The Bioethics Channel
The Bioethics Channel is a podcast produced by the Center for Practical Bioethics. Each episode provides a forum to discuss a bioethics issue, featuring Center staff and national experts as guests.
Lorell LaBoube, the Center's director of communications, hosts The Bioethics Channel. Lorell has more than 20 years of experience in medical public relations and has a background in radio broadcasting.
For more information and to suggest topics and guests, contact Lorell at llaboube@practicalbioethics.org.
The Bioethics Channel is a free podcast. To subscribe via iTunes click here or you may click on medicalchannelsonline.libsyn.com/rss.
July 2010
Case Based Palliative Care
Christian Sinclair, MD
Karin Porter-Williamson, MD
July 30, 2010
A new educational tool for palliative care is now available through Humana Press.
It's called Palliative Care: A Case Based Guide, and Bioethics Channel host Lorell LaBoube talks about with Dr. Christian Sinclair of Kansas City Hospice and Dr. Karin Porter Williamson of the University of Kansas Hospital.
Elderburbia: Aging with a Sense of Place
Phil Stafford
July 30, 2010
Aging is not about time and body, but about place and relationships. That’s the focus of a new book written by Philip Stafford, and he talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Stafford is director of the Center on Aging and Community at Indiana University. The book is entitled, "Elderburbia: Aging with a Sense of Place in America."
Mental Health & the End of Life
Brian Carpenter, PhD
July 23, 2010
Dying is hard enough work without depression and other mental health disorders interfering with achieving end of life goals. Washington University’s Brian Carpenter, PhD talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Presidential Bioethics
Barbara Atkinson, MD
Summer Johnson, PhD
July 23, 2010
8 minutes 51 seconds
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues met for the first time July 8th and 9th in Washington DC. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with two individuals who attended that gathering – one as a member of the commission, the other as an observer.
Barbara Atkinson is Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she also serves as executive dean. Summer Johnson is executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics and director of graduate studies at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Sister Rosemary Retires
Rosemary Flanigan
Myra Christopher
July 22, 2010
It’s an announcement few wanted to hear but everyone understands … that Rosemary Flanigan is retiring from the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Sister Rosemary talks about her 24 years with the Center as a board member and staff in this edition of the Bioethics Channel, along with Myra Christopher, the Center’s president and CEO.
Sister Rosemary’s final official act as a member of the Center is the Flanigan Lecture scheduled for August 3 at 7 pm. For more information and to register for this free lecture, visit www.practicalbioethics.org.
FDA REMS: A Pain Policy Balancing Act
Myra Christopher
July 16, 2010
The Food and Drug Administration is moving forward on Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics.
What do those strategies mean for people in chronic pain, and what does it mean for physicians who wish to prescribe such medications?
Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.
Introducing AJOB Primary Research
Summer Johnson, PhD
July 9, 2010
6 minutes 10 seconds
The American Journal of Bioethics launches a spin off journal. It’s called AJOB Primary Research, and Lorell LaBoube visits with AJOB executive editor Summer Johnson about the new journal in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Ethical Rules and Rules of Policy
Benjamin Sachs
July 2, 2010
9 minutes 52 seconds
There are similarities and differences between ethical rules and rules of policy when it comes to human subject research.
Benjamin Sachs explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. He is an assistant professor in environmental studies and bioethics at New York University, and he wrote an article entitled “The Case for Evidence-Based Rulemaking in Human Subjects Research” in the June 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.
June 2010 Editions
The Intersection of Neuroscience and National Security
Jonathan Marks
June 25, 2010
12 minutes 12 seconds
The intersection of neuroscience and national security is an intriguing place, fraught with excitement but also a need for caution. Jonathan Marks explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Link: Allegations about CIA interrogations raise medical-ethics questions, Minnesota Post, June 24
Organ Donations and Presumed Consent
Tarris Rosell, PhD
June 18, 2010
14 minutes 39 seconds
Organ donations are in the news as state legislatures consider presumed consent as a way to increase the number of available organs. Physicians are also considering whether organ donations should be part of advance care planning.
Tarris Rosell, PhD, the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, provides some insight in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
The DNA Debate at UC-Berkeley
Glenn McGee, PhD
June 4, 2010
14 minutes 29 seconds
So what’s the problem?
You’re an incoming first year student at a major university, and they send you a cotton swab for a DNA sample. It’s voluntary, anonymous and presented as a way to tell if you are vulnerable to certain health problems.
Simple, right? Not according to Glenn McGee, PhD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Dr. McGee explores the ethical issues around the University of California-Berkeley program asking for DNA samples from incoming freshmen.
