Join Us for an Event

National Collaborative on Humanities & Ethics in Dentistry (NCHED) ~ The Growth of Dental Ethics as a Discipline: This meeting was recorded on February 25, 2025, as this topic was addressed by David T. Ozar, an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, has made significant contributions to dental ethics through his teaching, founding of the American Society for Dental Ethics, and extensive work with dental schools and professional societies, while also authoring 153 ethics articles and three editions of "Dental Ethics at Chairside." 

From Prohibition to Prescription: Ethical Considerations in the Psychedelic Renaissance: This panel discussion was recorded on February 10, 2025, as part of the Pharmacy Ethics Speaker Series hosted by the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy. This discussion explores ethical issues around the use of psychedelics and natural medicine in healthcare and research, with a focus on what pharmacists and other health professionals and health professions students need to know about the rapidly changing landscape of natural medicine.

MODERATOR: 
Mike DiStefano. PhD, MBE
Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy

PANELISTS: 
Stacy Fisher, MD
Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Amy McGuire, J.D.,  PhD
Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics, Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Kristin Speer, PharmD, BCPS, RPh
Co-Founder & Board Director, Psychedelic Pharmacists Association
Founder & Owner, The Magic Mushroom Interaction Checker

Holocaust Genocide and Contemporary Bioethics Program Jan 27, 2025: How Healers Became Killers | Eugenics, Power and Repercussions

Matt Wynia, MD, MPH talks about the chilling legacy of U.S. eugenics, its role in shaping Nazi racial policies, and the ongoing ethical challenges in medicine, race, and public health today.

Spero Manson, PhD (Little Shell Chippewa) discusses how U.S. treatment of indigenous peoples informed Nazi policy.

NCHED November 19, 2024 CE presentation on Spirituality, Religion, and Oral Health by Dr. Carlos S. Smith  CE presentation on Spirituality, Religion, and Oral Health by Dr. Carlos S. Smith. Dr. Smith, a general dentist, ethicist and ordained clergy, is an associate professor of dental public health and policy and currently serves as president of the American Society for Dental Ethics. In this meeting he describes how spiritual and religious communities may serve as key locus for combating misinformation and disinformation about oral healthcare, particularly for historically marginalized populations.

14th Annual CCTSI Conference: Out of Site, Out of Mind? Ethics Issues in Decentralized Research  On November 7th, attendees comprised of members of the CU Anschutz community, explored the unique ethics and equity challenges raised by decentralized research, and how to manage them.  A recording of the keynote presentation by by Barbara Emily Bierer, MD is available.

Kayte Spector Bagdady, JD, MBE, visting scholar from University of Michigan, Interim Co-Director, Center for Bioethics & Social Sciences in Medicine presented on Respecting Autonomy and Enabling Diversity: AI Ethics, Law & Policy on October 29, 2024

From Prohibition to Prescription ~ Ethical Considerations in Medical Cannabis Use was presented on October 28th from 12-1pm with the following panelists: Jacci Bainbridge, PharmD; Robert Page, PharmD, MSPH; Kelsey Schwander, PharmD and Dominic Sisti, PhD. The moderator was Joshua Semock, PharmD Cand.

Moral Leadership in Medicine: The Short History and Tenuous Future of Professionalism in Medicine  was presented on October 24, 2024 by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, FACP, professor of medicine and public health at the University of Colorado and director of the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities. The concept of #professionalism in #healthcare is both newer and more fragile than many assume. The history, strengths, risks, and alternatives to professionalism should be understood if we hope to create a future in which health professionals work well together in teams to effectively and ethically serve our patients and communities. This lecture was provided by support from the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund at Harvard University.

Black Maternal and Infant Mortality: Data, Causes, Solutions was presented by Dr. Dawn Owens Robinson on October 7, 2024, as it beautifully weaves into the narrative we've been exploring through the quilts in the gallery at the Fulginiti Pavilion. Her contributions add a vital layer to the story we're telling about health, community, and resilience.

Anti-Science, Antisemitism, and Public Health, was presented by Dr. Peter Hotez on September 30, 2024 as we explored the critical intersection between intolerance and anti-science. Misinformation and false beliefs about vaccines have surprising links to racial, religious and ableist prejudices, including antisemitism. Understanding the connections between vaccine conspiracies and bigoted scapegoating allows us to address these problems at their roots. If you are interested in viewing the recording please contact Lisa.Culhane@cuanschutz.edu.

CRISPR Panel Discussion on June 24, 2024 focused on the ethics surrounding CRISPR technology and its potential uses in clinical and research practices. Panelists included Christopher McKinney, MD, CU-SOM Hematology/Oncology and Sickle Cell Disease specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado, Curtis R. Coughlin II, PhD, MS, MBE, CU-SOM Pediatrics and Genetic Counselor, and Lindsay Brubaker, MD, CU-SOM, Gynecologic Oncology, and moderated by Arjun Singh, MS1, CU School of Medicine, Class of 2027. Sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities Student Group.

Physicians' Conscience-Based Barriers to Medical Aid in Dying, was presented by Mika Hamer, PhD, MPH, with commentary by Arthur Caplan, PhD, on June 16, 2024.  Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Gianna Morales.

Can the placenta and breastmilk be used for offspring drug delivery?  Should they?  was presented by Teri Hernandez, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Michael Zaretsky, MD, on May 16, 2024. Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Gianna Morales. 

Unraveling the Past, Confronting the Present, and Charting an Ethical Future in Medicine: The History and Legacy of the Pernkopf Atlas, a presentation/discussion with Sabine Hildebrandt, MD, and Howard Israel, DDS, on May 7, 2024, moderated by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH.

The Dentist in Film: Beneath the Comedy and the Horror, was presented by Howie Movshovitz, PhD, Film Critic at KUNC and Film and Television Lecturer at CU Denver. Dentists have historically been portrayed in film as either farcical or evil. How did this notion evolve, and what is the impact on public perception? This April 29, 2024 National Collaborative on Humanities and Ethics in Dentistry event was moderated by Catherine Flaitz DDS, MS with additional commentary from Christine Slobogin, PhD, Assistant Assistant Professor of Health Humanities and Bioethics at the University of Rochester.

Hospice Decision Making in Older Black Adults, was presented by Channing Tate, PhD, MPH, on April 11, 2024. Dr. Tate explained the process of shared decision making, addressed some of the complexities of hospice decision making, and reviewed data on how Black adults talk about hospice. Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Walking the Thin Line: Compounding Ethics of Weight Loss Drugs addressed the rising notoriety of designer weight loss drugs like Ozempic have led to short supply. Are the alternatives of compounded GLP-1 weight loss drugs sold by med spas and others an affordable alternative or risky gamble? A panel moderated by Michael DiStefano, PhD, MBE, from Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, included Andrew Timothy Kraftson, MD, from University of Michigan Medical School and Gina D. Moore, PharmD, MBA, Senior Associate Dean for Operations and Regulatory Affairs at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  Presented on April 8, 2024.

Psychiatric Disorders and Capacity Evaluations: Ethical Principles & Approaches was presented by Thida Thant, MD and Heather Murray, MD, on March 14, 2024. This Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Gianna Morales.

Tips and tricks to publishing in high impact journals, was presented by Miriam Sabin, MSc, North American Executive Editor, New York, for The Lancet.  Sabin provided an engaging view into the behind-the-scenes world of editorial decision-making at a high-impact medical journal-The Lancet and the Lancet’s specialty journals.  She shared what editors are looking for in paper submissions, and what the common pitfalls can be for prospective authors.  Recorded on March 7, 2024.

