Voices in Bioethics Podcast

This episode looks at pharmaceutical ad writing exploring how misleading information enters the advertising pipeline. Lydia Green, a former pharmaceutical ad writer, founded RxBalance, a 501(3)(c), to impact the information ecosystem and give clinicians, patients, caregivers, and policymakers access to unbiased, evidence-based medical information. She notes ways in which ad writers can encourage o...

Randi Fain MD, MS explores available environmentally friendly practices for the disposition of human corpses.  First, she discusses green burial with Lee Webster, an author and educator who served on the Green Burial Council and Conservation Burial Alliance.  Then, she explores alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) with Barbara Kemmis, the Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North A...

Randi Fain MD, MS interviews Lee Webster, author of several books, including The After-Death Care Educator handbook, Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral service, and The Green Burial Masterclass Companion, a book accompanying certification for green cemetery operators. She has served on the Green Burial Council, Conserv...

Dr. Hassan Tetteh is a thoracic surgeon and retired US Navy Captain. He also holds an MBA, a Master of Public Administration, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy and AI. Dr. Tetteh is the author of best-selling books including Gifts of the Heart, The Art of Human Care, and Smarter Healthcare with…

Anne Zimmerman engages Reid Blackman, PhD, the author of Ethical Machines (Harvard Business Review Press) and CEO of Virtue Consultants, in conversation about how to ethically deploy AI systems. Blackman has appeared on BBC News and Fox News and has numerous publications including essays in the New York Times and Harvard Business Review. His work…

Voices in Bioethics editor Julia Baggish interviews Robert Klitzman. He is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Director of the Master of Science in Bioethics Program at Columbia University. He is the author of nine books and numerous articles in both the academic and mainstream media. They discuss his newest book, Doctor Will You Pray…

Randi Fain, MD interviews author Diane Button, an end-of-life doula and instructor in the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program and end-of-life doula Sarah Hill, owner of East Bay Doula for the Dying, LLC. They discuss what an end-of-life doula does, how they work with other healthcare professionals, and…

Voices in Bioethics staff member Valerie Chung interviews Dr. Zohar Lederman, MD, PhD, an emergency medicine physician and bioethicist with a particular interest in loneliness. Discussion includes how COVID-19 has affected our understanding of loneliness, the difference between solidarity and loneliness, and the issue of justice. Dr. Lederman also discusses ways that bioethicists can become…

Marc-David Munk, MD, MPH, MS, joined the podcast to discuss his book, Urgent Calls from Distant Places, which chronicles his time as a doctor with Amref Health Flying Doctor Services in Nairobi, Kenya. With the organization, Dr. Munk provided emergency medical services to people in need across the region traveling to Rwanda, Tanzania, and the…

Karla Childers, MS, Head, Bioethics-based Science & Technology Policy for the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at Johnson & Johnson, discusses the challenges and opportunities to collaborate during crisis. The episode covers challenges to operations, supply chain, and infrastructure and creative ways to continue clinical trials. Disruptions from weather-related events, the pandemic, and...

Voices in Bioethics staff member Abigail Anderson interviews Dan Honig, MA, owner of Happy Valley Meat Company, which is focused on increasing access to ethically raised meat from family farms. Discussion includes the process of founding Happy Valley Meat Company, the importance of ethically sourced meat to the environment and the public, and Dan’s recommendations…

David Edward Walker holds a PhD in psychology and has had years of experience in the US Indian Health Service as a licensed psychologist. He shares insights he developed while serving the Yakama Nation community. Specifically, the conversation covers his experiences as well as the way oppression and marginalization are reframed as issues of mental…

Dr. Sam Sugar, an internal medicine specialist who exposed widespread corruption in the guardianship systems, joins the podcast to discuss the guardianship system and the vulnerability of older adults to corporate guardianship, abuse of power, and crime. He is the author of Guardianships and the Elderly: The Perfect Crime. and Founder and President of Americans…

Joshua May is a philosophy professor at University of Alabama, Birmingham. He holds a PhD from UC, Santa Barbara. His recent book, Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science brings together neuroscience and philosophy to create a nuanced view of human agency as surprisingly diverse and flexible. He joins the Voices in Bioethics podcast…

Michael Scroggins, Lecturer at UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics, discusses ChatGPT and the changing landscape of technology. This conversation follows up the Voices in Bioethics 10th anniversary event, ChatGPT, Knowledge, and Misinformation. The conversation ranges from a discussion of knowledge and how people use technology to the concept of tech users as citizens rather…

Susie Hughes is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC). She leads the organization’s advocacy efforts, hosts numerous roundtable discussions, and has extensive experience in the not-for-profit human rights sector. She joins Anne Zimmerman to discuss forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China. Forced organ…

Eric Maisel is the author of 50+ books, including Why Smart Teens Hurt, Redesign Your Mind, Rethinking Depression, and The Future of Mental Health. Dr. Maisel writes the “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today and is the creator and lead editor for the Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry Series. A retired family therapist and acti...

Kaitlin Puccio, JD, MS, host of Grey Matter, is a lawyer, bioethicist, and podcaster. Kaitlin’s podcast addresses questions without clear answers and areas of culture, law, and bioethics where questions include the word “should”. Kaitlin joins the podcast to discuss her commonsense approaches to sensitive matters, the intersection of law and bioethics, and thinking and…

Camille Castelyn interviews Marisa Dallas about her diverse career interests including sex-based bias in healthcare artificial intelligence algorithms, patient non-compliance, and the intersection of the pharmaceutical industry and bioethics.  Dallas is currently a Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at the University of Michigan. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Human...

Jennifer Cohen interviews Hibah Ilyas, a medical student studying to become a Doctor of Osteopathy. Hibah discusses the similarities and differences between allopathic and osteopathic medicine, as well as some of the misconceptions about her field. Hibah also describes her research into the exploitation of the Ainu people of Japan by medical researchers and anthropologists, and…

Jennifer Cohen interviews Silva Sergenian, MA, Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE), Program and Volunteer Coordinator, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. They discuss counseling and services for victims of violent crime, privacy, and communications in the context of helping victims and navigating the difficulties of the doctor-person relationship and the role of law in…

In this podcast, Jennifer Cohen discusses with Lydia Dugdale her claim that our present medical and lay cultures have lost touch with centuries of wisdom concerning the preparation, confrontation, and acceptance of death, and that this loss of wisdom is resulting in enormous mental and physical suffering. In her recently published book, “The Lost Art of Dying:…

Jennifer Cohen interviews Kelly Werner, MD about the science and ethics of artificial womb technology (AWT) research. AWT research is demonstrating successful outcomes in gestating animals in the United States, Australia, and Japan.  Assuming this technology will soon be an available therapy in human neonatology, Dr. Werner discusses AWT’s projected impacts on the determination of viabil...

Dr. Karen Rezach and Meryl Selig discuss The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School, a comprehensive bioethics curriculum for primary and secondary school students. Dr. Rezach, an ordained Episcopalian minister, promotes the teaching and practice of ethical thinking and decision making. The institute’s goal is to develop effective leaders and compassionate citizens. The co...

Jennifer Cohen interviews Reid Blackman about AI, algorithmic bias, and the many ethical considerations surrounding data, AI, and technology in general. He addresses the role of data scientists and design as well as sources of data. He covers the importance of weighing the input variables and designing functions, helping listeners understand the designer’s role in…