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Medical Ethics

Mask skeptic lawmaker takes on side gig overseeing drug company trial

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.”

Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?
Multiple vaccine syringes standing upright on a surface.

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.

From Penn Medicine News

#MedBikini backlash exposes research ethics boards’ digital gaps

#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.

President Gutmann kicks off 15th World Congress of Bioethics
Jonathan Moreno and Amy Gutmann in a screen shot during a virtual conference.

Jonathan Moreno and Penn President Amy Gutmann kicked off the 15th International Association of Bioethics’ World Congress of Bioethics virtually on June 19.

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.

Lauren Hertzler

Researchers analyze ethics of allocating medical resources in COVID-19
Rows of hospital-grade ventilator machines

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? 

From Penn Memory Center

As society looks for a ‘new normal,’ is antibody testing a way forward?
a gloved hand places a pipet tip over a plastic antibody test with a dot of blood, out of focus in the background a person puts a bandage on their finger

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.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A reality check on coronavirus
microscopic view of 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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

The view from inside the ‘medical scandal’ of China’s gene-edited babies
A scientist in a white coat with blue rubber gloves on holding a petri dish. In the background are lab materials on several sets of shelves.

Kiran Musunuru is an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine and genetics in the Perelman School of Medicine. His work is focused on cardiovascular genetics, in trying to find ways to prevent heart attack using genetics as a tool. (Image: Peggy Peterson)

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.

Michele W. Berger