Everything Comes Alive with Cherry Pie: Stories of Life at the End of Life, was presented by Marcia Brennan, PhD, the Carolyn & Fred McManis Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religion and Art Histor at Rice University on February 13, 2024.  Professor Brennan shared her work as a literary Artist In Residence working with advanced cancer patients at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The talk included case studies that vividly engage themes relating to the mouth and to issues concerning taste, voice, speech, power, and the uniqueness of human identity. 

Ethical Issues in the Medical Response to Elder Mistreatment, was presented by Elizabeth M. Bloemen, MD, MPH, on February 8, 2024. Dr. Bloemen described what elder abuse is, the prevalence and impact it has on patients, and the ethical issues that commonly arise in cases of elder mistreatment. Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

How Healers Became Killers: Nazi Doctors and Modern Medical Ethics, was presented by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 29, 2024.

War Crimes, Social Influence & Justice: Lessons From the Holocaust for Today, a discussion with historians Kathrin Janzen, MA, doctoral candidate at the Institute for Contemporary History, Vienna University and Hans-Christian Jasch, JD, PhD, lawyer and former Director, Memorial House of the Wannsee Conference. Moderated by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH.  Recorded on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 29, 2024.

"I object! I insist! … conscientious practice in health care,"  was presented by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH on January 11, 2024.  Dr. Wynia described scenarios that commonly prompt objections to policy related to individual conscience, similarities and differences between conscientious objection to and conscientious provision of health care services, and explored policy options for ensuring quality care for patients and respecting the individual conscience of health professionals.  Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Current Ethical Controversies in Organ Donation, was presented by Brian Jackson, MD, MA, on December 14, 2023.  Dr. Jackson reviewed the different types of organ recovery for deceased organ donors, discussed changes in federal law that affect organ procurement organizations, and analyzed “hot topics” in organ procurement including normothermic regional perfusion and “Honor Walks.”  Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Community Pharmacy: Ethical Issues and Opportunities was presented on December 4, 2023.  This panel discussion featured prominent voices from rural pharmacy, corporate pharmacy, the Colorado Pharmacy Society, and an Alaskan-native serving pharmacy as they ponder the biggest dilemmas in retail pharmacy right now.  

Susan Okie, MD, read from her award-winning book of poetry, Woman at the Crossing on November 13, 2023.  The discussion was hosted by Mark Kissler, MD, MS, Assistant Professor at the CU School of Medicine.  Okie is a family medicine physician by training, a former medical reporter and editor for the Washington Post and the New England Journal of Medicine. This debut publication, Woman at the Crossing, won the Off the Grid Poetry Prize, an annual contest for poets aged 60 or older.  

A Rights-Based Approach to a New Era for Healthcare: Justice in Research, Medicine & Public Health, was presented by Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH, on November 6, 2023.  Dr. Ferdowsian is professor of medicine at University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and President of Phoenix Zones Initiative, a global nonprofit that uses medical and public health expertise to advance the health and well-being of people, animals, and the planet. A discussion with Matthew DeCamp, MD, MPH, and the audience followed.  Co-sponsored by the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education.

Creating a Culture of Excellence & Equity in Research, by C.K. Gunsalus, JD, was the keynote presentation at the 13th Annual CCTSI Research Ethics Conference on November 2, 2023.  Professor Gunsalus is the Director of the National Center for Principled Leadership and Research Ethics Professor Emerita of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  Three flash presentations & a panel followed.  1) What can research tell us about research integrity and culture? by Daniel Acuña, PhD  2) How can diversity in research teams and research training improve research integrity? by Sonia Flores, PhD  3) What is the role of the research integrity office & institutional policy in fostering a culture of excellence? by Kimberly Cox-York, PhD (Discussion) ChatGPT and Research Integrity: Promise, Peril, or Both? led by Lisa Bero, PhD.

"50 Years of Studying Trust in Health Care: Our Methods Have Deceived Us," was presented by Lauren Taylor, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, on October 30, 2023.  Discussant was Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health.  This Research Rounds was hosted by CBH Chief Scientist, Lisa Bero, PhD.

A Conversation about BRCA and Genetic Testing was held on October 24, 2023.  Rachel Rabinovitch, MD, Michelle Springer, MS, CGC, Paul Wolpe, PhD, and Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, discussed the implications of BRCA gene mutations, genetic testing, and the role of Jewish scientists, ethicists, and advocates in the evolution and advancement of genetic testing.  Unexpected Insights is presented by the Helen Morris American Jewish Experience in Medicine Program. 

Caring in the Context of Patient Violence, was presented by Darcy Copeland, RN, PhD, Professor, Department of Nursing at University of Northern Colorado and Nurse Scientist at St. Anthony Hospital describes four types of workplace violence, evaluates a zero-tolerance approach to workplace violence, and shares ethical frameworks to discuss patient violence. Ethics Grand Rounds:  October 12, 2023.

Exploring Ethics and Emerging Child Labor Laws, a panel discussion on October 11, 2023 with Warren Binford, JD, Ed.M, Ethics & Policy Director for Pediatric Law, Ethics & Policy at the Kempe Center, Michael Bochenek, Senior Counsel at Human Rights Watch, and Maria Gabriella Breglia, Researcher at the Fundamentals, International Labour Organization.  Moderated by Lee Newman, MD, MA, Distinguished Professor at the Colorado School of Public Health and Director of the Center for Health, Work & Environment, our partner in the series on Ethics and the Future of Work.

Lee Gelernt, JD, Keynote Presentation at the Advocating for Children in Migration Symposium on September 21, 2023. Gelernt is the Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Immigration Rights Project, and has argued some of the country’s highest profile cases, including a national class-action challenge ending the Trump administration’s practice of separating immigrant families at the border, and the travel ban on individuals from certain Muslim-majority nations. 

Justice and Bias in Healthcare AI by Charisse Madlock-Brown, PhD, was recorded on August 8, 2023.  Dr. Brown, an Associate Professor of Informatics at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, shared her career journey and the work she has done in support of ethical data management and data mining in an era where technological advancement offers both promise and peril.  Hosted by Ira Bedzow, PhD, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University.

Exploring Ethics and Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace. In this July 19, 2023 webinar, an expert panel panel focused on the challenges and opportunities for artificial intelligence in the workplace.   This is the latest in a series where we explore the intersection of ethics and the future of work, co-sponsored by the Center for Work, Health & the Environment.

A Deep Dive into Professionalism: Policy Solutions to Conflicts of Interest, was presented by Sunita Sah, MD, PhD, MBA, Professor of Management Studies at Cornell University on June 19, 2023.  Sunita Sah is an award-winning professor and organizational psychologist who has spent over a decade conducting ground-breaking research on advisor-advisee relationships, trust, conflicts-of-interest, disclosure and compliance.  This Research Rounds was hosted by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH.

Art Therapy for Brain-Injured Military Veterans and First Responders: An Essential Component of Interdisciplinary Care, was presented by Gayla Elliott, MA, ATR, CBIS, on June 16, 2023.  Gayla is the Art Therapy Program Manager at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, and has been an art therapist for over 35 years with graduate degrees in both art therapy and counseling psychology.  Presented in partnership with the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab.

Leading Toward Health Justice: A Conversation with Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew was recorded on June, 14, 2023.  Dean Matthew of George Washington University Law School shared her career journey and highlighted the work she does to advance equity and justice in healthcare. Moderated by CU Boulder Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Patrick O'Rourke.

Resilience & Reflections: A Conversation with Lilly Marks, was presented on June 6, 2023.  This was the first event in the 2023-2024 AEJM series, Unexpected Insights: A Conversation Series with Jewish Women in Medicine.