Link: UC Berkeley offer to test DNA of incoming students sparks debate, Los Angeles Times, June 1
May 2010 Editions
The Ethics of Synthetic Cells
Glenn McGee, PhD
May 28, 2010
What have we done? And what does it mean?
Those are the questions after headlines exploded with news of a synthetic cell created from a made-from-scratch genome.
Lorell LaBoube visits with Glenn McGee, PhD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, about this development.
Links:
- How We Created the First Synthetic Cell, J. Craig Venter and Daniel Gibson, Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2010
- Ethics of genetic engineering and synthetic cells: Is it man vs. nature?, San Diego News Network
- Cell-ing Montgomery biotech, Gazette.net, May 26
- Synthetic Biology: The Presidential Bioethics Commission’s First Challenge, Bioethics Forum, The Hastings Center, May 24
- Church warns cell scientists not to play God, Associated Press, May 21
Ethics and Public Health
Summer Johnson, PhD
May 21, 2010
13 minutes 49 seconds
What role does ethics play in public health, especially when it comes to emergencies? Summer Johnson, PhD explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Dr. Johnson is executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics and director of graduate studies at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Link:
Interview: George J. Annas on Worst Case Bioethics
Michael Cook
BioEdge
May 17, 2010
George J. Annas, of Boston University, is one of America’s best-known bioethicists. In this exclusive interview, he answers questions about his latest book, Worst Case Bioethics: Death, Disaster and Public Health.
Stem Cell Tourism and the Power of Hope
Christopher Thomas Scott
May 14, 2010
13 minutes 29 seconds
Thousands of people are heading overseas to seek treatments for rare and terminal conditions. How do we balance the needs of these desperately sick individuals with the need for rigorous, evidence based medicine? How do we reach that balance without treading on the power of hope?
Christopher Thomas Scott, director of the Stanford Program on Stem Cells in Society, co-authored a target article on the subject in the May 2010 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics. He discusses the issue with Lorell LaBoube in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Pain Contracts: Too Many Variables
Aaron Gilson
Director – Pain and Policy Studies Group
University of Wisconsion
May 14, 2010
10 minutes 18 seconds
There are too many variables to justify universal acceptance of pain contracts. That’s according to Aaron Gilson, director of the pain and policy studies group at the University of Wisconsin. He talks about it with Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel.
Pain Contracts: Trust but Verify?
Ben Rich
University of California-Davis
May 14, 2010
7 minutes 33 seconds
When a pain contract includes random urine screens, a patient might just think their doctor doesn’t trust them.
And that’s a problem, according to Ben Rich of the University of California at Davis. Lorell LaBoube explores the issue in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Pain Contracts: A Patient Perspective
Carlton Haywood, PhD
Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics
May 7, 2010
9 minutes 42 seconds
Opioid contracts are too often tilted toward patient consequences, not toward physicians for failing to meet their responsibilities. That’s according to Carlton Haywood of Johns Hopkins University.
Pain Contracts: Social Determinants
Carmen Green, MD
University of Michigan
May 7, 2010
10 minutes 11 seconds
Knowing a physician’s … and a patient’s … pain management goals, biases and misconceptions are important to consider when using pain contracts.
Carmen Green, MD, is a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. She tells host Lorell LaBoube that even under the best of circumstances, communication between physician and patient is fraught with potential for misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
Pain Contracts: Balance at the Bedside
Will Rowe, President and CEO
American Pain Foundation
May 7, 2010
5 minutes 4 seconds
A Balance at the Bedside approach makes prescribers and patients partners in the achievement of pain relief … while limiting misuse and abuse. So says Will Rowe, president and CEO of the American Pain Foundation.
He talks about the concept in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
April 2010 Episodes
Pain Contracts: Great Good or Great Harm?
Scott Fishman, MD
University of California-Davis
April 29, 2010
7 minutes 10 seconds
Can pain contracts produce great good … or great harm? That’s the question for this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Host Lorell LaBoube addresses the question with Scott Fishman, MD in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Pain Contracts: Unintended Consequences
Richard Payne, MD
Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life
April 29, 2010
6 minutes 24 seconds
Pain contracts may lead to unintended consequences for both the patient and the physician. That’s according to Richard Payne, MD, president and CEO of the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life.
Deadly Medicine – Creating the Master Race
Susan Bachrach
Jean Zeldin
Looking back, we can’t imagine how it happened. But it did … and Deadly Medicine—Creating the Master Race, examines now Nazi Germany nearly annihilated European Jewry.
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with Susan Bachrach, the curator of the Deadly Medicine exhibit on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and on display through June 10 at the National Archives in Kansas City.
Also on the program is Jean Zeldin, executive director of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education.
