Medical Ethics | Penn Today

People in masks talk about an exercise in listening

Learning to listen in troubled times

The SNF Paideia Program and partners featured Ernesto Pujol and Aaron Levy, an artist and an interdisciplinary scholar who have transformed both what it means to listen and what the act of listening can achieve as part of a lecture and workshops.

Debate: Should we waive COVID-19 vaccine patents for low-income countries?

Harsha Thirumurthy of the Perelman School of Medicine argued that we should waive COVID-19 vaccine patents for low-income countries. “We simply can’t bring an end to the pandemic—here in the U.S. or elsewhere—without rapidly closing the global vaccine gap,” he wrote. “And we can’t close that gap without waivers of patent protections that are keeping lower-income countries from manufacturing vaccines themselves.”

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.

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.”

U.S. Capitol building with American flag

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.

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.

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.

Brick facade of law school building with blue sky and cherry blossoms.

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.

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.

Gloved hand holding a scan of four brains

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.

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