Red Flag Laws and the Colorado Clinician, was presented by Chris E. Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, FACC on June 8, 2023.  In this Ethics Grand Rounds Dr. Knoepke discussed the ethical dimensions of gun safety as a public health issue, described red flag laws and the evidence supporting them, and identified the ethical tensions inherent in the therapeutic relationship. 

Award-winning author Patrice Gopo shared her journey toward belonging in a conversation about the ways writing can contribute to advocacy, reflection and care.  Hosted by Mark Kissler, MS, MD, Director of Narrative Medicine for the CU Department of Hospital Medicine on May, 23, 2023.

Brittany Harker Martin, PhD, Associate Professor at University of Calgary presented, Learning to Let Go: How Art Can Help Regulate Healthy Mental States, on May 19, 2023, in partnership with the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab.

Ethical Considerations for Returning Clinical Genomic Results from a Population Biobank, by Christina Aquilante, PharmD, Curtis R. Coughlin, II, PhD and Emily Todd, MS. This panel identified and analyzed ethical issues associated with return of clinical pharmacogenomic results and high impact pathogenic variants from the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine biobank for Ethics Grand Rounds, presented on May 11, 2023.  Moderated by Jackie Glover, PhD.

Ricardo Nuila, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor discussed his debut book, The People's Hospital, which follows the lives of five uninsured Houstonians as their struggle for survival leads them to Ben Taub Hospital where insurance comes second to genuine care.  Hosted by Mark Kissler, MS, MD, Director of Narrative Medicine for the CU Department of Hospital Medicine on May 4, 2023.

Here Comes the Sun:  How Research Can Illuminate the Patient Experience of Art and Well-being was presented by Heather Stuckey, D.Ed., Associate Professor of Medicine, Humanities and Public Health Sciences at Penn State University.  This lecture on April 21, 2023 is presented in partnership with the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab.

Ethical Issues Surrounding Abortion in a Post-Roe Nation  Jackie Glover, PhD, HEC-C and Heather Straub, MD described the ethical arguments involved in the abortion debate in the US, and the ethical issues in the maternal/fetal dyad.  They identified post-Roe ethical arguments for patients and providers and offered resources to support patients/families and health care professionals as they deal with ethical issues around abortion. This Ethics Grand Rounds was presented on April 13, 2023.

Cindy Weinstein, PhD, the Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English at the California Institute of Technology discussed her book, "Finding the Right Words," which reflects upon Weinstein’s father’s experience with early-onset Alzheimer’s.  Each chapter reveals how the disease presented itself, and co-author neurologist Dr. Bruce Miller responds with a neurological explanation.  Interviewed by Mark Kissler, MD, MS on April 3, 2023.

Ethical Issues in the Heart of the Storm, a discussion exploring the obligations of healthcare professionals who chase storms was presented by Jason Persoff, MD and Jackie Glover, PhD, on March 17, 2023.  This event was presented in conjunction with the exhibit, Every One is Unique, featuring photographs of storms and snowflakes by Dr. Persoff, on display at the Fulginiti Pavilion.

Ethical Issues in Blood Product Shortages was presented by Nicole Draper, MD and Joel Kniep, MD on March 9, 2023.  In this Ethics Grand Rounds, Drs. Draper and Kniep identified causes of blood product shortages and the ethical issues that arise, described ethically justified procedures for addressing shortages, and provided resources for blood product shortages.

Nuremberg Memories and the Founding of American Bioethics, was presented by Robert Baker, PhD, William D. Williams Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Union College, NY, Adjunct Professor of Bioethics, Clarkson University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, on February 13, 2023.  Baker described how memories of the 1946-1947 Nuremberg Doctors Trial inspired Jews and others to publicize research scandals perpetrated by American physicians, paving the way for the birth of bioethics.

Ethical Implications of Ableism in Healthcare, was presented on February 9, 2023 by Megan Morris, PhD, MPH, CCC-SLP,  Anne Dondapati Allen, MDiv, PhD, HEC-C, and Katie Herrmann, LCSW.  This Ethics Grand Rounds defined ableism and the ethical importance of healthcare inclusion, and described a protocol of enhancing the IDD patient experience and discharge. Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Academic Oncologists and the Expanded Access Pathway to Investigational Drugs, was presented by Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBe, Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics and Law at University of Pennsylvania on February 6, 2023.  This Research Rounds addressed Expanded Access is a regulatory pathway that allows seriously ill patients to access investigational drugs outside clinical trials.  How do clinicians decide whether and to whom to offer Expanded Access, what resources do they need and where might inequities occur?  Moderated by Lisa Bero, PhD, Chief Scientist at CBH and Professor of Medicine and Public Health.

How Healers Became Killers: Nazi Doctors and Modern Medical Ethics, presentation on January 27, 2023 by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH.  This lecture provided core historical facts about health professional involvement in events leading up to and including the Holocaust, and it aims to prompt reflection on how this tragic history continues to affect health care ethics today.

Professional Complicity in the Holocaust:  What can the professions of today learn from each other? 
Panelists for January 27, 2023 Discussion:
Tessa Chelouche, MD, Co-Director, Maimonides Institute and Chair of Bioethics, Haifa University, Israel
Mark Lukasiewicz, Dean, The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, Hofstra University
Don Smith, JD, Professor of the Practice, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver
Reverend Matt Stone, ThM, Rector, Calvary Episcopal Church
Moderator: Thorsten Wagner, Executive Director for Strategy and Academics, FASPE Ethics Program  

Complex Case?  Who do you call for help? Ethics / Palliative Care / Psychiatry / Legal / REST? was a panel discussion on January 12, 2023.  Panelists: Kristin Furfari, MD, Jeanie Youngwerth, MD, FAAHPM, Erica Kirsten Rapp, MD, Ellie Bane, JD, and Anne Dondapati Allen, MA, MDiv, PhD, HEC-C.  This Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Jackie Glover, PhD, HEC-C.

Expressive Arts: Ancient Restorative Practices Grounded in Modern Neuroscience, was presented by Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, REAT, on December 16, 2022.  Dr. Malchiodi is an author, educator and investigator on a 5-year grant with the US Department of Education, integrating trauma-informed expressive arts into classrooms.  This was the 2nd in the 2022-23 lecture series, in partnership with the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab.

Ethical Issues in Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment, a discussion with Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH and Huntington Potter, PhD, focused on ethical issues that arise in Alzheimer’s research and treatment, and explored what patients, families and caregivers can do to navigate ethical challenges in living with Dementia. This Ethics Grand Rounds was presented on December 8, 2022.

The Anschutz Campus Choir, conducted by Jackie Pennell, performed "Joy," a concert at the Fulginiti Pavilion on December 5, 2022.  The choir was joined by several small groups and soloists, and members of the CU Anschutz Orchestra (program attached).

The Body of the Data: Equity & Inclusion, by Nicole Martinez-Martin, JD, PhD from the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, was the keynote presentation of the 12th Annual CCTSI Research Ethics Conference, held on November 10, 2022.  This year's conference theme was "Real World Ethics for Artificial Intelligence Research: Managing the Issues," and was co-sponsored by the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

Ethical Issues in Assessing Capacity for Discharge, was presented on October 13, 2022 by Emily McDonnell, LCSW, UCH System Guardianship Social Worker, Louisa Naber, LCSW, UCHA Complex Care Transitions Committee Social Worker, Jennifer Cloney, RN, UCHA Complex Care Transitions Committee Nurse Care Manager and moderated by Jackie Glover, PhD.

Exploring Ethics and Intentional Hybrid Work, was presented by Julia Beckel, PhD student in Industrial Organizational Psychology at CSU, Rasheeda Crayton Childress, Senior Editor at Chronicle Philanthropy and Lili Tenny, DrPH, MPH, Associate Director for Outreach at the CU Center for Health, Work and Environment (CHWE).  The discussion was moderated by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH.  This webinar on September 7, 2022 was co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and CHWE.

