Penn Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Pre-Hospital Triage Decision Making in Times of Scarce Resources – a Mixed Method Study within the Swiss Healthcare Setting"

Learn More 2025-07-22 12:00:00 2025-07-22 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Pre-Hospital Triage Decision Making in Times of Scarce Resources – a Mixed Method Study within the Swiss Healthcare Setting" Pre-Hospital Triage Decision Making in Times of Scarce Resources – a Mixed Method Study within the Swiss Healthcare Setting Elisabeth Stock Scientific Assistant PhD Candidate Institute for Biomedical Ethics Basel Switzerland The COVID-19 pandemic raised numerous ethical questions around the use of limited medical resources in emergency situations and beyond. In response, guidelines were drafted and implemented to ensure ethically sound rationing of critical resources. Numerous ethical guidelines have been developed on how to triage patients in hospitals, in cases where extensive medical care cannot be provided to all patients who need it. However, much less attention was given to drafting guidance on pre- and peri-hospital management under conditions of scarcity. Hence, there is little literature on direct or indirect forms of pre-hospital triage, which can often be implicit or non-transparent. This is problematic, as there are signs that some forms of triage happened in the pre- or peri-hospitalisation period, creating ethically questionable disparities, particularly concerning older patients. To explore the pre-triage mechanisms applied in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic amid medical resource scarcity, a qualitative interview study was carried out with 57 healthcare professionals from various Swiss healthcare organizations. Further, a survey was conducted with 213 older patients from four geriatric clinics to gather their opinions on the allocation of scarce medical resources. The aim of the presentation is to share the key findings of the study on our participants' experiences, perceptions, and opinions regarding pre-triage mechanisms during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics

July

29

Virtual, via Zoom

Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Trading Time for Tissue: The Morality of Organ Donation Programs in Prison Systems" with Paul Tubig

Learn More 2025-07-29 12:00:00 2025-07-29 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Trading Time for Tissue: The Morality of Organ Donation Programs in Prison Systems" with Paul Tubig Trading Time for Tissue: The Morality of Organ Donation Programs in Prison Systems Paul Tubig Assistant Professor of Philosophy Georgia Southern University The organ shortage crisis is not a new problem, but its persistence still leads to thousands of deaths annually as well as endangering many more. More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are awaiting an organ for transplant, and 17 people die each day on the waiting list. The transplant gap -- that is, the shortfall between demand for, and supply of, tissue for transplantation -- has led to various proposals to procure more organs from human donors. One recent proposal is to turn the incarcerated class as an untapped source of potential organ donors. Recently, Massachusetts lawmakers proposed a bill to allow incarcerated people to donate organs or bone marrow in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. The aim of this talk is to discuss the range of ethical issues that arise from such programs, including questions of informed consent in coercive settings, exploitation, and the commodification of incarcerated bodies. Paul Tubig is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgia Southern University. Paul writes, teaches, and speaks widely about the relationship between health and justice, and the ethics of transformative technologies, including body-modification technologies, in contexts of injustice. Streaming via Zoom. Virtual, via Zoom Penn Medical Ethics

September

9

Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Engagement of Americans of African Ancestry in Neuroscience Research - Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., PhD

Learn More 2025-09-09 12:00:00 2025-09-09 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Engagement of Americans of African Ancestry in Neuroscience Research - Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., PhD Engagement of Americans of African Ancestry in Neuroscience Research Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., PhD Co-Founder, African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative (AANRI) Founded in 2019, AANRI aims to address and rectify longstanding disparities in neuroscience research. Through this partnership, AANRI is committed to advancing scientific understanding, promoting racial equity in neuroscience and paving the way for inclusive biomedical research. More detail to follow. Registration required - lunch provided Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics

October

7

Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Decentralized Clinical Trials - Effy Vayena, PhD

Learn More 2025-10-07 12:00:00 2025-10-07 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Decentralized Clinical Trials - Effy Vayena, PhD Decentralized Clinical Trials Effy Vayena, PhD Effy Vayena is a Professor of Bioethics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and renowned expert at the intersection of medicine, data, and ethics. Her work focuses on important societal issues of data and technology as they relate to scientific progress and how it is or should be applied to public and personal health. More detail to follow. Registration Required. Lunch provided. Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics

November

11

Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Neuroscience Research Ethics - Anna Wexler, PhD

Learn More 2025-11-11 12:00:00 2025-11-11 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Neuroscience Research Ethics - Anna Wexler, PhD Neuroscience Research Ethics Anna Wexler, PhD Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy University of Pennsylvania Anna Wexler is the principal investigator of the Wexler Lab, where she studies the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding emerging technology. She is particularly interested in do-it-yourself (DIY) medicine, citizen science, direct-to-consumer (DTC) health products, online patient communities, neuroscience technology, and alternative neurotherapies. More detail to follow. Registration Required. Lunch provided. Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics

December

9

Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): What Makes Clinical Research Ethical - Christine Grady, MSN, PhD

Learn More 2025-12-09 12:00:00 2025-12-09 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): What Makes Clinical Research Ethical - Christine Grady, MSN, PhD What Makes Clinical Research Ethical? Christine Grady, MSN, PhD Former Chair, Department of Bioethics, NIH Clinical Center Dr. Grady has published widely in the biomedical and bioethics literature and authored or edited several books, including The Oxford Textbook of Clinical Research Ethics. Dr. Christine Grady's contributions are both conceptual and empirical and are primarily in the ethics of clinical research, including informed consent, vulnerability, study design, recruitment, and international research ethics, as well as ethical issues faced by nurses and other health care providers. More detail to follow. Registration Required. Lunch provided. Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics