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

9:00am - 10:00am • 3600 Civic Center Blvd., Rm 8-031

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

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.