Jewish Bioethics: What All Health Professionals Should Know, was presented on September 9, 2022 by Paul Root Wolpe, PhD, Director of the Center for Ethics at Emory University.  A panel, moderated by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, followed with discussants Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC, Director of Spiritual Care at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Jeremy Lazarus, MD, Past President of the American Medical Association and member of the AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. Sponsored by the Helen Morris American Jewish Experience in Medicine Program.

Not Just Little Adults: The Challenges of Caring for Children in an Adult-Focused Hospital.  In this September 8, 2022 Ethics Grand Rounds, Brian Jackson, MD, MA, compared ethical frameworks for providing medical care to children, adolescents and adults, described differences between the legal and ethical approaches to medical care for children, and identified resources that can assist adult-focused health care team members who also provide care to children and adolescents.

Aspen Ethical Leadership Program:  A Conversation on Moral Injury.  Dr. Wendy Dean is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Moral Injury of Healthcare and the Day 2 Keynote speaker for the 2022 Aspen Ethical Leadership Program. In this Meet the Keynote conversation, Dr. Dean shares the story of her career journey and what prompted her to reframe the conversation around “burnout” to incorporate the concept of “moral injury.”   This event was hosted in partnership with the Colorado Health Institute and the Aspen Center for Social Values in advance of the Aspen Ethical Leadership Program sponsored by Delta Dental and COPIC.

The EMR: Ethical Issues with Open Notes, Open Results, was presented on June 9, 2022 by CT Lin, MD​, Professor, Department of Medicine at University of Colorado and Chief Medical Information Officer at UCHealth​. Dr. Lin discussed the ethical intent and concerns of open notes and open results, and used case-based examples to identify issues and approaches to managing the impact of open notes and open results.

Understanding and Preventing Sport-Related Brain Injury Using a Public Health Prevention Framework was presented by Christine Baugh, PhD, MPH on May 11, 2022.  Dr. Baugh was selected to deliver the 2022 National Institutes of Health: Early-Stage Investigator Lecture, which recognizes early-career prevention scientists who have not successfully competed for a substantial NIH-supported research project, but who have already made outstanding research contributions to their respective fields and are poised to become future leaders in prevention research.

5 Years Into Colorado’s Medical Aid in Dying Law: What Do Physicians Think?was presented by Hillary Lum, MD, PhD, and Eric G. Campbell, PhD, on May 19, 2022,  They discussed the results of a recent survey of 300 Colorado physicians, which examined the nature, extent, and consequences of physicians’ participation in MAiD, in this webinar co-sponsored by the Colorado Medical Society.  Read the January 2022 JGIM article, Physicians’ Attitudes and Experiences with Medical Aid in Dying in Colorado: A “Hidden Population” Survey.

Managing Ethical Issues in Pragmatic Research Conducted Via the Electronic Health Record, a virtual discussion on May 12, 2022 with Thomas W. Flaig, MD, Vice Chancellor for Research, Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, from the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and John Heldens, Director of the Office of the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board.

Organizational Ethics in Health Care: What is it? Why does it matter? Why now? was presented on May 11, 2022 by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities-Organizational Ethics Affinity Group.  Speakers included Anita Katharina Wagner, PharmD, MPH, DrPH, Susan A. Reeves EdD, RN, CENP, Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH and Melissa Bottrell, MPH, PHD.

Building Resilience in Health Care Through the Arts, was presented on May 2, 2022 at the Fulginiti Pavilion, where Marc Moss, MD, Tony Edelblute, LPC, MT-BC, Michael Henry, MFA and Hillary Sinn, LPC, R-DMT discussed the research findings of the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab (CORAL) which uses the arts to process trauma, foster expression, build community, and promote healing for health care professionals.

Legacies of the Holocaust and Health Equity Today, was presented by Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, on April 26, 2022 in partnership with the CU Program in Jewish Studies.  The event was moderated by CBH Director, Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, with opening remarks by Chancellor of the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Don Elliman.  Dr. Maybank is the Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President for the American Medical Association (AMA) where she focuses on embedding health equity across all the work of the AMA and leading its Center for Health Equity.  This was the keynote presentation for the 2022 Holocaust, Genocide and Contemporary Bioethics Program.

Medical Racism and the American Jewish Experience on April 25, 2022 and began with a short presentation by Barron H. Lerner, MD, PhD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. A discussion, moderated by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, followed with panelists, Barron H. Lerner, Gregg Drinkwater, PhD, a visiting Assistant Professor at the CU Boulder Program in Jewish Studies, Alan M. Kraut, PhD, Professor of History at American University and a fellow of the Migration Policy Institute, Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, the Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President for the American Medical Association, and Shanta M. Zimmer, MD, the Senior Associate Dean for Education and the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the CU School of Medicine.  Presented in partnership with the CU Program in Jewish Studies.

Ethical Issues in Staffing: It’s Not Over, was presented by Anuj Mehta, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care at Denver Health, CU School of Medicine and National Jewish Health discussed staffing issues prior to the pandemic, reviewed the interplay between healthcare staffing and Crisis Standards of Care, explained how staffing shortages can lead to downstream ethical conundrums and proposed potential solutions to healthcare staffing.  This Ethics Grand Rounds was presented on April 14, 2022.

The Story Behind The Story: How Our Memoir Became a Tool for Science Communication, was a discussion co-sponsored by the Colorado School of Public Health on April 4, 2022.  Steffanie Strathdee’s husband Tom Patterson contracted an antibiotic-resistant superbug and became deathly ill.  She raced to find a treatment and with no other options, Strathdee turned to phage therapy—an unconventional treatment in which viruses are used to kill bacteria.  Moderated by CSPH Dean Jon Samet, they shared their story and discussed their new book, The Perfect Predator.

Examining Bioethical Dimensions of Art, was presented by bioethicist Elisabeth Armstrong, MSc, HEC-C and abstract painter ROMELLE on March, 28th, 2022 and offered a framework for interacting with the bioethical dimensions of art; unpacking the dynamic connection between art, pain and care. 

Legacies of the American Jewish Health Community: Colorado’s Leading Role in Treating Tuberculosis, the inaugural event of the Helen Morris American Jewish Experience in Medicine Program on March 14, 2022, was presented by Jeanne Abrams, PhD, Professor, University of Denver Libraries and Center for Judaic Studies and Director of the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society & Beck Archives, and featuring respondents Charles L. Daley, MD, Chief, Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections, National Jewish Health and Tom Noel, PhD, Professor Emeritus of History and Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies, University of Colorado Denver.

Walking the Tight-Rope: Navigating requests for Aid-in-Dying (MAiD) in the suicidal patient, was presented on March 10, 2022 by Jonathan Treem, MD, Lead Physician at the UCH Palliative Care Clinic.  Dr Treem delineated the differences between suicidality and medical aid-in-dying as non-equivalents, evaluated a clinical model for access to MAiD that does not enable suicidality or impulsivity, and critically appraised and discussed the ethical issues at play in end-stage-disease with co-occurring psychiatric illness.

Ethics, Mental Health, and the Future of Work, was presented in collaboration with the Center for Work, Health and Environment on February 17, 2022.  This panel discussion, moderated by Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD, focused on ethical challenges around the employer’s culpability in contributing to and in some cases, causing the mental health problems of workers. 

