Follow Upcoming Events
April
14
Hybrid: 11-102AB 3600 Civic Ctr Blvd (and virtual via Zoom)

Research Ethics & Policy Series (REPS): "Hoping for a Phoenix: Building a Better NIH on the Rubble" - Robert Cook-Deegan, MD

Learn More 2026-04-14 12:00:00 2026-04-14 13:00:00 America/New_York Research Ethics & Policy Series (REPS): "Hoping for a Phoenix: Building a Better NIH on the Rubble" - Robert Cook-Deegan, MD Hoping for a Phoenix:  Building a Better NIH on the Rubble   Robert Cook-Deegan, MD Professor School for the Future of Innovation in Society Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes Arizona State University The National Institute of Health (and a National Cancer Institute) went into World War II as a small government lab, a bit player in biomedical research dominated by the Carnegie Corporation, Rockefeller Foundation, and academic-industry collaborations in endocrinology and biochemistry.  During the War, biomedical research went Big, with massive efforts to develop vaccines, antimalarials, penicillin and corticosteroids.  The National Institutes of Health as we know it emerged with the release of penicillin contract left-overs that initiated the extramural grants program.  Year after year, with a few exceptions, Congress piled money on a growing base.  A vibrant political coalition fueled meteoric growth.  Institutes proliferated, and NIH became the Gigantor of global biomedical research, spawning Nobel Prizes and sometimes finding cures.  Its peer review system sustained broad areas of research, and fueled the molecular biology revolution.  But NIH also began to ossify as layers of procedure accumulated.  Mary Lasker lamented NIH’s focus on scientific curiosity even as patients died, and tried to pull NCI out of NIH.  Grant proposals became phone books; peer review favored conservative projects sure of success at the expense of wildcatting.  Private philanthropies and a new ARPA-H filled some gaps.  But decades of calls for structural reform and simplification of paperwork led to little.  The advent of a federal Administration suspicious of elites and tin-eared regarding health research wrought havoc, exposing vulnerabilities that had worried scientists about federal dependency even as World War II ended.  Those fears came home to roost in 2025.  Yet after a tumultuous year of grant cuts and staff reductions the budget remains stable.  Is there an opportunity for improvement, not by beheading and decimating, but by rethinking and true reform?  Let’s explore the possibilities. Registration required; Lunch provided Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: 11-102AB 3600 Civic Ctr Blvd (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics
April
15
3600 Civic Center Blvd., Rm 8-031

MEHP Special Lecture: "Kinks in the Triple Helix" - Robert Cook-Deegan, MD

Learn More 2026-04-15 09:00:00 2026-04-15 10:00:00 America/New_York MEHP Special Lecture: "Kinks in the Triple Helix" - Robert Cook-Deegan, MD Kinks in the Triple Helix   Robert Cook-Deegan, MD Professor - School for the Future of Innovation in Society Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes Arizona State University Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff proposed the triple helical model of innovation (government, industry, and academe) three decades ago. Previously, Vannevar Bush attributed victory in World War II to successful partnerships among the three strands and proposed that creation of new knowledge through research was a crucial government responsibility. Biomedical research subsequently grew by several orders of magnitude, driven by public investment, transformation of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and the emergence of biotechnology. Yet, key kinks in the triple helix have never been fully untangled: who owns what, who should capture the returns from new goods and services, who receives credit for their creation and development, how does the public ultimately benefit from the research “investments” made with their tax dollars, and what ownership stake, if any, do individuals have in their genes, genomes, and even malignant cancers? This talk explores concrete cases, enduring legal and policy dilemmas, and current proposals shaping how discoveries move from bench to bedside. Registration Required: Breakfast Provided 3600 Civic Center Blvd., Rm 8-031 Penn Medical Ethics
April
21
3600 Civic Center Blvd., 8-304

Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Measuring Implementation of Abortion Law, Globally" - Patricia Skuster, JD, MPP

Learn More 2026-04-21 12:00:00 2026-04-21 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Measuring Implementation of Abortion Law, Globally" - Patricia Skuster, JD, MPP Measuring Implementation of Abortion Law, Globally   Patricia Skuster, JD, MPP Associate Director of Accreditation Core MPH teaching faculty, Master’s in Public Health Program University of Pennsylvania The World Health Organization issues guidelines on abortion care, which include recommendations on abortion law and policy. WHO monitors adherence to its guidelines through tracking the abortion laws and policies of every WHO member state. As part of this work, Patty Skuster is currently leading a project with WHO to measure implementation of abortion law, globally.  The project includes the formation of a theoretical framework for measuring implementation of law, creation of 50 implementation indicators, collection of data for each WHO member state, and the development of composite indicators for comparison between countries and over time. In this talk, Skuster will also describe preceding work on causal modeling of the effect of abortion law on health outcomes, and challenges in bridging theories of policy implementation with identification of suitable metrics. 3600 Civic Center Blvd., 8-304 Penn Medical Ethics
April
28
3600 Civic Center Blvd., 8-304

Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Listening From the Inside: Partnering With Incarcerated Men to Navigate Health and Dignity"- Rose Onyeali, MD, MSHP

Learn More 2026-04-28 12:00:00 2026-04-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Listening From the Inside: Partnering With Incarcerated Men to Navigate Health and Dignity"- Rose Onyeali, MD, MSHP Listening From the Inside: Partnering With Incarcerated Men to Navigate Health and Dignity   Rose Onyeali, MD, MSHP Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) Perelman School of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   While in medical school, Dr. Onyeali led the community outreach program for SNMA. She moved to Philadelphia to complete her residency in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where she was an active member of the hospital’s Ethics Committee, co-founded the Women in Medicine program for the Internal Medicine Residency, and actively contributed to the Jefferson Alliance for Minority Health. During her fellowship, she observed gaps in the health care transitions of older incarcerated adults into the community, which led to her research interest in transitions of care of incarcerated adults with cognitive and functional impairment. More detail to follow. 3600 Civic Center Blvd., 8-304 Penn Medical Ethics
May
5
Virtual via Zoom

MEHP Special Lecture: "The EMA's Approach to Supporting Rare Disease Drug Development" - Caroline Pothet

Learn More 2026-05-05 12:00:00 2026-05-05 13:00:00 America/New_York MEHP Special Lecture: "The EMA's Approach to Supporting Rare Disease Drug Development" - Caroline Pothet The EMA's Approach to Supporting Rare Disease Drug Development Caroline Pothet Head of Office, Advanced Therapies and Haemato-Oncology European Medicines Agency (EMA) The European Medicines Agency (EMA) supports rare disease drug development through a coordinated framework intended to reduces barriers and accelerates medicine development. This presentation will outline how early scientific dialogue, tailored evidence‑generation strategies, and flexible regulatory pathways help developers advance innovative approaches for the benefit of patients. Key tools include orphan designation, early interaction tools, the PRIME scheme for medicines addressing high unmet need, scientific advice and risk-based approaches to trial design, evidence generation and data requirements. The EMA also strengthens development through patient involvement, multi‑stakeholder collaboration, and international partnerships that promote regulatory convergence. By combining scientific rigour with proportional flexibility, the EMA enables more efficient development of high‑quality therapies for rare conditions. The session will highlight current practices and opportunities for developers engaging with the Agency. Caroline Pothet is a pharmacist with a master’s degree in Drug Development and Global Registration of Medicines from Paris University. Before joining the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2020, she spent 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry in regulatory policy, regulatory affairs and clinical development, covering all stages of development and major submission types (incl. clinical trial applications, paediatric plans, request for scientific advice, orphan designation and marketing applications). From 2010 to 2020, she led regulatory strategy and clinical programme designs in oncology and immuno‑inflammation. Working closely with multidisciplinary teams, she deepened her expertise in clinical and methodological aspects of drug development in these therapeutic areas. At EMA, Caroline initially supported the Committee for Advanced Therapies, Scientific Advice, and the Oncology and Haematology Office. She now heads the Office for Advanced Therapies and Haemato‑Oncology. She also leads the REVAMP project on optimising assessment reports, supports the Oncology and Haematology Working Parties, and contributes to the Clinical Data Submission Programme. Virtual via Zoom Penn Medical Ethics
May
12
Hybrid: 11-102AB 3600 Civic Ctr Blvd (and virtual via Zoom)

Research Ethics & Policy Series (REPS): Ethics of Palliative Care Trials - Katherine Courtright, MD, MSHP

Learn More 2026-05-12 12:00:00 2026-05-12 13:00:00 America/New_York Research Ethics & Policy Series (REPS): Ethics of Palliative Care Trials - Katherine Courtright, MD, MSHP Ethics of Palliative Care Trials Katherine Courtright, MD, MSHP Assistant Professor of Medicine Director of Palliative Care Research in the Department of Medicine Core Faculty, PAIR Center University of Pennsylvania Dr. Katherine (Kate) Courtright is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Palliative Care Research in the Department of Medicine, and Core Faculty at the PAIR Center. She attends in the medical intensive care unit and on the inpatient palliative care consult team at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  Dr. Courtright’s research focuses on optimizing the quality and outcomes of palliative care for individuals with serious illness. Her major research interests include developing and implementing novel, scalable strategies to promote timely and equitable palliative care and serious illness communication and evaluating their effects in large pragmatic clinical trials. Relatedly, she is interested in developing innovative approaches to measure patient-centered outcomes reliably and pragmatically using routinely available clinical and administrative data. More detail to follow. Registration required; Lunch provided Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: 11-102AB 3600 Civic Ctr Blvd (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics
May
14
CCB 08-031, 8th Floor, 3600 Civic Center Blvd. (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.)

