Rate My Professor DiAnn Ecret

DiAnn Ecret serves as Chair of the Department of Nursing and Associate Professor of Nursing at Ave Maria University. She earned her Ph.D. in Health Care Ethics from Duquesne University in 2018, with a dissertation titled "Using an Ethics of Care to Re-interpret Consent in the Management of Care for Addiction Disorders." Her earlier degrees include an M.S.N. in Nursing Leadership and Education from Wilmington University, a B.S.N. from Wilmington University, an M.A. Certificate in Theology and Ethics from Villanova University, and initial nursing credentials from Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing in Camden, New Jersey. A registered nurse with over 30 years of clinical experience, Dr. Ecret previously held a position as an instructor at Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing during her doctoral studies.

At Ave Maria University, Dr. Ecret leads the nursing program, emphasizing Catholic principles in education, and teaches courses including Catholic Bioethics as part of the Pursuit of Wisdom series. Since 2016, she has been a staff ethicist, nurse planner, and adjunct lecturer at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, contributing to resources on topics such as end-of-life care, prenatal diagnosis, and the duty to care during pandemics. Her research specializes in healthcare ethics, focusing on the effects of professional hierarchies on moral silence and ethical decision-making. A notable publication is her co-authored peer-reviewed article, "The Effect of Hierarchy on Moral Silence in Healthcare: What Can the Holocaust Teach Us?" with Ashley K. Fernandes, published in Conatus – Journal of Philosophy (Volume 4, Issue 2, 2019). This work draws historical parallels to advocate for Holocaust education in medical curricula, formative ethics training, personalistic anthropology in care, and legal protections for conscience. Dr. Ecret has also co-authored commentaries on revisions to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.