The exhibit is sponsored by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, in partnership with the National Archives at Kansas City and in cooperation with the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Links:
Too Soon to Give Up on Advance Directives
Michael Green, MD
Benjamin Levi, MD
April 16, 2010
15 minutes 7 seconds
Advance directives are in the news with a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine and the fifth anniversary of the death of Terri Schiavo. So where do advance directives stand these days and how might we make better use of them?
Michael Green, MD and Benjamin Levi, MD of the Penn State College of Medicine offer a computer-based based approach to advance directives in the April 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics. Lorell LaBoube visits with both in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
National Healthcare Decisions Day
Health Talk
KMBZ Radio
April 10, 2010
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a day to designate someone to speak for you when you can no longer speak for yourself during a serious illness or at the end of life. John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics and Ed Kraemer, MD, a family physician talk about it in this edition of Health Talk.
Embracing Bioethics
Barbara Bollier, MD
April 9, 2010
13 minutes 38 seconds
A mother, a physician, a volunteer, a state legislator.
And on April 13, 2010, a recipient of the Vision to Action Award by the Center for Practical Bioethics. Her name is Dr. Barbara Bollier and she talks about the bioethics center in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
A Physician and Bioethics
Steve Salanski, MD
April 2, 2010
14 minutes 27 seconds
The Center for Practical Bioethics will honor four individuals April 13, 2010 with Vision to Action Awards for their work in advancing the mission of the Center. One recipient of that award is Dr. Steve Salanski, and he talks about the recognition in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Terri Schiavo – Five Years Later
Glenn McGee, PhD
April 2, 2010
20 minutes 21 seconds
Five years ago you could not avoid hearing about Terri Schiavo. Her story turned into a national shouting match over life and death and who decides. But has much changed since Terri died on March 31st, 2005?
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube explores the meaning of Terri Schiavo on the fifth anniversary of her death with Glenn McGee, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
March 2010 Episodes
Health Reform: An Ethical Analysis
Rosemary Flanigan
John Carney
Terry Rosell
19 minutes 17 seconds
Health care reform is now the law of the land.
It was quite a ride getting to this point, and now seems a good time to lend some ethical perspectives to how we got here, and how we move forward.
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, a panel of ethics professionals from the Center for Practical Bioethics talks about the ethical dimensions of the health reform debate -- and how an ethical perspective is needed for the debates to come.
Today Trans Fats. Tomorrow the Hot Dog?
David Resnik, JD, PhD
March 19, 2010
8 minutes 49 seconds
Will banning artificial trans fats today effect your ability to have a hot dog tomorrow?
It’s a fair question, and in this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube seeks an answer from David Resnik, a bioethicist and IRB chair for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Resnik writes about this issue in the March 2010 edition of the American Journal of Bioethics.
The Ethics of Mammography Screening
Jeff Wieman, MD
Terry Rosell, PhD
12 minutes 53 seconds
In November 2009 a report that questioned the merits of routine mammography screening sparked a firestorm of protest, from women’s advocacy groups and medical professionals alike. But is that criticism deserved?
Dr. Jeff Wieman of the Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute and Terry Rosell of the Center for Practical Bioethics talk about the report and a March 24, 2010 forum in Kansas City examining the issues around this controversy.
Eleanor Clift on Healthcare Reform
March 12, 2010
10 minutes 39 seconds
Seems not all that long ago that healthcare reform not only seemed possible, but probable. Now the prospects are unsettled.
In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Eleanor Clift talks about the political maneuvering that has made passage of healthcare reform so challenging.
Ms. Clift will be the keynote speaker at the annual dinner of the Center for Practical Bioethics on April 13.
Futile CPR. Always Wrong?
Rosemary Flanigan
March 5, 2010
13 minutes 16 seconds
Is it always wrong to perform futile CPR?
That was the question posed by Doctor Robert Truog in the February 11th edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. And that question prompted a great deal of debate in an email discussion group sponsored by Sister Rosemary Flanigan at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Sister Rosemary talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
February 2010 Episodes
Is it ethical to want to live forever?
Glenn McGee, PhD
Francis Chair in Bioethics
February 19, 2010
10 minutes 48 seconds
Is it ethical for individuals, or for society generally, to take advantage of technologies that will change our entire notion of what it means to age? Is it okay to want to live forever?
Those are the questions to be addressed by Doctor Glenn McGee, the Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, during a lecture February 24 in Kansas City. Dr. McGee talks about the concept during Health Talk on KMBZ Radio in Kansas City.
Gay Men & Donating Blood
Art Caplan, PhD
Director/Center for Bioethics
University of Pennsylvania
February 12, 2010
8 minutes 48 seconds
The current FDA policy excluding gay men from giving blood is absurd and flies in the face of both need and science. That’s according to Dr. Art Caplan in the February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.