From Colorado Law to EPIC Pathway: The Physician Proxy Law 6 Years Later, was presented by Kristin Furfari, MD, Associate Professor, Hospital Medicine and Co-Medical Director of UCH Ethics Consult Service on February 10th, 2022.  Dr. Furfari described the history of the development of physician proxies, reviewed when and how to access a physician proxy, explained why and how the Ethics Consult Service is involved, and analyzed ethical issues that arise with the use of physician proxies. 

The Dreyfus Affair: A Lesson for Our Time was presented by Joseph Gal, PhD, MS on February 7, 2022.  In 1894, French Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused of providing military secrets to Germany.  He was convicted of high treason and sentenced to life in prison on Devil's Island off the South American coast. The conviction was overturned by the President of France and in 1906, a high court exonerated Dreyfus. The case is a grave warning about the consequences of racism and antisemitism, still present today.

How Healers Became Killers: Health Professionals in the Nazi Era and Modern Health Care Ethics was presented by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2022.  An interprofessional panel discussion, The Legacy of the Holocaust in Health Professions Education, moderated by Dr. Wynia followed afterward with panelists, Dr. Darcy Copeland, Dr. Matthis Krischel and Dr. Linda M. Woolf.

Updates on Brain Death: Conundrums and Controversies, was presented on January 13, 2022 by Brian Jackson, MD, MA,  Assistant Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Co-chair of the Ethics Committee at Children’s Hospital Colorado.  Dr. Jackson identified ethical issues associated with brain death determination, described controversies in brain death definition and recent legal cases and legislation affecting the determination of brain death.  This Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Kerry Brega, MD.

The 4th Trimester Bodies Project, was presented by ash luna on December 6, 2021.  ash luna is a photographer, writer, speaker and parent.  This project shares the beautiful, empowering, and sometimes difficult experiences that postpartum people go through. 
View transcript>>  Learn more>>

Artist William Stoehr discussed his exhibit, STIGMA and SURVIVAL, and the genesis of his art on November 15, 2021 at the Fulginiti.  Visit the exhibit webpage to learn more.

Ethical Issues in Emergency Medicine, was presented by Katherine Mayer, MD, FACEP, Assistant Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and Interim Medical Director, MICU on November 11, 2021.  This Ethics Grand Rounds identified ethical issues that arise in the ED, described ethical frameworks for patient care in Emergency Medicine and applied these frameworks to three unique cases.

Timothy Caulfield, BSc, LL.B, LL.M, Research Director of the Health Law Institute at University of Alberta, was the keynote presenter at the 11th Annual CCTSI Research Ethics Conference, held at the Fulginiti Pavilion on November 4, 2021. Caulfield presented, Battling the Infodemic in the Age of Misinformation: Yes, Debunking Works. This video, introduced by Brian Jackson, MD, MA, offers brief excerpts from his talk, as well as the question and answer session that followed.

The 11th Annual CCTSI Research Ethics Conference, "COVID-19 Research in the News: What Issues Does This Raise?" was hosted at the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities on November 4, 2021. This recording features four short presentations by Michelle Barron, MD, Jose Castillo-Mancilla, MD, Adit Ginde, MD, MPH and Thomas Campbell, MD.

PERILOUS MEDICINE: The Struggle to Protect Health Care from the Violence of War, a conversation with Leonard Rubenstein, JD, LLM, Director of Program on Human Rights, Health and Conflict at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and author of a new book, Perilous Medicine.  He was interviewed by Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at CBH on October 26, 2021.  Transcript>>

Killing Her Softly: Euthanasia in the Nazi-era film Ich Klage An, was presented by Howie Movshovitz, PhD, Faculty, CU Denver College of Arts and Media, KUNC Film Critic and Contributor to NPR and Dr. Volker Roelcke, Director, Institute for the History of Medicine at the University of Giessen, Germany.  This October 25, 2021 webinar featured commentary by Mark A. Levine, MD and Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH.

The exhibit, Eye to Eye, is about bravery. These are your neighbors, your friends, your relatives, your colleagues, your patients.  You see them -- and others like them -- every day.  They are older women. They are part of the LGBTQ community.  Recorded on opening night, October 14, 2021.

"Kidney to Share:  A living kidney donor's experience and lessons learned about barriers and opportunities," was presented by Martha Gershun on October 14, 2021.  Martha Gershun is a nonprofit consultant, writer, and community volunteer. In 2018 she donated a kidney at the Mayo Clinic to a woman she read about in the newspaper. 

Navigating Competing Interests in Healthcare, engaged leaders in healthcare, business and medicine to explore this tension and consider ways to balance our priorities and protect patients from being devalued in the pursuit of business ‘success’.  This October 11, 2021 discussion was moderated by Lisa Bero, PhD with panelists Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, Patricia A. Gabow, MD, Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD and Roger Ritvo, PhD.  Co-sponsored by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at the CU Denver Business School and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

"Vaccine Mandates," was presented by the American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB) on September 27, 2021. Moderated by David Magnus, AJOB Editor In-Chief, with panelists Arthur Caplan, PhD, Seema Mohapatra, JD, Kevin Schulman, MD, MBA, and CBH Director, Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, this webinar addressed the ethics and social acceptability of vaccine mandates.

Advancing Athlete Health: It's a Team Effort, was presented on September 14, 2021.  Using concussion as an illustrative example, the study of athlete health and wellbeing was discussed from the perspectives of public health and health services research as well as the perspectives of a former athlete and current clinician-in-training. Christine Baugh, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado. David Bruton is a former NFL athlete, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winner, and current DPT student at the University of Colorado. 

Panel discussion at the opening of the exhibit, STIGMA and SURVIVAL: Paintings by William Stoehr on September 16th, 2021. The event, hosted by Tess Jones, PhD, featured artist William Stoehr, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Robert Valuck PhD, RPh, Professor and Executive Director, Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Simon Zalkind, Curator.

"Does the tempo of CODEs matter? The ethics of slow codes," was presented by Abigail Lara, MD on September 9, 2021.

Promoting Health & Wellbeing Through Horticulture: Evidence for horticultural therapy on human wellbeing, was presented by Dr. Sarada Krishnan on July 16th, 2021.  Dr. Krishnan is the Director of Horticulture and Center for Global Initiatives at Denver Botanic Gardens, where she is responsible for directing the design and maintenance of the horticulture displays and collections, and for developing and leading global projects.

Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, President & CEO of Craig Hospital, presented Discovering & Leveraging the Creativity Within: Who Benefits and Why it Matters for the Future of Health Care, on June 18, 2021.  Moderated by Michael Henry of Lighthouse Writers Workshop.

Continuing Ethical Challenges with the COVID Pandemic, was presented by Anuj Mehta, MD, on June 10, 2021.  Dr. Mehta is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care at Denver Health, University of Colorado School of Medicine and National Jewish Health.  Ethics Grand Rounds is co-sponsored by University of Colorado Health and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

The Science and Art of Restorative Spaces for our Frontlines, was presented on May 21, 2021 by Susan Magsamen, Founder & Executive Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University.  This talk introduced the International Arts + Mind Lab’s work through an exploration of several research and pilot projects focused on the health and wellbeing of front line workers.

Justice Concerns with the Moderna Vaccine Trials, was presented by Marilyn Coors, John Heldens and Thomas Campbell on May 13, 2021.  Dr. Jose Castillo-Mancilla appeared in a pre-recorded video.  This Ethics Grand Rounds discussion included participants in the Moderna trial; Michael Rouse, Charles Wynn and Dr. Lisa Wynn. 

Hear My Voice / Escucha Mi Voz: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the US, was presented by Warren Binford, JD, M.Ed., and Cecilia Ruiz on May 10, 2021.  Compiled by international children’s advocate Warren Binford for Project Amplify, this book brings the words of the children to life along with the powerful artwork of 17 Latinx artists.

