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Health Care Ethics USA
Winter is over and the blooms of Spring are with us - so here we are with the first issue in 2001 of Health Care Ethics USA. Over recent months there have been several important developments at the Center for Health Care Ethics that I would like to mention. First, due to University reengineering two of our staff left the Center, Donna Troy and Charlotte Ruzicka. So, on behalf of everyone at the Center and the readers of this journal, I convey sincere gratitude to Donna and Charlotte for so many years of loyal and abundant service and I send every good wish for future success and happiness. Second, the PhD program in health care ethics has been receiving strong applications from potential students to study at the Center, so we are anticipating a very strong group of new students for next Fall. Our PhD program has an interdisciplinary 48 hour curriculum including 12 courses and the doctoral dissertation, taking between 3-4 years to complete. The program is very competitive and currently we are able to offer full-time funding for all our students in course work. The program began in 1996, so last May our first students graduated (Dan O'Brien at Ascension Health and Mike Panicola at SSM Healthcare - both based in St. Louis). This year another two students will graduate, Sr. Louise Lears, SC, and Craig Paterson who now holds a tenure-track faculty position at Providence College in Rhode Island. We send our sincere congratulations to both of these students, wishing them every success for their future careers. Third, our Center recently established another partnership to support one of the graduate students in our program. This graduate assistantship is being sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System. This sort of partnership not only provides financial support for our students but also provides them with superb experience to integrate their academic scholarship with practical experience in health care. So we are thrilled at this exciting opportunity and we look forward to working together. Fourth, we are currently in the process of a national search for a post-doctoral fellow to join us next year. The fellow will be a member of our faculty who will contribute to teaching, research, and service in the Center. We have created this fellowship primarily to replace one of our faculty (Jim DuBois) who has been awarded an early research leave. Hearty congratulations to Jim on being awarded such a competitive award long before he is due the usual sabbatical leave after 7 years of service at the university! We look forward to welcoming the post-doctoral fellow as a new member of faculty and we wish Jim well during his research leave. Fifth, the Center has been extraordinarily busy this semester working on recent developments in human genomics and stem cell research. Our 16th Annual Edward J. Drummond, SJ lecture on March 30th addressed this topic with a lecture by myself on "The Ethics of Stem Cell Research" - predictably, there was a large turnout and very dynamic discussion! The Center plans to commit significant resources to continue our research in this area in service to our graduate students and our partners in Catholic health care. Finally, the time of our annual Institutes is here again. In early May the Center will host two continuing education Institutes that are designed primarily for members of ethics committees in Catholic health care. Each Institute lasts for three days: the first Institute (May 7-9, 2001) considers the foundations for ethics in Catholic health care; and the second Institute (May 10-12, 2001) examines organizational ethics in Catholic health care. We have planned the two Institutes to run back-to-back to enable registrants to attend both if they desire. There is a great roster of ethicists to lead the sessions, including the Center's personnel, ethicists from Catholic health systems and from the Catholic Health Association. The first Institute on Ethics Foundations for Catholic health care includes sessions on the recent revision of the Ethical and Religious Directives, sponsorship and mission, ethical principles, integrity and decision making, professional relationships, social justice, e-technology issues, and the work of ethics committees and consultations. The second Institute on Organizational Ethics in Catholic health care includes sessions on stewardship, professional leadership, developing organizational ethics committees, the health care work environment and human resources, care for the poor, managed care, unions, and applying the controversial principle of material cooperation to partnerships in Catholic health care. You will find an advert with the relevant contact and registration information in this e-journal. As usual, this issue of Health Care Ethics USA has three essays addressing ethics foundations, organizational ethics, and medical ethics. The first essay (by myself) deals with foundational ethical concerns about emerging research based on the recent mapping of the human genome - while we can anticipate many new genetic therapies we also need to be apprehensive about potential abuses, such as via genetic discrimination in health insurance and patient safety in research protocols. The second essay, on a topic in organizational ethics, is by Ann Suziedelis at our Center. Ann discusses the importance of understanding and applying the theology of work in Catholic health care - she explains that the ethical principles of solidarity and subsidiarity need to be held in dynamic tension to maintain a balanced approach to many aspects of the work environment in health care today. The third essay, on a topic in medical ethics, is by Michael Panicola from SSM Heathcare System in St. Louis. Mike discusses treating victims of sexual assault within Catholic facilities - he compares and contrasts views in the Catholic tradition (including the Ethical and Religious Directives) in order to offer practical guidelines for practitioners in Catholic health care. I hope you enjoy the essays and I look forward to receiving suggestions for topics that we might address in future essays. Professor Gerard Magill, PhD Index | Next: Ethical Perspectives On Mapping The Human Genome |
From the Director... |
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