Dr. Caplan argues this policy on gays excludes millions from giving blood during growing blood shortages. He explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.
An Update on Pain Policy
Myra Christopher
President/CEO
Center for Practical Bioethics
February 5, 2010
14? ?m?i?n?u?t?e?s? ??4?7? seconds
As we age in America, more of us than ever before will suffer from chronic pain. Whether we receive appropriate for that pain may be an open question … as many patients today continue to suffer from chronic pain even as therapies are available for treatment.
Lorell LaBoube talks about the status on achieving a balanced pain policy with Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Rethinking Vegetative States
Glenn McGee, PhD
John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics
Center for Practical Bioethics
February 4, 2010
12 minutes 44 seconds
Do we need to rethink what a vegetative state means? That question is prompted by an article in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding brain activity in patients in a persistent vegetative state.
Glenn McGee and Lorell LaBoube talk about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Links:
The Plural of Anecdote is not Ambien, bioethics.net, October 6, 2006
Can Ambien Wake Up PVS Patients?, bioethics.net, May 2006
January 2010 Episodes
Terri Schiavo Lives On
John Carney
January 29, 2010
12 minutes 43 seconds
Terri Schiavo’s name doesn’t appear in the headlines much these days. But her story continues to ripple through state legislatures across the country, trying to wrestle with end of life issues.
In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, about legislative efforts to address issues raised by the story of Terri Schiavo.
Ashley X Revisited
Norman Fost, MD
John Lantos, MD
8 minutes 20 seconds
The Ashley X case created headlines and raised a host of ethical questions in 2007. Those issues are revisited in the January 2010 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics.
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube visits with Norman Fost, MD, co-author of the target article in the journal, and John Lantos, MD, who wrote a peer review commentary.
Making or Having a Baby: The Ethics of Genetic Testing
Glenn McGee, PhD
January 15, 2010
16 minutes 5 seconds
A decade ago Molly Nash made headlines when her parents had a baby brother to save her life. Are the ethics of that decision any more clear today than ten years ago?
Glenn McGee thinks not. He explains in this conversation with Lorell LaBoube on The Bioethics Channel. Dr. McGee holds the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Link: Embryo genetic screening controversial - and successful, USA Today, January 10, 2010
Aging and End of Life
Mobility and Transportation for our Aging Population
Scott Helm, PhD
January 8, 2010
Mobility is more of an issue with our aging population than transportation. Scott Helm, PhD of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Homes for the Aging: Now and in the Future
Daniel Serda, PhD
Kansas City Design Center
December 22, 2009
12 minutes 32 seconds
How will our aging population affect the homes we have now, and how we build homes in the future? In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Daniel Serda, PhD Executive Director and CEO of the Kansas City Design Center discusses these developments with host Lorell LaBoube.
Link: KC4 Aging in Community
Aging in Kansas City: The Implications
John Carney
December 17, 2009
9 minutes 30 seconds
What does the data tell us about aging in Kansas City? And what are the implications?
The host of The Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube, talks about it with John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Tapping into Baby Boomers
Brian Hofland
Director of the Center for Economic Justice
AARP Foundation
7 minutes 33 seconds
December 10, 2009
The first wave of Baby Boomers is already turning 60. And America’s rapidly increasing population of older adults represents a vast and under-tapped resource.
Lorell LaBoube talks about how to tap into this resource with Brian Hofland of the AARP Foundation’s Center for Economic Justice.
Why do people still suffer at the end of life?
Myra Christopher
November 27, 2009
15 minutes
We, as a society, still don’t have it right when it comes to treating people with serious illness or the end of life. That’s according to Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Myra talks about it with Lorell LaBoube and the messages she will deliver during a lecture on December 9.
A Conversation with Bill Colby
William Colby, JD
General Counsel – Truman Medical Center
September 30, 2009
8 minutes 48 seconds
Twenty years ago William Colby argued the Nancy Cruzan case before the US Supreme Court. What did the Cruzan case mean for all of us? Have we made progress making our wishes known for the end of life?
Colby talks about the Cruzan case in this interview with Lorell LaBoube, director of communications at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Colby will present his reflections on the case during a lecture on October 14, 2009. For more information on this free lecture and how to register, go to www.practicalbioethics.org.
Aging in Community with Help at Home
August 21, 2009
14 minutes 28 seconds
Would you like to stay in your home to a good old age? If you do, you’ll need some help with minor to major home chores. And the Help at Home program is just for you.
Dawn Herbet of Jewish Family Services talks about the program, along with Seroj Terian, community handyman, Heather Aronoff, a beneficiary of the Help at Home program.
