Profile
The Rev. Daniel E. Hall, M.D., M.Div, M.H.Sc., is a general surgeon with training in health services research, quality improvement, moral philosophy, and theology. His diverse portfolio of work aims to develop reliable systems of healthcare delivery that are both technically excellent and directed toward the normative good of human flourishing, conceptualized as the well-functioning of the whole person as appropriate to each patient's vocation. Methods include statistical modeling of large datasets, surveys, qualitative interviews, focus groups, decision support, quality improvement, and implementation science. His specific interests include the measurement and mitigation of surgical frailty, long term loss of independence after surgery, shared decision making, medical ethics, and the formation of virtues necessary for the practice of good medicine. With colleagues across the nation, Dr. Hall led the development, international diffusion, and formal VHA adoption of the Surgical Pause, a program that screens frail patients prior to surgery so that decision-making and care plans can be optimized.