Cut, Paste, Delete: The Ethics of Gene Editing and Humanity's Hereditary Future, was presented on May 5, 2021 by Hank Greely, Director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences, Stanford Law School, and author of CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans, Rosario Isasi, Research Associate Professor, Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, and Michael Zaretsky, Director of the Fetal Care Center & Maternal Fetal Care Unit at Children's Hospital Colorado.  This program, co-sponsored by the Institute for Science and Policy and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, was moderated by John Daley, health reporter at Colorado Public Radio.

Adapting to a Virtual World: Surprising Success Stories in a Global Pandemic, was presented by Julia Langley - Faculty Director, Arts and Humanities Program at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center on April 16, 2021.

Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD, presented on April 12, 2021.  Dr. Matthew is the Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School and author of, “Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care.”  Her forthcoming book, "Just Health: A Plan To End Structural Racism and Achieve Health Equity In America,“ will be released in Fall, 2021.  She is former faculty at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, the Colorado School of Public Health and CU Law.  Dean Matthew is a leader in public health and civil rights law focused on racial disparities in health care.

Moral Courage in Healthcare - Panel Discussion on April 8, 2021 with: Barbara Morris, MD, Janine Young, MD, Rabbi Mendel Popack, and MD/MPH student Abby Leibowitz.  Moderated by Mark A. Levine, MD.  This was the last event of the 2021 Genocide and Contemporary Bioethics Program.

Ethical Considerations for Patients Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, was presented by Jessica Hall, MSW, LCSW, from Emergency Department Care Management at University of Colorado Hospital.  Ms. Hall explored ethical communication for providers treating victims of intimate partner violence (IPV,) the challenges of autonomy and confidentiality for patients experiencing IPV, and legal issues impacting elements of medical care for victims of IPV.  Note: first 2 minutes were inadvertently not recorded-our apologies.

Your Conscience and Health Care. Jean Abbott, MD, MH and Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH joined panelists Margaret Pabst Battin, Distinguished Professor, Philosophy and Medical Ethics, University of Utah and George Otieno, Emergency Room Nurse; African Storyteller at the Conference on World Affairs on April, 7, 2021.  Moderated by Ben Keidan, Boulder Community Health Chief Medical Officer.

Then and Now: Courage, Complicity and Compromise, was presented by Rebecca-Carter Chand, PhD from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Susannah Sirkin, M.Ed from Physicians for Human Rights on April 6, 2021..  Moderated by Elias Sacks, PhD, Director of The Program in Jewish Studies at CU Boulder. 

The Forgotten Doctors: Courage, Complicity and Compromise During the Holocaust, was presented by Tessa Chelouche, MD on April 5, 2021. This program explored the courageous role of Jewish doctors who continued to practice and teach in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, and the ethical dilemmas they faced during this tragic time in history.

Moral Integrity and the COVID-Response Workforce was presented on March, 24, 2021.  Many workers are feeling tired, overworked, and overwhelmed during the pandemic. Some in health care, public health, emergency response and other sectors have also faced difficult moral dilemmas over the last year.  Panelists Marc Moss, Cynda Rushton, Courtney Welton-Mitchell and Karen Jones discussed how we can acknowledge the challenges and more forward, building a more resilient workforce.  Moderated by Matthew Wynia.  Work & Play in a Pandemic is presented in partnership with the Center for Work, Health and Environment.

Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, presented, African Americans in American Medicine: Confronting a Painful Legacy, on March 22, 2021.  Organized medicine in the US carries a legacy of racial bias and segregation that must be understood and acknowledged today. For more than 100 years, many state and local medical societies openly discriminated against black physicians, and the AMA was early and persistent in countenancing this racial segregation. This history of segregation, bias, and exclusion continues to adversely affect American medicine and the patients we serve.

Ethics Consultations at University of Colorado Hospital: Themes and Approaches, was presented by Kristin Furfari, MD,
Associate Professor and Hospitalist, and Co-Medical Director of UCH Ethics Consult Service, on March 11, 2021.  Learning objectives for this Ethics Grand Rounds were to identify the top reasons for ethics consultations at UCH, describe ethical frameworks for these ethical issues, and what to expect when you call for an ethics consultation.

Amy Zelenski, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of the TEACH Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine presented, Improv4Health: Using Medical Improv to Foster Empathy, Compassion, and Self-Compassion.  This February 19, 2021 webinar explored how a theater method often associated with comedy can build resilience and connection.

Health Policy: What's New? was presented by Mark Earnest, MD, PhD on February 11, 2021.  Dr. Earnest described policy paths to universal health coverage, how the current political environment may constrain or enable health care reform and examined how American culture and history have prevented the US from attaining universal health care.

Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH was the 39th David Barap Brin Visiting Professor and presented,"Protection, Proportionality or Panic: Ethics and the Police Powers of Public Health," sponsored by Johns Hopkins University on February 11, 2021.

On February 8, 2021, Daisy Patton presented her exhibit, "Put Me Back How They Found Me," which focuses on the targeted gender and race-related trauma inflicted on women through forced reproductive sterilization. Daisy Patton is a multi-disciplinary artist influenced by collective and political history, as well as memory and the fallibility of the body. Dr. Virginia Espino, a UCLA historian who produced the film, No Mas Bebes, and Nilmini Rubin, who is the daughter of Mithra Ratne, one of the individuals portrayed in the exhibit. Take a virtual tour of Put Me Back Like They Found Me>>

How Healers Became Killers, was presented by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2021.  The involvement of health professionals in the Holocaust has influenced the way we think about every ethical issue in medicine today, from abortion to xenotransplantation - including pandemic triage protocols, aid-in-dying, genetics, research ethics, and health equity. Dr. Wynia guides audiences through the role of US and other international health care leaders in transforming racist and eugenic theories into policies, which were then adopted and expanded by Nazi public health campaigns, including the forcible sterilization program, the child "euthanasia" program, the T4 program and eventually the Holocaust itself. Health professionals played leading roles all along this path to evil, acting in the name of “science” and public health. This foundational lecture will be useful to anyone teaching or learning about health professional ethics today. View Program & Panelist Profiles.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 Panel Discussion. The Center for Bioethics and Humanities invited an international panel to discuss Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching the Legacy of the Holocaust to Health Professions Students.  This virtual event was held on January 27, 2021 and features Richard Horton, FRCP, FMedSci, Tessa Chelouche, MD, Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, Patricia Heberer-Rice, PhD, Peter Schwartz, MD, PhD, Sabine Hildebrandt, MD, Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD and Mark Levine, MD.  View Program & Panelist Profiles.

Playing Resilience: Theatrical Interventions Engaging Burnout & Secondary Traumatic Stress was presented by Tara Rynders, RN, MFA, BSN on January 22, 2021.  Rynders created an immersive theater performance and arts and play-based workshop series to implement arts-based solutions in response to burnout and stress.

COVID and Moral Distress was presented on January 14, 2021 by Jackie Glover, PhD, HEC-C, Rev. Anne Dondapati-Allen, MA, MDiv, PhD, and Karen Jones, MS, RNC, HEC-C.  Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.  Ethics Grand Rounds is offered monthly by University of Colorado Health and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

Should Employers Require the COVID Vaccine?  Webinar on January 13, 2021 with Jennifer Piatt, Brian Williams, Amelia Jamison and Randall C. Morgan, Jr., who discussed the intersection of public health, occupational health, labor law, and medical ethics to help employers and workers.  Co-sponsored by the Center for Work, Health and the Environment and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

‘Band Together’ Concert Shines Spotlight on Magic of Music and Medicine, released in December, 2020. This concert, a special gift from the Chancellor to the CU Anschutz community during the 2020 holiday season, brought the talent of the choir and orchestra together for a little magic to end a difficult year. Two of the student musicians share how music and medicine mix.