Booming By 65: Aging in Kansas City
Scott Helm
John Carney
June 12, 2009
15 minutes 27 seconds
A new study projects the number of residents 65 and older in metro Kansas City to double by the year 2030. The impact on housing, transportation and healthcare will be profound.
Scott Helm, senior fellow with the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, and John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, talk about the implications of the numbers in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Chronic Disease and Aging
John Carney
May 29, 2009
12 minutes 24 seconds
The overwhelming majority of Americans will die of complications from a chronic disease. At the same time, that overwhelming majority will pay little attention to what that means, awaiting a medical crash instead, forcing us to face the inevitable.
John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics discusses the implications of chronic disease and aging in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Preparing today for tomorrow's aging America
Mia Oberlink and Phil Stafford
May 22, 2009
The data is undeniable -- we are an aging society. What does that mean? And how can we prepare today for tomorrow's aging America?
Mia Oberlin and Phil Stafford of the Advantage Initiative discuss these issues in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
The Case of Nancy Cruzan
Myra Christopher
Bill Colby
April 9, 2009
It's the story of a young woman in a persistent vegetative state, and it caused a firestorm of debate across the country that reached the halls of power in Washington, DC.
The Terri Schiavo case? No, Nancy Cruzan. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, two individuals closely involved with the Cruzan case -- Myra Christopher and Bill Colby of the Center for Practical Bioethics -- talk about what the case meant then and what it means today some 20 years later.
Have You Had "The TALK?"
Kathy Sproules, MD, Crossroads Hospice
John Carney, Center for Practical Bioethics
34 minutes
April 16 is Healthcare Decisions Day across the country - a day to name someone you trust to speak for you during a serious illness or at the end of life.
This special edition of the Bioethics Channel comes courtesy of KMBZ Radio in Kansas City. It's a radio program that aired April 4, 2009. Guests include Kathy Sproules, MD of Crossroads Hospice and John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Caring Conversations for Young Adults
Barbara Bollier, MD
Lauren Douville
March 27, 2009
For a number of years, the Center for Practical Bioethics has offered a booklet called Caring Conversations to helps individuals and their families make practical preparations for end-of-life decisions. Now the Center has tailored a version of Caring Conversations for use by young adults.
End of Life Issues in Missouri and Kansas
John Carney
12 minutes 9 seconds
February 27, 2009
Officials in Kansas and Missouri are considering provisions which would streamline end of life care decision making and specify preferences for care outside of a hospital.
In this edition of the Bioethics Channel John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains how legislators and officials in both states are working to ensure families can make practical preparations for end-of-life decisions.
Healthcare Reform 2009
Bending the Cost Curve
Marcia Nielsen, PhD
Rene Bollier, MD
October 21, 2009
16 minutes 27 seconds
Bending the cost curve in healthcare -- what exactly does that mean? Is it possible? And how will that affect our healthcare?
Marcia Nielsen, vice chancellor of public policy at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Dr. Rene Bollier, a family practice physician in Kansas City, talk about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Health Coverage for All
Steve Roling, Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City
William Pankey, MD, Swope Health Services
October 13, 2009
9 minutes 34 seconds
The second of four public forums on healthcare reform sponsored by the Center for Practical Bioethics took place October 13, 2009 in Kansas City. The focus – health coverage for all. Steve Roling of the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City and Dr. William Pankey of Swope Health Services talked about the forum in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Good Ethics Starts with Good Facts
Teresa Brooks- Polsinelli Shughart, PC
Max Skidmore, PhD- University of Missouri-Kansas City
October 6, 2009
13 minutes 50 seconds
The Center for Practical Bioethics kicked off its October 2009 series of public forums on healthcare reform with a session entitled “Good Ethics Start with Good Facts.” Two panelists from the program, Teresa Brooks, JD and Max Skidmore, PhD, talked about the forum in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Home Stretch for Health Reform
John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life
Center for Practical Bioethics
October 2, 2009
11 minutes 5 seconds
The health reform debate lurches into October with an uncertain prognosis. John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics gives an update and talks about a series of Center public forums on health reform in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
End of Life Scare II
John Carney
VP for Aging and End of Life
Center for Practical Bioethics
August 28, 2009
13 minutes 45 seconds
There is confusing language about advance care planning in the US House version of healthcare reform. But it is not inaccurate … and actually protects the interests of the elderly and disabled.
That’s according to John Carney, a vice president at the Center for Practical Bioethics. He talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
The End of Life Scare
Myra Christopher
President/CEO
Center for Practical Bioethics
August 3, 2009
14 minutes 44 seconds
Any health reform must address improving end-of-life care, and the pending legislation does that.
Now a group of people have latched onto this legislation and perverted its intent to try to scare the American public, especially older people, and defeat healthcare reform. They claim that it is simply a way to euthanize the old, the frail, and the sick.
Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, says that is simply untrue.
In this special edition of the Bioethics Channel, Christopher provides an in-depth explanation of what end of life provisions do and don't do in various healthcare reform proposals.
If we pervert this, we will all lose."
Myra Christopher, President/CEO, Center for Practical Bioethics
July 31, 2009
2 minutes 12 seconds
Over the last week or so opponents of healthcare reform have been latching on to end of life provisions in the House bill, claiming it would promote euthanasia among our nation's seniors.
In the July 3 edition of The Bioethics Channel, Myra Christopher and Dr. Christian Sinclair of Kansas City Hospice both expressed concern that the debate would turn in that direction.
This is not about trying to save money on the backs of dying people, Myra said.
Dr. Sinclair said he was hopeful end of life and palliative care would not become a buzzword subject to being demonized.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what has happened.
The Ethics of Rationing Healthcare
John Lantos, MD
July 10, 2009
12 minutes 45 seconds
Milton Friedman once said there is no such thing as a free lunch. Does that apply to healthcare? And does that mean the R word -- rationing --rationing will be a factor in healthcare reform?
John Lantos, MD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, believes we already ration care in America. Find out more in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Health Reform & End of Life Care
Myra Christopher
Christian Sinclair, MD
July 3, 2009
15 minutes 32 seconds
President Barack Obama says he does not want to see bureaucracies making end of life decisions. Meanwhile, measures are being filed in Congress to address various aspects of end of life care.
Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, and Christian Sinclair, MD, of Kansas City Hospice, talk about the President's remarks and proposed legislative approaches to end of life care in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Healthcare Reform: Deja vu all over again?
John Lantos, MD
March 13, 2009
A young Democratic President with large Democratic majorities decided to tackle healthcare reform. 2009? No, the year was 1993 and Bill Clinton was president.
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel Dr. John Lantos describes his experiences as a member of the Clinton Task Force on Healthcare Reform ... and what we might expect from this effort led by President Barack Obama.
Genetics, Jewish Diseases & Personalized Medicine
November 2-3, 2009
Kansas City, MO
If we can redesign ourselves – should we?
David Ewing Duncan
November 20, 2009
9 minutes 42 seconds
David Ewing Duncan is a best selling author and director of the Center for Life Science Policy at the University of California-Berkeley. In this You Tube interview, Duncan explores what cutting-edge technologies in personalized medicine can tell us about individual health … and life.
The Cultural Politics of Disease
Keith Wailoo, PhD
November 13, 2009
10 minutes 24 seconds
Keith Wailoo is the Director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity at Rutgers University and author of acclaimed books examining the cultural politics of disease in America. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Dr. Wailoo explains the different cultural and clinical responses to diseases like Tay-Sachs and sickle cell.
Do our genes tell us who we are?
Jon Entine
American Enterprise Institute
November 6, 2009
Do our genes tell us who we are? That can be a controversial question, especially when intertwined with Jewish identity. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Jon Entine of the American Enterprise Institute talks about the benefits and challenges of addressing this issue.
Genetics, Jewish Diseases and Personalized Medicine
John Lantos, MD
Director, Children's Mercy Bioethics Center
Holder of John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics
October 20, 2009
13 minutes 47 seconds
Advances in genetics change the way we think about health, disease and personal identity. That's the focus of a two day conference in Kansas City November 2-3, 2009.
Dr. John Lantos talks about the conference in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Pain Policy
A Program to Improve Pain Treatment
Ann Karty, MD
December 17, 2009
13 minutes 15 seconds
Pain is often undertreated. That's why the American Academy of Family Physicians has convened a unique group of organizations to offer a series of programs to educate providers on pain treatment.
Getting an "A" in Pain Policy
Robert Twillman, PhD
13 minutes 25 seconds
Kansas gets an “A” … Missouri a “C” for state policies addressing pain. What does that mean for physicians and patients when it comes to treating pain?
Dr. Robert Twillman explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
Drugs, Ethics and the Quality of Life
Bruce White, MD
August 14, 2009
15 minutes 24 seconds
Physicians recognize treating pain as a moral and ethical duty. Then why are so many patients in pain?
Dr. Bruce White talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. He is the author of Drugs, Ethics and the Quality of Life.
The Ethics of Untreated Pain
Richard Payne, MD
June 5, 2009
15 minutes 37 seconds
Pain is too often left untreated and that is a serious public health issue. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Dr. Richard Payne of Duke University's Institute for Care at the End of Life describes the scope of problem and the obligations to treat pain.
