issues in the Care and Support of Women Living with HIV

Shanker RR, Nicholson V, Underhill A, Kennedy L, Jaworsky D, Loutfy M. In Ethical Issues in Women's Health Care: Practice & Policy. Oxford University Press USA, 2019.

Our Last, Best Judgement: Assisted Death for Intolerable, Irremediable Suffering in Mental Health/Substance Use

Reel K, Macri R, Dembo JS, Bean S, Shanker RR, Costa L, Waxman R. In Ethics in Mental Health-Substance Use. Taylor & Francis, 2017.

Upcoming in 2026

When Silence Speaks: Bioethics Beyond the Emperor's Parade

18th World Congress of Bioethics — Johannesburg, South Africa

July 2026

Power, Voice, and Moral Resistance: A Post-Structuralist Lens on Clinical Ethics

20th International Conference on Clinical Ethics & Consultation — Cleveland, USA

June 2026

Tracing Power and Resistance: A Commensal, Ethics-Informed Intervention in Post-Acute Rehabilitation Care

International Congress on Academic Medicine — Ottawa, Canada

April 2026

Ruby has delivered 80+ invited presentations, conference papers, and workshops across international, national, and local venues since 2013.

Engagements

A decade of presenting
and convening.

80+
Talks & workshops since 2013
4
Continents & international congresses
2026
Three international conferences this year
5
2015
4
2016
13
2017
9
2018
7
2019
1
2020
1
2021
4
2022
0
2023
1
2024
3
2025
6
2026
2026
When Silence Speaks: Bioethics Beyond the Emperor's Parade
18th World Congress of Bioethics, Johannesburg, South Africa
International
2026
Power, Voice, and Moral Resistance: A Post-Structuralist Lens on Clinical Ethics
20th International Conference on Clinical Ethics & Consultation, Cleveland, USA
International
2026
Tracing Power and Resistance: A Commensal, Ethics-Informed Intervention
International Congress on Academic Medicine, Ottawa, Canada
International
2026
Moral Injury and Ethics in Abortion Care
Canadian Abortion Hospitals Network — Atlantic Meeting
National
2025
Moral Injury and Ethics in Abortion Care
Abortion Care Canada Conference
National
2024
Bioethics for the New World
Toronto Metropolitan University Bioethics Day
National
2022
Bioethics and Activism — Moderated Panel
Canadian Bioethics Society, Conversations in Canadian Bioethics Series
National
2022
Patient Rights 101 on Common Ethical Themes
Dying With Dignity Canada Learning Centre (Webinar)
National
2020
Embedding a Pedagogy of Solidarity within Healthcare Ethics Practice
16th Annual International Conference on Clinical Ethics
International
2019
Social Determinants of Health and the Kaleidoscope of Realities
MedX Annual Conference, Hamilton
Provincial
2018
Beyond Gender Binaries: Ethical Reflections for the 21st Century Lab Professional
Plenary, LABCON 2018 — Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
Provincial
2017
Making Peace with Clinical Uncertainty: Epistemic Humility through Ethics Education
5th International Association for Education in Ethics Conference
International
2015
The Circle of Care: Questions Arising for Ethicists on Information Access
11th Annual International Conference on Clinical Ethics & Consultation
International

Selected highlights shown. Bars reflect peer-reviewed conference presentations and invited talks documented from 2015 onward.

Speaking & Engagements

Invite Ruby to speak
or facilitate.

Ruby brings clinical depth, scholarly rigour, and a clear, human voice to audiences ranging from frontline clinicians to hospital boards and international conferences. Engagements can be tailored to your audience, format, and time.

01

Keynotes & Plenaries

Big-picture talks on ethics, power, and care

Thought-provoking keynote addresses that connect everyday clinical realities to the deeper questions of voice, equity, and moral resistance in healthcare — grounded in both medicine and bioethics.

Moral injury & conscientious care Power & voice in healthcare Ethics beyond the "emperor's parade"
02

Workshops & Education

Interactive sessions for clinical teams

Hands-on, case-based workshops that build ethical confidence across interprofessional teams — from navigating capacity and consent to recognising the hidden curriculum in everyday practice.

Clinical ethics consultation skills Teaching bioethics Reproductive justice & abortion care
03

Panels & Moderation

Informed voices on complex questions

A measured, well-prepared panellist and moderator for conferences, rounds, and public conversations on contested issues — bringing balance and clarity to emotionally and ethically charged topics.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Equity, diversity & inclusion Women's health & HIV ethics
04

Consultation & Advisory

Organizational & programmatic ethics support

Beyond the podium, Ruby advises healthcare organizations on building and strengthening ethics programs, navigating policy questions, and embedding ethical decision-making into governance.

Organizational ethics Policy & ethics review Ethics program development

Have an event, team, or organization in mind?

Start a conversation →

Roles & Affiliations

Where I work
and contribute.

UHN Toronto Rehab

Clinical & Organizational Ethicist

Providing clinical and organizational ethics consultation, education, and program support at University Health Network's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Previously served at Toronto General Hospital (2016–2020).

2021 — Present
Women's College Hospital

Clinical & Organizational Ethicist

Supporting staff, patients, and families through the WCH Ethics Program with consultations, policy guidance, and organizational ethics work focused on equity and inclusion — including reproductive justice and conscientious care.

2016 — Present
Yee Hong Centre

Clinical & Organizational Ethicist

Providing ethics consultation and organizational ethics support at the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, one of Canada's largest not-for-profit providers of culturally appropriate seniors' care.

2026 — Present
University of Toronto

Course Instructor, Teaching Bioethics (CHL3002Y)

Teaching the graduate Teaching Bioethics course in the MHSc Bioethics program at the Joint Centre for Bioethics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Associate (Restricted) Member, School of Graduate Studies.

2017 — Present
Research Ethics Boards

REB Member — Scientific & Ethics Expertise

Member of the Women's College Hospital Research Ethics Board and alternate member of the University Health Network Research Ethics Board. Previously served on the Public Health Ontario Ethics Review Board (2018–2024).

2016 — Present

Profiles & Features

Ruby, around
the web.

Women's College Hospital

Meet Ruby Shanker!

A staff spotlight feature on Ruby's day-to-day ethics practice, her path from medicine to bioethics, and what drives her work in equity-centred care.

Read the feature →

WCH Ethics Program

Leading the Ethics Program at WCH

Ruby oversees the Women's College Hospital Ethics Program, providing consultation for staff, patients, and families on ethically complex decisions.

Visit the program →

University of Toronto

Joint Centre for Bioethics Profile

Ruby's faculty affiliate profile at the JCB, covering her teaching, areas of interest, and contributions to Canada's leading bioethics centre.

View profile →

UHN Research

Researcher Profile

Ruby's research profile at University Health Network, Canada's largest research hospital network and a member of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network.

View profile →

Google Scholar

Citations & Publications

Ruby's scholarly work spanning bioethics, medicine, social justice, and health professions education research.

View scholar profile →

Academia.edu

Papers & Working Drafts

Ruby's collected academic papers, including her work on the hidden curriculum in bioethics education and clinical ethics consultation.

Browse papers →

Contact

Let's start
a conversation.

Ruby is available for ethics consulting and speaking engagements. For enquiries, please reach out via the form or directly by email.

Clinical & organizational ethics consultation Keynotes, panels & invited talks Workshops & education sessions Policy development & ethics review
✉
Email
rshankerconsultancy@outlook.com
in
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/rubyshanker