She also held adjunct affiliation at the Center for Biomedical Ethics, Education & Research at Albany Medical College.

Payne wrote and taught on healthcare law,[3] end-of-life issues,[4][5] and careworker burnout.

[6] She served on the national advisory board of Americans for Better Care of the Dying (ABCD), and was active in Tennessee End of Life Partnership and the ethics committee of the Alive Hospice.

[18] Some of her publications are listed below to suggest the breadth of her interests and contributions, including some of her professional journal columns in 2020 about the COVID-19 pandemic.

[23][24] Kate Payne Clinical Medical Ethics Legacy Fund was established in her memory at Vanderbilt University.