New Policy Brief aims for Balance in Pain Investigations
Bill Colby, JD
14 minutes 13 seconds
February 19, 2009
A new policy brief suggests several key strategies to aid law enforcement faced with the complicated case of a doctor suspected of illegal conduct related to prescription drugs. The document is a key step in the Center's Balanced Pain Policy Initiative.
Miscellaneous Topics
Making or Having a Baby: The Ethics of Genetic Testing
A decade ago Molly Nash made headlines when her parents had a baby brother to save her life. Are the ethics of that decision any more clear today than ten years ago?
Glenn McGee thinks not. He explains in this conversation with Lorell LaBoube on The Bioethics Channel. Dr. McGee holds the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Link: Embryo genetic screening controversial - and successful, USA Today, January 10, 2010
Placebos: Deceptive or Legitimate?
Summer Johnson, PhD
December 15, 2009
15 minutes 10 seconds
The December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics is now available with target articles examining the ethics of using placebos in clinical practice. Executive editor Summer Johnson discusses the new edition with Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel.
Introducing: the new John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics
Glenn McGee, PhD
November 24, 2009
Glenn McGee, PhD, will assume the John B. Francis Endowed Chair in Bioethics on January 1, 2010. He follows John D. Lantos, MD. The chair was established in 2005 through a $3 million endowment from the Francis Family Foundation to the Center for Practical Bioethics.
In this edition of The Bioethcis Channel, Lorell LaBoube talks with Dr. McGee explains his philosophy and goals for the Francis Chair.
Medical Professionalism: What's trust -- not truth -- got to do with it?
Gary Pettett, MD
October 30, 2009
18 minutes 22 seconds
The physician patient relationship is changing … as is the concept of medical professionalism. Is it time to redefine what we mean by medical professionalism?
And how will that affect your relationship with your doctor.
Gary Pettett, MD, a neonatologist and a Fellow at the Center for Practical Bioethics explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.
Humor in Healthcare a Serious Business
Hob Osterlund, RN
11 minutes 54 seconds
The Center for Practical Bioethics honored nurses, social workers, chaplains and allied health professionals with Frontline Action Awards during activities September 8 in Kansas City.
Hob Osterlund, RN, palliative care nurse and nationally known humorist, presented her unique approach to health care before an audience of more than 200 people.
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Hob explains how her comic character, Ivy Push, RN, reflects the absurdities that take place all too often in healthcare.
What happens to Jesus if I donate my heart?
Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD
Caitlin Belt
September 11, 2009
12 minutes 31 seconds
That's the title of a lecture scheduled for September 23, 2009 in Kansas City, by Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD, the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.
Dr. Rosell and Caitlin Belt, an intern at the Center for Practical Bioethics, discuss religious influences on donating organs in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Ethics of Selling Eggs for Stem Cell Research
David Albertini, PhD
Kansas University Medical Center
Nancy Howell, PhD
St. Paul School of Theology
September 4, 2009
18 minutes 4 seconds
The state of New York has decided to pay women for donating eggs for stem cell research. What are the scientific implications of such a move? What are the ethical considerations?
David Albertini of the University of Kansas Medical Center and Doctor Nancy Howell of the Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City discuss the issue in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Introducing -- the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics
Rosemary Flanigan, PhD
Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD
August 7, 2009
13 minutes 57 seconds
In 2006, the Center for Practical Bioethics announced the establishment of the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics. Three years later, the Center is ready to announce the first holder of that chair.
Rosemary Flanigan and Terry Rosell talk about the chair and what it means in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Celebrating with Frontliners
Karren King Crouch
Helen Emmott
Jane Rues
Dianne Shumaker
July 31, 2009
18 minutes 20 seconds
The Center for Practical Bioethics will honor nurses, social workers, chaplains and allied health professionals during an event September 8 from 6 to 8 pm at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
In this edition of the Bioethics Channel the four honorary co-chairs talk about their experiences with ethical issues in healthcare and how important it is to recognize healthcare professionals who work with patients and families and is a fundraiser for the Center.
For more information about Celebrating with Frontliners visit the Center's website at www.practicalbioethics.org.
The Ethics of Organ Transplants
Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD
July 24, 2009
15 minutes 11 seconds
When is someone dead … truly dead? Meaning their organs can be harvested for transplant?
Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD, a program associate at the Center for Practical Bioethics, talks about how we as a society are still struggling with some ethical issues when it comes to donating and receiving these organs.
Don't Just Stand There. Do Something.
Arthur Derse, MD, JD
July 17, 2009
15 minutes 19 seconds
Many of us have seen it -- the emergency room portrayed on television. Frantic. Quick decisions to save lives. At the same time, a place for end of life.
In this environment, how should emergency physicians address end of life issues?
