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Author Archive: Matthew Davis
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) closed its discussion of democratic deliberation and bioethics education with a roundtable discussion involving Bioethics Commission members and presenters. Amy Gutmann, chair of the Bioethics Commission, kicked off the session by asking the panelists to share their thoughts on how the Bioethics Commission could strengthen […]
At today’s meeting, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) resumed its consideration of the many facets of effective deliberation and education surrounding bioethical issues by looking at two related issues: teaching ethics and deliberative skills, and fostering and measuring the efficacy of ethics-related education curriculum and deliberative processes. In its […]
09/02/2015
Fluency in Science and Ethics
Continuing its discussion of the role of deliberation and education in bioethics, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) turned to a broad consideration of how to improve fluency in science and ethics. Lisa M. Lee, Executive Director of the Bioethics Commission, discussed the current state of bioethics education, particularly the […]
09/02/2015
Public Bioethics
In today’s opening session, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) turned its attention to facilitating public dialogue about bioethics. Democratic deliberation is a guiding principle of the Bioethics Commission. As outlined in its first report, New Directions: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology and Emerging Technologies, the Bioethics Commission believes that […]
09/02/2015
Live from Washington
Welcome to Washington DC for the 22nd public meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission). At today’s meeting, the Bioethics Commission will continue its discussion about the role of deliberation and education in bioethics. Check out the full agenda here. Bioethics Commission Chair Dr. Amy Gutmann opened up the […]
Members of the Presidential Commission on the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) are considering possible recommendations for future engagements in public health emergencies, including ethical approaches to conducting research in affected countries even in the midst of a crisis. Yesterday’s deliberations touched on a wide range of issues generated by the ongoing Ebola epidemic in western […]
On July 1, 2013, President Obama requested that the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the Bioethics Commission) review the ethical considerations of neuroscience research and its application as part of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Specifically, the President instructed the Bioethics Commission to “identify proactively a set of […]
We are back live and blogging in Washington, D.C. for day 2 of the 20th public meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission). The Bioethics Commission is continuing the discussion initiated at its November meeting in Salt Lake City focusing on issues arising at home and abroad from U.S. […]
02/05/2015
Amnesia and Other Side Effects of Epidemics
If there is one medical condition that commonly occurs at the culmination of many infectious disease epidemics it is “amnesia.” That was the message from Howard Markel, M.D., Ph.D., the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. He looked to previous fights against infectious diseases over the […]
Among the many unfortunate outcomes of the recent Ebola outbreak is how public reaction played out in the affected communities, both in the countries themselves and also in the western African diaspora in the U.S. As the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) continued its review of U.S. engagement in the […]