Follow Upcoming Events
October
7
Virtual, via Zoom

Virtual-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Evolving Ethical Challenges in Decentralized Clinical Trials - Effy Vayena, PhD

Learn More 2025-10-07 12:00:00 2025-10-07 13:00:00 America/New_York Virtual-Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Evolving Ethical Challenges in Decentralized Clinical Trials - Effy Vayena, PhD Evolving Ethical Challenges in Decentralized Clinical Trials   Effy Vayena, PhD Professor of Bioethics Associate Vice President for Digital Transformation & Governance Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) have gained significant traction, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. These trials rely on digital technologies and remote patient monitoring, promising to reach more diverse patient groups while reducing costs and accelerating research. Drawing on data from current DCTs, Dr. Vayena will present the evolution of the DTC landscape over the past few years.  While highlighting the benefits of DCTs, the presentation will focus on the ethical challenges they raise as they are adopted across various fields of clinical research. Dr. Vayena will explore how these challenges have evolved over the past five years and propose directions for addressing them. By examining the intersection of ethics, clinical trials, and digital health technologies, Dr. Vayena aims to offer a better understanding of the complexities involved in conducting ethical decentralized clinical trials and guide future research practices. Virtual, via Zoom Virtual, via Zoom Penn Medical Ethics
October
8
1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.)

Health Policy Research Seminar: Diane Alexander, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Care Management, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Learn More 2025-10-08 12:00:00 2025-10-08 13:00:00 America/New_York Health Policy Research Seminar: Diane Alexander, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Care Management, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Topic: "Selection into Mediicine."  Who chooses to become a physician, and how does this selection process shape health care delivery? This paper examines how selection into medicine in the United States influences physician practice styles, using macroeconomic conditions at the time of medical school application as an exogenous shock to the applicant pool. We find that labor market downturns in other prestigious fields increase medical school applications, particularly from students with non-pre-medical backgrounds. This shift in applicant composition leads to a cohort of physicians who are more likely to work in small group practices and bill Medicare more per beneficiary, even after accounting for experience, specialty choice, and patient risk scores. Our findings highlight selection into medicine as an often-overlooked channel that shapes physician practice styles and health care delivery. Diane Alexander is an Assistant Professor of Health Care Management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is predominantly in health care, studying the economics of the provision of health care services and the actions of health care providers. More broadly, she is also interested in the interactions between environmental policies and health, as well as between health care and education. Her work has been featured in media outlets including the Washington Post, Bloomberg, CityLab, Vox, and Scientific American, as well as podcasts such as Freakonomics radio and Vox’s The Weeds. She has studied the roles played by new types of providers in health care delivery, focusing on retail and urgent care clinics; the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in access and health; and how payment incentives influence physician decision-making. In a strand of work focusing on the interaction of environment and place on health outcomes, she has studied the role of residential segregation in explaining persistent racial health disparities, and the effect of pollution on health, utilizing the excess diesel emissions from the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal as a natural experiment. Prior to joining Wharton, Alexander was an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. She received a B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. 1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.) Penn Medical Ethics
October
14
Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "The Other Disabled President: JFK’s Chronic Back Pain and Cover Up"- Beth Linker, PhD

Learn More 2025-10-14 12:00:00 2025-10-14 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "The Other Disabled President: JFK’s Chronic Back Pain and Cover Up"- Beth Linker, PhD The Other Disabled President: JFK’s Chronic Back Pain and Cover Up Beth Linker, PhD Department Chair, History and Sociology of Science Samuel H. Preston Endowed Term Professor in the social sciences University of Pennsylvania Paralyzed in 1921 from the waist down from polio, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt kept his disability and his use of assistive mobility devices out of the public eye. All events were staged, requiring the coordination of the secret service, close confidants, and the press to orchestrate his image as nondisabled. Because of this, author Hugh Gallagher has characterized the FDR presidency as a “splendid deception” of significant proportions.  This talk argues that the same story can be told of John F. Kennedy.  Kennedy struggled with back pain since his early adulthood. By the time of his presidential inauguration in January 1961, he had already undergone three back surgeries. During the campaign, one political advisor later confessed that JFK mostly used crutches in private, before and after public events. During his presidency, he took high doses of painkillers and relied on a near constant use of a back brace, all the while denouncing “soft Americans” and their presumed lives of leisure. Using archival documents from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Dr. Linker will explore JFK’s own splendid deception. In the end, Dr. Linker argues that contrary to the image of him advancing the cause of disability rights, JFK and his family fostered ableism, largely for their own political gains.  Registration required; please feel free to bring lunch. Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics
October
28
Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom)

Hybrid-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Talking Placebos: New Concerns About Placebo Effects in Psychiatry" - Kevin P. Kennedy, MD

Learn More 2025-10-28 12:00:00 2025-10-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Hybrid-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Talking Placebos: New Concerns About Placebo Effects in Psychiatry" - Kevin P. Kennedy, MD Talking Placebos: New Concerns About Placebo Effects in Psychiatry Kevin Kennedy, MD Psychiatrist, Mental Health Clinic Chrome Team Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia Research on placebo effects in psychiatry has focused on the drug-placebo difference for antidepressants in depression. There has been little discussion of the many widely-used psychiatric treatments that do not outperform placebo in clinical trials or meta-analyses. In clinical practice, benefit from these treatments can only be attributable to a placebo response. This talk examines the clinical and ethical implication of major placebo-level treatments in psychiatry. We will then apply this perspective to novel psychiatric treatments like psychedelics and brain stimulation. Dr. Kennedy is interested in evaluating the quality of evidence supporting the pharmacological treatment of depression, with a particular interest in patients with medical and psychiatric comorbidities, the use of psychiatric polypharmacy, and augmentation strategies.   Registration required; please feel free to bring lunch Streaming available via Zoom. Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (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
November
13
1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.)