How About a Guardian for this Patient? Ethical Issues and Options was presented by Kathleen Herrmann, LCSW, Emily McDonnell, LCSW and Sophia Alvarez, JD, MS was presented on December 10, 2020.  Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Harriet A. Washington presented a lecture and discussion on December 7, 2020, which was the 3rd in a year-long series on the Intersections of Race, Class and Health. Washington is the author of Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present. 

Evidence in a Pandemic: Research, Regulatory & Clinical Decision-Making was presented by Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, Cláudia Hirawat, Alison Bateman House, MPH, PhD, Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBe and Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, on November 23, 2020.

Ethical Issues in COVID Vaccine Allocation and Implementation was presented by Anuj Mehta, MD on November 12, 2020.  This Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Jackie Glover, PhD.

Election Day is Over:  What's Next for Worker Health and Safety? was presented by David Michaels, former Assistant Secretary of Labor, Dr. Lee Newman, Director of the Center for Work, Health and Environment and Dr. Matthew Wynia, Director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities on November 11, 2020.

Ethics of Wearables, featured panelists from Strava, a leading fitness app company, and BioIntelliSense, a wearable vital signs
monitoring company, who explored issues of data privacy, data protection, conflicts of interest, and more on November 9th, 2020.

Damon Tweedy, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Duke University and author of, "BLACK MAN IN A WHITE COAT:  A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine," presented to over 900 attendees on October 19th, 2020.  This webinar was moderated by Therese Jones, PhD.

Bringing the Patient’s Voice into Triage Decision-Making was presented by Daniel Matlock, MD, Sarguni Singh, MD and Katie Herrmann, LCSW on October 8th, 2020.  This Ethics Grand Rounds was moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Pandemic Work: The Rights of Vulnerable Workers was presented on October 7, 2020.

Keepers of the House: Film and Discussion with Neil Prose, MD and special guest Joanne Hunter, was presented on September 14, 2020.  As the pandemic has forced hospitals to restrict visitors and clergy, the work of housekeepers in providing emotional support to patients and their families has become more important than ever.  View speaker slides with references, or direct link to Keepers of the House, 15min. video.

COVID-19: Who Gets the Morphine? Justice, Suffering, and Medication Allocation was presented by Jean Abbott, MD, MH, HEC-C on September 10, 2020.  Ethics Grand Rounds is co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and University of Colorado Health.  Moderated by Julie Swaney, MDiv.

Pandemic Play: Collegiate Athletes, Justice, and COVID-19 was presented on September 9, 2020.  Panelists included former Denver Bronco and CU Doctor of Physical Therapy candidate David Bruton, Jr., Christine Baugh, PhD, MPH, Center for Bioethics and Humanities faculty, and Gretchen Snoeyenbos Newman, MD from Wayne State University.  This was the first in a series on Work & Play in a Pandemic, co-sponsored by the Center for Work Health and Environment and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.  Read article by Blair Ilsley in CUAnschutz News.

Do No Harm: Why We Trust (or Mistrust) Medical Science, was co-hosted by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities,
the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the Institute for Science & Policy on August 18, 2020.  Matthew Wynia moderated
a webinar on the subjects of public policy, science education and human psychology featuring Leslie Herod, Colorado State Representative, Stefanie K. Johnson from CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and George Sparks, President & CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

A webinar, "Ethics in the Age of COVID-19," featuring CBH Director Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, was sponsored by the Colorado School of Public Health, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Institute for Science & Policy on June 29, 2020.  Read the webinar recap>>

A webinar,"Advance Directives: Myths, Facts and Ethical Challenges in the Time of COVID-19," was co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities & the Multidisciplinary Center on Aging on June 18, 2020.  The presentation was moderated by Cari Levy, MD, PhD with panelists Jean Abbott, MD, MH, Peggy Budai, RN, CNS, NP-C, Anisha Lucero, MSW and Christine LaRocca, MD.  >" sfref="[documents|librariesProvider139]391b96e5-3028-64d9-a5bf-ff0a001ce385">Download Advance Directives Resource document>>    Download Q & A we didn't get to during the webinar>>

A webinar,"Ethical Issues in COVID Research: During the Pandemic and After," was presented on May 14, 2020 by Marilyn Coors, PhD, Center for Bioethics and Humanities faculty and John Heldens, CIP, RAC, Director of the Colorado Multiple IRB (COMIRB) and was moderated by Jackie Glover, PhD.

The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) conducted a webinar, Ethical Issues in Pandemic Response: Triage and Beyond on April 30, 2020.  Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, who is on their Ethics Advisory Committee, discussed Critical Standards of Care.

TOWN HALL: Crisis Standards of Care for Colorado: Does Age Matter? Should it? on April 28, 2020 was co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Multidisciplinary Center on Aging.  The webinar was moderated by CBH Director, Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH with panelists; Anuj Mehta, MD from National Jewish Hospital, Dan Matlock, MD from the CU Division of Geriatric Medicine, Gina Febbraro, MPH, Director, Strategy and Performance at CDPHE and Stephen V. Cantrill, MD, Denver Health Emergency Medicine and member of the Governor’s Expert Emergency Epidemic Response Committee.

Crisis Triage and People with Disabilities: ​Historical Lessons for a Time of Covid, a webinar, was presented on April 23, 2020. Panelists included Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH​  Director, Center for Bioethics and Humanities​, Julie Reiskin, LCSW​, Executive Director, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition​, and Govind Persad, JD, PhD​, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law​. The session was moderated by Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD, faculty at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) held a webinar, Combating COVID-19: Science Driven Solutions on April 10, 2020.  The panel featured Dr. Diane Meier, Registered Nurse Eileen Weber, and Dr. Matthew Wynia as they tackled the ethics of resource allocation in public health emergencies, the responsibility of providing care in the face of scarcity, and the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is changing how we deliver health services.

A Journey of Medical Professionalism: Two Initiatives of the ABIM Foundation was presented by Daniel Wolfson, Executive Vice President & COO of the American Board of Internal Medicine on February 27, 2020.

"Speaking of Pain: Why we need better education and research about opioids for those who suffer from chronic pain," was presented by Kate Nicholson, JD on February 10th, 2020.

Motivational speaker and author Nancy Sharp and Julie Swaney, MDiv, ​Director of Spiritual Care Services at University of Colorado Hospital shared their experiences with grief, empathy and healing​ on November 4th, 2019. 

Innovation at the Intersection of Art, Science and Learning​,​ was presented ​by Harvey Seifter​ on October 28th, 2019.  Seifter is a business consultant and educator who specializes in devising creative approaches to improve organizations' performance and foster innovative thinking.​

Darwin and Neuroscience: The Medical Context of Natural Selection in 19th-century Germany,​ was presented by Gabriel Finkelstein, PhD, Associate Professor of History at UC Denver on October 21st, 2019.​

Returning from Incarceration:  Community Health and the Journey to Reenter Society​, was presented by Hassan A. Latif, Executive Director of Second Chance Center in Aurora, on October 17, 2019.  Latif serves on Governor Polis’s Community Corrections Advisory Council and the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.  He is the author of the book, Never Going Back: 7 Steps to Staying Out of Prison.​

Accepting Tainted Funds: The Especially Difficult Case of Non-Profits, was ​presented by Lauren Taylor, MPH, MDiv and Doctoral Candidate in Health Policy and Management at Harvard Business School, on October 14, 2019.

The Anschutz Campus Choir performed "The Road Home," on May 13, 2019.​ The choir was conducted by Liz Olson.