Health Policy Research Seminar: Sameed Khatana, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Learn More 2026-05-14 10:00:00 2026-05-14 11:00:00 America/New_York Health Policy Research Seminar: Sameed Khatana, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Topic: “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Cardiovascular Health.” Food insecurity has been associated with a number of adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular mortality. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest food-purchasing assistance program and is strongly associated with lower food insecurity. How SNAP impacts health outcomes is less clear, but there is growing evidence that it likely contributes to improved health. Dr. Khatana will discuss recently published and ongoing work, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, that uses different causal inference techniques to identify the impact of SNAP on population and individual-level health outcomes. Sameed Khatana, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and a physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Penn Cardiovascular Outcomes, Quality, and Evaluative Research (CAVOQER) Center. Dr. Khatana’s research interests include understanding the impact of socioeconomic and environmental factors on cardiovascular health as well as the quantitative evaluation of the health impact of public policies. He has received grant support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association. His research has been published in high impact medical journals including JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Circulation and has been covered by multiple news outlets including CNN, Reuters, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. CCB 08-031, 8th Floor, 3600 Civic Center Blvd. (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.) Penn Medical Ethics
May
19
Virtual, via Zoom

Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Organ Diversion or Match Run Deviation? Ethical Considerations in Allocation Out of Sequence" - Andrew M. Courtwright, MD, PhD

Learn More 2026-05-19 12:00:00 2026-05-19 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Organ Diversion or Match Run Deviation? Ethical Considerations in Allocation Out of Sequence" - Andrew M. Courtwright, MD, PhD Organ Diversion or Match Run Deviation? Ethical Considerations in Allocation Out of Sequence   Andrew M. Courtwright, MD, PhD Clinician, Division of Pulmonary Medicine Adjunct Professor, University of Utah Department of Philosophy University of Utah Health The rise of Allocation Out of Sequence (AOOS) in organ transplantation in the United States has raised significant ethical concerns. By the end of 2024, 20% of kidneys were transplanted out of the standard match sequence, drawing regulatory scrutiny. Critics argue that AOOS amounts to organ diversion: it fails to prevent organ nonuse, does not address underlying inefficiencies in organ allocation, lacks transparency, and worsens transplant-related disparities. In this talk, Dr. Courtwright discusses the factors contributing to the expansion of AOOS and evaluates the normative arguments for and against its use.  Drawing on a constructivist framework, he argues that AOOS violates the expectation that allocation policies be grounded in collective agreement. Dr. Courtwright identifies considerations that should inform Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network policy revisions, emphasizing the need for shared norms to ensure procedural legitimacy. Virtual, via Zoom Penn Medical Ethics
June
2
Hybrid: 11-102AB 3600 Civic Ctr Blvd (and virtual via Zoom)

Research Ethics & Policy Series (REPS): Returning Results to Participants in Pragmatic Trials - Catherine Auriemma, MD, MSHP

Learn More 2026-06-02 12:00:00 2026-06-02 13:00:00 America/New_York Research Ethics & Policy Series (REPS): Returning Results to Participants in Pragmatic Trials - Catherine Auriemma, MD, MSHP Returning Results to Participants in Pragmatic Trials Catherine Auriemma, MD, MSHP Assistant Professor of Medicine division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Core Faculty at the PAIR Center University of Pennsylvania Dr. Catherine (Katie) Auriemma is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care and Core Faculty at the PAIR Center. She cares for patients in the medical intensive care unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and maintains an outpatient pulmonary clinic at the Harron Lung Center. She is passionate about providing longitudinal follow-up care for survivors of critical illness. Dr. Auriemma’s research focuses on improving the value of serious illness care by better aligning interventions with the values and preferences of patients and their families. She is building a research program that approaches this goal in three complementary ways: (1) striving to understand how communication, documentation, and decision-making can be improved for patients and families prior to a clinical decompensation event; (2) developing and validating novel patient-centered outcome measures; and (3) enhancing the rigor of robust patient and stakeholder engagement in research. Her scholarship combines qualitative and mixed methods research, clinical epidemiology, and prospective observational cohort studies. More detail to follow. Registration required; Lunch provided. Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: 11-102AB 3600 Civic Ctr Blvd (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics
June
16
3600 Civic Center Blvd., 8th Floor

Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Commercial Neurotechnologies and the Risks of Cognitive Warfare” - Łukasz Kamieński, PhD, MSc

Learn More 2026-06-16 12:00:00 2026-06-16 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar (PBS): "Commercial Neurotechnologies and the Risks of Cognitive Warfare” - Łukasz Kamieński, PhD, MSc  Łukasz Kamieński, PhD, MSc Professor International and Political Studies Jagiellonian University, Krakow Prof. Kamieński holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Jagiellonian University (2005) as well as an M.Sc. in International Relations (London School of Economics and Political Science, 2001) and an M.A. in political science with a minor in international relations (Jagiellonian University, 2000). He is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, University of Pennsylvania (2025-2026). Dr. Kamieński's research interests include: American art of war; new military technologies (particularly biotechnologies); history of wars; history and philosophy of military technology; and the ethics of war. More detail to follow  3600 Civic Center Blvd., 8th Floor Penn Medical Ethics
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