Health Policy Research Seminar: Lisa Harnack, DrPH, RD, MPH, Mayo Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota

Learn More 2025-11-13 10:00:00 2025-11-13 11:00:00 America/New_York Health Policy Research Seminar: Lisa Harnack, DrPH, RD, MPH, Mayo Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota This event is co-sponsored with the The Center for Food and Nutrition Policy.  Topic: "Turning Data into Decisions: Nutrition Regulatory Science Research." About the Talk: Research that informs food and nutrition policies and regulations is critical yet challenging to carry out. Dr. Harnack will share her experience identifying research questions and designing studies important to nutrition policy and regulatory decision making. She will also discuss approaches to disseminating research findings so they reach decision makers and share strategies for overcoming common barriers researchers face in carrying out nutrition regulatory science work.    Lisa Harnack is a public health nutrition expert whose research strengthens the scientific evidence underpinning nutrition policies, programs, and practices. She led the first experimental trial evaluating whether placing calorie information on restaurant menus influences meal choices and consumption. Findings from this study have been cited in more than 30 domestic and international policy-related documents and reports, including the FDA’s code of regulation for calorie labeling on restaurant menus. More recently, Dr. Harnack conducted the first experimental trials assessing food purchase restrictions on sugary foods as a strategy to improve family nutrition within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Her findings continue to inform ongoing policy discussions on potential program changes. She also authored a CDC-commissioned study identifying sources of sodium in the American diet, which revealed that 71% of sodium intake comes from salt and other sodium compounds added during commercial food processing. This research carries regulatory implications, as the FDA has indicated it may reconsider the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status of salt if voluntary sodium reduction efforts prove insufficient. In addition to her research, Dr. Harnack directs the University of Minnesota Nutrition Coordinating Center (NCC). The NCC developed, maintains, and supports two widely used dietary assessment tools: the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) and the NCC Food and Nutrient Database. NDSR is used in research at over 100 institutions—including most major research universities as well as government agencies such as the NIH and NASA. The NCC Food and Nutrient Database is also licensed to support food frequency questionnaires, such as the NIH Diet History Questionnaire, and consumer diet-tracking applications. 1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.) Penn Medical Ethics
November
25
Virtual, via Zoom

Virtual-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "The Ethics of Using Coercion to Achieve Public Health Aims" - Maxwell J. Smith, PhD

Learn More 2025-11-25 12:00:00 2025-11-25 13:00:00 America/New_York Virtual-Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "The Ethics of Using Coercion to Achieve Public Health Aims" - Maxwell J. Smith, PhD The Ethics of Using Coercion to Achieve Public Health Aims   Maxwell J. Smith, PhD Associate Professor CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Ethics and Health Emergencies Western University - Canada Measures used in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, like lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and isolation and quarantine, were commonly characterized as 'coercive'. For some, this was akin to calling such measures bad or wrong. For others, it meant such measures warranted greater ethical scrutiny and stronger ethical justification. Finally, some simply disagreed that such measures were coercive. So, what does it mean for a public health measure to count as coercive, and when, if ever, is coercion ethically justified to achieve public health aims? This presentation helps to answer these questions by examining prominent philosophical accounts of coercion and bringing them to bear on public health activities, as well as by reporting results from a scoping review of how coercion is defined in the public health literature. It concludes by identifying key ways in which public health activities complicate conventional thinking about coercion, suggesting profitable areas for future research. Virtual, via Zoom 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
December
11
1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.)

Health Policy Research Seminar: Lauren Nicholas PhD, MPP, Professor of Medicine-Geriatrics, University of Colorado Denver

Learn More 2025-12-11 10:00:00 2025-12-11 11:00:00 America/New_York Health Policy Research Seminar: Lauren Nicholas PhD, MPP, Professor of Medicine-Geriatrics, University of Colorado Denver Lauren Nicholas is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver’s School of public health and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Nicholas is also a Faculty Research Fellow in the Survey Research Center and a Faculty Affiliate in the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan. Nicholas is a health economist whose research focuses on the role of public policy in improving health care quality, health and retirement outcomes for the elderly population.  She is currently using linked survey and administrative data to study the effects of health care treatment intensity on health and non-health outcomes amongst older adults. Nicholas received her Ph.D. in 2008 from Columbia University.  She was awarded the John Heinz award from the National Academy of Social Insurance for her dissertation, which examined the quality and cost effects of the Medicare Advantage program.  She received a master of public policy from the George Washington University.  Her work has been supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the John A. Hartford Foundation, the National Institute on Aging and the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.) Penn Medical Ethics
January
8
1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.)

Health Policy Research Seminar: LJ Ristovskam, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, University of Texas-Austin

Learn More 2026-01-08 12:00:00 2026-01-08 13:00:00 America/New_York Health Policy Research Seminar: LJ Ristovskam, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, University of Texas-Austin 1104 Blockley Hall (Note: Virtual attendees can join by accessing this link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95740259034.) Penn Medical Ethics
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