September 1997
Volume Four, Number Nine
Co-Directors:
Gerald Logue, MD and Stephen Wear, PhD
Associate Director:
Jack Freer, MD
Research Associate:
Adrianne McEvoy
Address: Center for Clinical Ethics and Humanities in Health Care
Veteran's Affairs Medical Center
3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215
Telephone: 862-3412 FAX: 862-4748
Website:
http://wings.buffalo.edu/faculty/research/bioethics/
Send E-mail to: wear@acsu.buffalo.edu.
BIOBUL-LIST is strictly used for distribution of "Bioethics Bulletin" and is mainly for those outside of Western New York. If you have further questions about this service, contact Jack Freer at 887-4852 or at: jfreer@buffalo.edu.
Upcoming Center Meetings
The Center currently has three committees: Community Affairs,
Education and Research. All Center members are welcome to
participate in these committees.
Friday, September 5. The Second Annual Healthcare Archives Conference: Collecting Nursing History. 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. J. Raymond Hinshaw Medical Education Center, Rochester General Hospital. 1425 Portland Avenue, Rochester. Conference fee: $45.00 (includes lunch, coffee breaks and parking). For information, fax 554-1504.
Thursday, September 18. A conference entitled "Placebo-Controlled Studies in Schizophrenia: Ethical and Scientific Perspectives" will be presented by the Schizophrenia Division, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, 250 College Street, Toronto. The conference will be of interest to clinical investigators, mental health professionals, health administrators, bioethicists, and individuals involved in the pharmaceutical industry and in the ethical/scientific review of clinical research protocols. Further information concerning registration may be obtained by contacting Catherine Riley, Conference Coordinator, at the Education Office, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, telephone: 1-416-979-6963; fax: 1-416-979-4970.
Sunday, October 5-Monday, October 6. "Issues Regarding Organ Transplants: The Legal, Medical and Ethical Aspects." Sponsored by the University of Virginia Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery. The purpose of the conference is to provide an academic forum for the definition and discussion of national issues and concerns related to organ transplants. Registration cost is $100.00. For information, contact Mary D. Miller, 1-804-924-8394; e-mail: mdm9p@virginia.edu.
Wednesday, October 22-Friday, October 24. The State Society on Aging of New York announces its 25th Annual Conference, at the Desmond in Albany, New York. The conference theme is: "Building Generational and Cultural Bridges: A 25th Anniversary." For information, contact Duane A. Matcha, PhD, SSA Program Chair, Department of Sociology, Siena College, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, New York 12211-1462; telephone: 518-783-2944; fax: 518-783-4293; e-mail: matcha@siena.edu.
Friday, October 24. Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH, Director, Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota, will be present "Past and Present Lessons in the Ethics of Clinical Research" at the Clinical Pharmacology Division, SUNY-Buffalo. It will be held at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Webster Hall at 9:30 AM. and will be followed by city-wide ethics grand rounds at 11 AM (topic will be "Managed Care Ethics"). For further information, contact Jack Freer at 887-4852 jfreer@buffalo.edu
Friday, October 31. "Frankenstein: Implications and Consequences." 8:00 PM, Center for Inquiry, 1310 Sweet Home Road, Amherst. Tim Madigan, "Bioethics Bulletin" editor and editor of _Free Inquiry_ magazine, will speak on the history of the Mary Shelly novel, and H. James Birx, professor of anthropology at Canisius College, will examine the symbolism of the film and its relevance for contemporary debates over genetic engineering, cloning and the creation of life. The climax will be a rare showing of James Whale's classic 1931 movie with Boris Karloff. What better way to spend Halloween night?
Under this broad topic, three themes will organize many of the sessions featured at the meeting. These are "Institutions, Technology, and Culture." Presentations will be grouped around the relationship between ethical and humanities perspectives on institutional and organizational change, new developments in medical science and technology, and the cultural diversity and changing moral attitudes that are of growing importance in American society. For further information, please contact: Joint Meeting, 6728 Old McLean Village Drive, McLean, VA 22101; fax: 703-556-8729; e-mail: shhv@aol.com.
The Society for Health and Human Values will be holding its Spring Regional Meeting, April 17-18, 1998 at Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio. The theme is "Whose Ethics? Which Medicine? The Tacit and Explicit Development of a Medical Ethic." The conference will consider two types of questions: 1. The Origins of Medical Ethics: Where does medical ethics come from? Is there an implicit or tacit ethic of medicine? Is so, does ethics vary according to profession and specialty? 2. Knowledge of Medical Ethics: Who knows medical ethics? Is it the province of a particular kind of professional or type of person? Or is biomedical ethics a matter of common sense and common knowledge? Paper proposals should be sent in the form of an extended abstract, 500-1,000 words. Please submit 3 copies by October 1, 1997 to: Jody Chidester, Center for Medical Ethics, 3708 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
On October 22 and 23, 1998, Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario will host its third annual conference on business and professional ethics. The Laurier conferences are designed to foster dialogue and ongoing linkages between academics and practitioners. They stress interaction between academic researchers in the field of ethics and practitioners.
In recent years a variety of issues regarding the ethical behavior of practicing professionals have arisen in most professions. For the 1998 Laurier Conference on Business and Professional Ethics, the focus will be on the area of education and training in the ethical practice of professions.
The organizing committee invites papers, detailed abstracts or proposals for workshops, seminars and panel discussions on issues pertaining to Ethical Training and Education. Possible topics for submissions include: Can ethical behavior be taught? What is the role of character in ethics training and education? Can professional schools set selection criteria to screen for ethical standards? Should admission to professional practice and licensing reflect ethical concerns? Should ethics be taught? All submissions will be peer reviewed. Selected papers will be published. Please send 3 copies of a finished paper (20 pages, double spaced) or detailed abstract or proposal (2-5 pages, double spaced) clearly defining the objectives, points to be covered, as well as a short biographical note by November 3, 1997 to: Dr. Kim Morouney, School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue W., Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5; phone: (519) 884-1970; e-mail: kmoroune@mach1.wlu.ca.