Special Topics and Affinity Groups (June 2-6, 2008)

SPECIAL TOPICS

In addition to the plenary lectures offered from the main podium to all participants, the IBC also includes accredited sessions that we have titled “Special Topics.” These topics are chosen in response to issues that are currently under discussion and perceived to be of broad interest to a large number of participants. They are more informal than the plenary lectures, with give and take between the presenter and attendees, and provide an opportunity for a spirited, yet directed, discussion of the topic at hand. CME credits are available for those who attend each session.

This year’s Special Topics will include:

Research and International Ethics

Presented by David Wendler, Ph.D., from the NIH’s Clinical Bioethics Department and head of its Vulnerable Populations division, this session promises a wealth of information on the status of research ethics around the world, differing interpretations of informed consent, and unique issues that international researchers face in conducting clinical trials — including cultural positives and negatives.

Feminist Bioethics

Maggie Little, Ph.D., and the IBC Course Director, will offer this Special Topic, as she has in a number of past years. She will present an overview of feminist theory and offer examples of how viewing bioethics through its lens can provide insight. Special attention is paid to the concept of androcentrism — the idea that social norms, institutions, and structures are centered on experiences that are paradigmatic to men rather than women. Tenets of feminism are applied to some central issues in health care, including women’s reproduction and assumptions about the roles of care vs. cure.

Bioethics Movie Night

Participants in this session offered by Laura Bishop, Ph.D., will be able to recognize ethical issues as presented in popular culture and media. The program will highlight new and classic audiovisual teaching tools for undergraduate/graduate and professional classrooms and for continuing education for ethics committees, institutional review boards, and/or practicing professionals. Selections are made based on the focus of plenary sessions, critical topics in the public eye, and ongoing areas of research and study in the field of bioethics. Brief commentary between segments helps to educate attendees about how the situation or case discussed in the segment fits within the context of the history and ongoing developments in bioethics.

AFFINITY GROUPS

In 2007, we experimented with a new concept to create sessions that offered ‘networking’ possibilities and was manageable for small, interactive groups with interests in a particular topic. These “Affinity Groups” were a great success. These are not lectures, and are not included as credit offerings. They are instead informal discussions managed through a ‘facilitator’ who assists to answer questions, and often provides the provocative question to get a discussion started.

This year’s Affinity Groups will include:

Nursing Ethics

Carol Taylor, R.N., Ph.D., will bring her years of experience as a practicing nurse as well as Director of the Center for Clinical Bioethics to this session that will meet with nurses, nurse educators, and other interested participants to discuss the challenges of nursing in today’s world, creating an ethical environment, resolving conflicts, and other topics faced daily by nursing professionals.

Teaching Ethics

Coming from previous experiences as Assistant Dean for Educational Planning and Evaluation, as well as serving as course director and instructor for various classes, at Georgetown University Medical School, Dan Davis, Ph.D., will facilitate this group. He will introduce established and newly designed curricula through various media (on-line and classroom), will open the floor for discussion of issues and challenges that instructors and facilitators face, and provide a forum for the exchange of information amongst those currently practicing in this area.

Ethics and Religion

Karen Stohr, Ph.D., of the Georgetown Philosophy Department, will serve as faculty facilitator. This session will offer the opportunity to discuss ideas on the intersection of ethics and religion, the theological underpinnings of many ethical theories, the ethic of care and striving to do good, and the role of religion in health care practice.

Last updated on March 6, 2008 - Feedback