Dr. Arthur Derse, the director of medical and legal affairs and associate director of the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for the Study of Bioethics, addresses this question in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Religion. Healthcare Policy. Do the Twain Meet?
Rosemary Flanigan, PhD
June 24, 2009
11 minutes 47 seconds
What does it mean to have a “religious consciousness†and how does having such a consciousness affect our thinking as we deal with life and death issues as well as a host of bioethical issues facing us today?
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Rosemary Flanigan, PhD explores how religion may affect healthcare policy.
The Ethics of Care for Undocumented Immigrants
Sharon Lee, MD
David Grummon, JD
June 19, 2009
15 minutes 11 seconds
What is the ethical case for care of undocumented immigrants? In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Dr. Sharon Lee, director of a safety net clinic in Kansas City, Kansas and attorney David Grummon discuss how should we talk about and address this challenge.
Religion and Medicine: Compatible?
Farr Curlin, MD
John Lantos, MD
May 14, 2009
14 minutes 35 seconds
Should religion play a role in the practice of medicine? Drs. Farr Curlin and John Lantos have done extensive research into this question and share their views in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Balancing Faith and Politics
John C. Danforth
May 8, 2008
8 minutes 39 seconds
The Terri Schiavo case was outrageous and an extreme use of government. That's according to John Danforth, former US Senator and this week's guest on The Bioethics Channel. Senator Danforth provided the keynote address for the 25th anniversary dinner for the Center for Practical Bioethics on May 7, 2009.
Building a Bioethics Center
Mary Beth Blake and Hans Uffelmann
May 1, 2009
It began as a vision a quarter century ago. With medical technology accelerating rapidly, a healthcare attorney, a physician and a philosopher envisioned a place to consider the ethical implications of using this technology.
In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Mary Beth Blake and Hans Uffelmann describe how the Center for Practical Bioethics evolved into what it is 25 years later.
Matching Physicians with Patients in Need
Tyler Brundige, MD
Jill Watson, Metropolitan Medical Society
April 24, 2009
Four years ago it was an idea. Two years later, it became a reality. It's the Northland Care/MetroCARE program, a specialty care network for the poor and uninsured in the Kansas City area.
Jill Watson of the Metropolitan Medical Society and Dr. Tyler Brundige talk about the program in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Hospital Ethics Committees: Then and Now
Rosemary Flanigan
April 17, 2009
Hospital ethics committees evolved in the late 1970s and into the 80s. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Rosemary Flanigan talks about how hospital ethics committees began and their future.
A Physician's Reflections on Bioethics
Robert Potter, MD
April 1, 2009
Dr. Robert Potter was a revered physician and medical educator in Kansas City for 30 years before moving to Oregon in 2004. In the decade prior to his departure, he served as a scholar and consultant for the Center for Practical Bioethics. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Dr. Potter reflects on bioethics then, now and in the future.
Trusting Our Differences
Helen Emmott
March 20, 2009
During its 25 years of service, the Center for Practical Bioethics has taken on a number of initiatives that continue to have impact in the daily work of medical professionals across the country.
One such project is Trusting Our Differences and Helen Emmott explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.
Sabbaths of Hope: Faith Leaders and Clinical Depression
Terry Rosell and Sue Lewis
15 minutes 14 seconds
March 6, 2009
People with depression often visit with clergy first before seeking professional help.
In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Sue Lewis of the Mental Health Association of the Heartland and Terry Rosell of the Center for Practical Bioethics talk about Sabbaths of Hope, an initiative aimed at enabling clergy and other faith leaders to address clinical depression in their communities.
Moral Dilemmas in Treating Babies Born at the Borderline of Viability
John Lantos, MD
February 13, 2009
12 minutes 44 seconds
Some babies born after just five months of pregnancy - as early as 22 weeks of gestation – can now survive. Their chances for survival depend upon where they are born.
A commentary in the February issue of Pediatrics examines that issue and its implications. In "Moral Reflections on Neonatal Intensive Care,"John Lantos, MD and William Meadow, MD, PhD, pose questions about these international and regional differences in treatment.
Their answers are disturbing.
Link: News Release, Moral Dilemmas in Treating Babies Born at the Borderline of Viability, February 13, 2009
The Ethics of Octuplets
February 6, 2009
8 minutes 44 seconds
The controversial case of a woman bearing eight children has ethical implications for both the mother and the doctor at the IVF clinic. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel John Lantos, MD explains why this case has garnered national attention.
A Quarter Century of Practical Bioethics
February 3, 2009
14 minutes 53 seconds
The Center for Practical Bioethics is celebrating a quarter century of practical bioethics in 2009. This edition of The Bioethics Channel features Myra Christopher, Center president and CEO, talking about how the Center began and what the next 25 years will bring.
