10.20
Medical Ethics
More than a third of Congressional members held significant health care assets
More than a third of Congressional members held significant health care assets
Due to their role in shaping health care policy, lawmakers should divest from assets while in office, Penn Medicine researchers recommend.
100 years of insulin
100 years of insulin
On July 27, 1921, Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully isolated the hormone insulin, one of the most important breakthroughs in treating diabetes. Experts from around the University share their thoughts on the medical triumph on the 100th anniversary.
Project reveals ongoing unreported violations of rights with medical deportations
Project reveals ongoing unreported violations of rights with medical deportations
Researchers in the Legislative Clinic at Penn Law and Free Migration Project have released a new report on the use of medical deportations in the U.S.
Researchers study thought process behind revealing Alzheimer’s test results
Researchers study thought process behind revealing Alzheimer’s test results
Two qualitative studies try to understand individuals’ decision-making process as they choose whom, why and how to share information regarding their Alzheimer’s disease biomarker and genetic testing results.
The potential role of vaccine certificates in the next phase of the pandemic
The potential role of vaccine certificates in the next phase of the pandemic
Public health law expert Eric Feldman and medical ethicist Emily Largent discuss the legal and ethical implications of companies and organizations requiring proof of vaccination to reengage with different sectors of the economy.
Abramson Cancer Center doubles the percentage of Black participants in clinical trials
Abramson Cancer Center doubles the percentage of Black participants in clinical trials
Afive-year community outreach and engagement effort more than doubled the percentage of participants, improving access and treatment for a group with historically low representation in cancer research.
Racial bias in mortality prediction scores
Racial bias in mortality prediction scores
In mass casualty situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality prediction models alone could divert scarce critical care resources away from Black patients.
Reflecting on a year shaped by COVID-19
Reflecting on a year shaped by COVID-19
Penn Today brings together noteworthy stories and images from the past year and highlights ways for individual members of the Penn community to share their personal experiences.
Jason Karlawish on the science and history of Alzheimer’s
Jason Karlawish on the science and history of Alzheimer’s
The the co-director of the Penn Memory Center outlines the medical, social, and ethical challenges that surround Alzheimer’s disease.
Gutmann, Moreno talk ‘Pandemic Ethics’ at Power of Penn event
The co-authors of ‘Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die’ joined virtually with moderator Andrea Mitchell and Penn Alumni to discuss the many bioethical concerns that have only heightened with COVID-19’s spread.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly vaccine pioneer: Was the human cost of doing fewer COVID-19 trials on kids worth it?
Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine wrote an opinion piece about the human cost of conducting child vaccine trials. While some may be concerned that the Pfizer trial was too small or too brief, Offit argued that a larger or longer trial would have resulted in more sick children in the placebo group, as occurred during the polio vaccine’s development.
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Yahoo! News
Medical ethicists criticize doctors refusing to treat the unvaccinated
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno commented on some doctors’ decisions to not treat unvaccinated adults with COVID-19, saying, “We have to find ways to take care of people, even if we don’t agree with their actions.”
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Yahoo! News
Behind the U.S. military's 'complicated history' around vaccinations
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno spoke about President Biden’s decision not to extend the federal worker vaccine mandate to members of the military. “The military does have a complicated history around requiring, especially people in uniform, to take certain medications or to be vaccinated,” Moreno said.
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The New York Times
COVID news: Vermont leads U.S. in vaccinations
Steven Joffe of the Perelman School of Medicine said former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn will have to walk an ethical fine line in his new role as chief medical officer at a venture capital firm, as federal rules limit his engagement with the FDA going forward.
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NPR
Amid record pandemic travel, what’s safe? And the debate over vaccine passports
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel spoke about so-called “vaccine passports” and privacy. “In public health there’s a principle that you should use the least restrictive method necessary,” he said. “This allows us to say, ‘Those people who’ve gotten vaccinated, you don’t have to adhere to certain restrictions because you are now immune.’”
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The Washington Post
Vaccines are about to become a free-for-all. Here’s how to ensure it’s done equitably
Harald Schmidt of the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored an op-ed calling for equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution. “Three things are central: prioritizing more vulnerable communities; conveying that doing so is good for both public health and equity; and making clear that equity is not the enemy of efficiency,” Schmidt and his co-authors wrote.
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