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Medical Ethics
Two Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Two Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Scott D. Halpern and Jennifer Prah Ruger are acknowledged for their outstanding accomplishments in ethics and health.
How can the world allocate COVID-19 vaccines fairly?
How can the world allocate COVID-19 vaccines fairly?
It’s an ethical question many Penn experts are contemplating. One fact is certain, they say: Distribution must not exacerbate disparities and inequities in health care.
Engaging Minds showcases Penn’s very best bringing theory to practice
Engaging Minds showcases Penn’s very best bringing theory to practice
Alumni tuned in from across the world to hear Daniel Gillion discuss the power of protests, Amy Castro Baker give a crash course on the impact of guaranteed income, and Ezekiel Emanuel detail the intricacies of distributing a COVID-19 vaccine.
Direct-to-consumer COVID-19 testing
Direct-to-consumer COVID-19 testing
Concerns over direct-to-consumer COVID-19 tests may override the benefits, with issues of safety, efficacy, and ethics in question.
Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?
Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?
A group of global experts led by Penn offer a model that lays the groundwork for fair distribution and prioritize reducing premature deaths.
President Gutmann kicks off 15th World Congress of Bioethics
President Gutmann kicks off 15th World Congress of Bioethics
‘The world has never needed you more than it needs you now,’ she told bioethicists, watching and listening virtually from their respective cities across the globe.
Researchers analyze ethics of allocating medical resources in COVID-19
Researchers analyze ethics of allocating medical resources in COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many health care providers scrambling for resources to treat cases over the last several months, making doctors face difficult decisions: Whom do you save?
As society looks for a ‘new normal,’ is antibody testing a way forward?
As society looks for a ‘new normal,’ is antibody testing a way forward?
Penn experts discuss the limitations of commercial antibody tests, how scientists are assessing the true scale of COVID-19 infections, and what studies are being done to see who might now be immune to the novel coronavirus.
A reality check on coronavirus
A reality check on coronavirus
The novel disease is serious. But risks here remain low, says Ezekiel J. Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives, who attended a World Health Organization meeting on the subject last week.
The view from inside the ‘medical scandal’ of China’s gene-edited babies
The view from inside the ‘medical scandal’ of China’s gene-edited babies
In a Q&A, geneticist Kiran Musunuru describes his unintentional connection to the scientist behind the scandal and the book that came out of the experience.
In the News
NBC News
Secret, powerful panels will pick COVID-19 vaccine winners
Susan Ellenberg of the Perelman School of Medicine said it’s important to keep data and safety monitoring boards anonymous to protect the members from people desperate for treatment. It “would be very hard to tell [a patient], ‘Oh I can’t help you.’ It’s an unreasonable burden,” she said.
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The Wall Street Journal
Thousands of American troops to take part in COVID-19 early-detection study
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno commented on plans to conduct a COVID-19 early-detection study on U.S. troops. “Should we ask for consent if it reveals medical issues that a person in uniform may not want revealed and is not relevant to job performance?” he asked.
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The Washington Post
FDA poised to announce tougher standards for a COVID-19 vaccine that make it unlikely one will be cleared by Election Day
Holly Fernandez Lynch of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on the FDA’s use of emergency authorizations to expedite coronavirus drugs. “Is the president going to put the screws to the FDA so much that they will speed ahead on a vaccine?” she asked.
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Politico.com
Mask skeptic lawmaker takes on side gig overseeing drug company trial
Susan Ellenberg and Holly Fernandez-Lynch of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on U.S. Rep. Andy Harris’s role in overseeing the trials of a coronavirus drug. “The concern about bias wouldn’t arise unless the decision-making [on data from the trial] was difficult,” said Ellenberg. “If the data are such that it's a hard call as to whether to stop the study or not, that's when the personal connections seep into consciousness.”
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Bloomberg
#MedBikini backlash exposes research ethics boards’ digital gaps
Emily Largent of the Perelman School of Medicine weighed in on a retracted study that claimed it was unprofessional for early-career surgeons to post photos of themselves in bathing suits on social media. “This is just proof that when it comes to social media research, in general, we don’t have good guidance,” said Largent.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Protests, masks and public health: where do my rights end and yours begin?
Dominic Sisti of the Perelman School of Medicine and Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about encouraging healthy behavior during a pandemic and the responsibilities of those who choose not to participate in social distancing.
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