Health Ethics Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Jonathan Shaffer , who argues that physicians’ responsibilities extend beyond individual patient care to confronting harmful misinformation, inequitable systems, and political forces that shape health outcomes. Drawing on sociology, social movement theory, and a materialist critique of bioethics, Shaffer contends that medical professionals cann...

Link to Show Notes Guest: Joseph Ali, JD Associate Director for Global Programs, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics & Associate Professor, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Host: Bryan Pilkington, PhD Professor of Bioethics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Dorene Balmer about her book, The Long Arc of Training: Six Stories of Aspiring Doctors , which emerged from a 12-year longitudinal qualitative study that followed medical students into residency and practice. Balmer reflects on how repeated, relationship-based interviews allow participants to reflect on their evolving identities as physicians...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. John Lantos about how artificial intelligence is reshaping medicine, particularly the doctor–patient relationship. He situates current concerns within a broader historical pattern of technological disruption in medicine, emphasizing that the true value of physicians lies not just in knowledge, but in navigating uncertainty and building trust wi...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Arthur Caplan on his effort to urge the American and International Red Cross to investigate alleged human rights and healthcare abuses in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. Caplan describes reports of unsafe, prison-like conditions, arguing that these conditions warrant independent inspection under internationa...

A discussion on recent changes in U.S. vaccine policy, the impact on pediatric practice, and the ethical challenges created by shifting public health communication. Guests: Aviva Schein, MD, Pediatrician, Zufall Health J. Patrick Bardill, PhD, Assistant Professor & Microbiologist, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Veronica Catanese about accreditation in medical education and its role in ensuring quality standards for MD programs. They also discuss how recent legislative challenges have affected accreditation Element 3.3 (diversity programs and partnerships). Veronica Catanese, MD , is Senior Director of Accreditation Services at the Association of Ameri...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Kaitlin Puccio, JD, MS about how discussion of current emotionally-charged social issues can benefit from logical reasoning and respectful dialogue with opposing viewpoints. The use of art as a way to make bioethical issues accessible to the public and foster civil discourse is also discussed. Kaitlin Puccio, JD, MS is Director, Art and Bioethics I...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Gabrielle Finn on differential attainment, which refers to the variation in academic attainment between groups of students who share protected characteristics (such as religion, ethnicity and ability) and those who do not share the same characteristic. Report discussed: Gabrielle Finn, Jenny Twyford, Adam Danquah, Asieh Shomali. The Game of Aca...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Kyle Tafuri , a healthcare sustainability expert, about the importance of aligning environmental sustainability with the mission of healthcare systems. Tafuri emphasizes that clean air, water, and healthy soil are fundamental to health and that healthcare institutions, as major employers and resource users, have both an ethical obligation and strat...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Lawrence Rosen about how advocacy extends beyond individual patient care to include public health, policy reform, and environmental sustainability. Rosen argues that physicians have an ethical obligation to use their trusted position to defend and promote health at all levels. Lawrence Rosen, MD is an Integrative Pediatrician and Founder of The...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Arthur Caplan about on the evolution of bioethics from an academic niche to a more public-facing discipline that now must address misinformation and political polarization. Dr. Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Departme...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Lori Bruce on the ethical concerns surrounding baby boxes—devices used for the anonymous surrender of infants under Safe Haven laws. While good intentioned, Bruce argues these boxes lack regulation, informed consent, and support for vulnerable mothers. Evidence-based alternatives like confidential births and crisis counseling to better support...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Boscamp about the decline in public trust in science, particularly around vaccines, and notes that this erosion affects not only individual health decisions but also community well-being.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Nanette Elster, JD, MPH and Kayhan Parsi, JD, PhD about the need for both legal and societal frameworks to ensure the rights and well-being of neurodivergent individuals.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington talks to Dr. James O’Brien about his co-authored article in American Journal of Perinatology . O'Brien JA, Lewkowitz AK, Main EK, Adashi EY. The Ongoing U.S. Struggle with Maternal Mortality. Am J Perinatol . Published online October 10, 2024. doi:10.1055/a-2404-8035

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington talks to Dr. Robert Klitzman  about his book, Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?: Medicine, Chaplains, and Healing the Whole Person .  Robert Klitzman, MD , is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Joseph Mailman School of Public Health, and the Director of the Masters of Bioethics Program at Columbia University. He has...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington talks to Dr. Paul Snelling, Principal Lecturer in Adult Nursing at University of Worcester, about his 2024 Nursing Ethics article, “Am I my students’ nurse? Reflections on the nursing ethics of nursing education,” which explores the student–nurse academic relationship vis-à-vis the patient–nurse relationship. Snelling P. Am I my students’ nurse? Reflections on...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington talks to Dr. Thomas Nasca , ACGME President and Chief Executive Officer, about the crucial role of trust in medicine, emphasizing its importance in medical education, the physician-patient relationship, and addressing systemic issues in healthcare, such as burnout and moral distress. Without trust, the healthcare system risks failing both its providers and pat...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington talks to Dr. Keisha Ray about her 2024 co-authored American Journal of Bioethics article, “ The Bioethics of Environmental Injustice: Ethical, Legal, and Clinical Implications of Unhealthy Environments ” and her book, Black Health: The Social, Political, and Cultural Determinants of Black People’s Health . Keisha Ray  is an Associate Professor of bioethics and...

In this episdoe,  Bryan Pilkington, PhD speaks to Carl Elliott, MD, PhD , professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota. His latest book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No , is out now (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024). The Occassional Human Sacrifice details shocking cases of abusive medical research and the whistleblowe...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Charles E. Binkley, MD . Charles Binkley is a liver and pancreas surgeon, bioethicist, Director of Bioethics at Hackensack Meridian Health, and Associate Professor of Surgery at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. His work focuses on the ethical use of AI to improve clinical decision making. He is the co-author of Encoding Bioethics: AI in Clin...

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks to Dr. Samuel Doernberg and Dr. Robert Truog about their recent paper in the American Journal of Bioethics entitled, " Spheres of Morality: The Ethical Codes of the Medical Profession ." 

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks to Dr. David J. Skorton about academic freedom. David J. Skorton, MD, is president and CEO of the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), a not-for-profit association that represents medical schools, teaching hospitals and health systems, and academic societies.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks to Dr. Jason Adam Wasserman about Institutional Conscience. His new article is: Wasserman JA, Brummett AL, Navin MC, Menkes DL. Conscientious Objection to Aggressive Interventions for Patients in a Vegetative State.  Am J Bioeth . Published online November 30, 2023. doi:10.1080/15265161.2023.2280099. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38032547/ Dr. Wasserm...