Damon McLeese, Director of Access Gallery, presented, "Granny Does Graffiti,"​ sharing his experience on bringing out creativity in people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia on April 8, 2019 at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.  Access Gallery provides creative, educational and economic opportunities for people with disabilities to access, experience and benefit from the arts.

Howie Movshovitz, PhD, Faculty, UCD College of Arts and Media, KUNC Film​ Critic and Contributor to NPR, presented "Then a Genius, Still a Genius,"​  about Buster Keaton and the film Sherlock, Jr., on April 1, 2019

Held Against My Will: The Ethics of Involuntary Psychiatric Holds,​​ was ​presented by Abraham Nussbaum, MD, MTS, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at CU/SOM and Chief Education Officer at Denver Health on March 18th, 2019.  Sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities Student Advisory Group.

Women War Photographers​ was presented by Greg Katz, MS, MFT, PhD,​ on March 4, 2019.

Mental Health & Ethical Issues in Emergency Responders​ was presented on​ February 25, 2019 by Swarnima Chaudhary, MPH Candidate and PRA at the National Mental Health Innovation Center.  Sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and  Humanities Student Advisory Group.​ 

Panel Discussion with Interpersonal Violence Survivors​ was organized​ by CU medical student Nikki Bloch, and was presented on January 28, 2019.

Cari Levy, MD, PhD and Jean Abbott, MD, MH, presented #Futureself: A Conversation on Planning for Dementia​,​ on January 14, 2019.  This discussion was based, in part, on their upcoming publication in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.  Click for resource bibliography.​

The Anschutz Campus Choir performed "Sing to Me,"​ on December 10th, 2018.  The concert celebrated the beauty and brightness of life through song. 

A Panel Discussion with HIV patients was organized by CU medical ​student Marcus Marable, and featured three patients who shared their experiences navigating the health care system.  The presentation on December 3, 2018 included two short videos created by the panelists:Going Solo and What Was is What Will Be​.

A Gender Identity Patient Panel​ was organized by University of Colorado ​ medical student Michael Vrolijk, and featured three patients who shared their experiences navigating the health care system. Presented on November 26, 2018.

Therese (Tess) Jones presented, It's Alive: The Legacy of Frankenstein, on October 29, 2018.  Jones is the Director of the Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program at the Center.

The Silly and the Profound: Three Classic Cartoons​, was presented by ​ Howie Movshovitz, PhD, on October 15th, 2018.  Movshovitz is faculty at the CU Denver College of Arts and Media, film critic at KUNC and a contributor to National Public Radio.

Phyllis Ying, MD, Family Medicine Resident at Kaiser Permanente of Washington​ at Seattle, presented "Caregiver as Chronicler: How Journaling Improves Patient Care," on September 24, 2018.  Dr. Ying described her experiences with journal-keeping in the medical profession and shared snippets from her book,“Family Doc Diary: A Resident Physician’s Reflections in 52 Entries”.

Joseph Gal, PhD, presented, Out of Thin Air: The Triumph and Tragedy of Fritz Haber – Can Science Be Moral?​​​ on September 10, 2018 at the University of Colorado, Center for Bioethics and Humanities.  In 1910 German chemist Fritz Haber, winner of the 1918 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, invented a method for the production of nitrogen fertilizers, thereby saving millions from death by famine.  Haber also played a major role in the development of Germany's chemical warfare program in World War I.  

The Anschutz Campus Choir, directed by Liz Olson, performed In Stiller Nacht, a concert in honor and memory of the lives lost during the Holocaust, on April 30, 2018. The concert included a guest appearance by the Soundscape Accordion Duo, John and Madalynn Neu.  Learn more about the AMC Choir>>​

Caring fo​r Transgender Patients​​, a film screening and talkback, was​ introduced​ by StoryCenter’s Mary Ann McNair & The Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center’s Sarah Davis on April 23, 2018.  Panelists Star and Sasha shared their struggles and successes with the medical community.  Download: A Toolkit for Effective Conversations About Transgender Healthcare Access >>​

SHOULD WE HONOR TATTOOED DNR'S?​​​​ A panel discussion discussion moderated by Jackie Glover, PhD, on April 16, 2018 with panelists: David Nowels, MD, MPH, MSPH, UCH Palliative Care and Medical Director, ​Hospice of Metro Denver Patrick O’Rourke, JD, Vice President, University Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Regents Julie Swaney, MDiv. Manager, UCH Spiritual Care Services. Co-Chair UCH Ethics Committee Tara Gray-Wolfstar, RN, Lead Artist and Clinician - Skin Holistic Dermagraphic Clinic - Boulder Note: The first 20 minutes of the recording has a small image due to a technical issue.  Full-screen viewing is restored for the remainder of the hour-long program.  Our apologies...​

Stories from the World of Genocide: from the Holocaust to Life as a 21st Century Refugee​, was one of many educational events offered by the Holocaust, Genocide and Contemporary Bioethics Program​. This panel discussion on April 10, 2018 was co-moderated by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, and Humanities and Patricia Heberer-Rice, PhD, Senior Historian and Director at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.  Panelists are Jack Adler, survivor of the  Auschwitz & Dachau camps along with Holocaust survivor Rosalyn Kirkel, and Iraqi refugees Sama Kareem and Marwan Nassr.

Hitler's Filmmaker: Leni Riefenstahl, was presented by Howie Movshovitz, PhD, ​on April 8, 2018.  Movshovitz introduced and discussed two films, Olympia and Triumph of the Will, as well as the controversies that followed Riefenstahl – legitmately –  
throughout her career and long life.  Movshovitz teaches at the CU College of Arts & Media, is the film critic for KUNC, a contributor on film subjects to NPR, and is the Director of The Denver Silent Film Festival.

What is Health Justice?  Centering Health Disparities in Health Law and Policy, was presented by Lindsay Wiley, JD, MPH, on Thursday March 15, 2108.  Dr. Wiley is a Professor at the American University Washington College of Law and President of the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics.  This program is supported by the Nancy Shivers Fund for Medical Law Education.

"Unemployment In My Practice:  Physician Perspectives on Unemployment and Health in 1980's Britain,"​ was presented by Marjorie Levine-Clark, PhD, on March 5, 2018.  Dr. Clark is Professor of History; Associate Dean for Diversity, Outreach and Initiatives at the CU Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Richelle Munkhoff, PhD, Director of Interdisciplinary & Professional Graduate Education at CU Boulder presented Plague in Denver: Katherine Anne Porter's "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" and the Denver influenza Epidemic of 1918​ on February 12, 2018.   This talk examined a personal experience of the influenza epidemic 100 years ago, when Porter herself nearly died from the flu. She was a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News in 1918 and captured her experience in this short novel​.  Dr. Munkhoff focuses on the physical and psychological repercussions of disease, and what it means to survive death.   

"In Quest of the Scholar and His Cat,"​ was presented by Larry Hergott, MD, ​on February 5th, 2018.  Dr. Hergott read and discussed some essays and poems of his and others.  He writes about how medical practitioners and their loved ones lead the medical life.

View the Anschutz Campus Choir's December 4th holiday concert, Joy​. This performance was directed by Liz Olson.  Learn more​ about the choir>>

Dr. Timothy J. Standring, Gates Family Foundation Curator of Painting & Sculpture ​at the Denver Art Museum presented, "Rembrandt as Printmaker,"​ on November 27th, 2017.  With wit and whimsy, Dr. Standring shared how the Dutch master etched his way into fame throughout his life.  

Stephen Thomas, PhD, Research Professor, Health Services Administration and Director ​of the Center for Health Equity at the Maryland School of Public Health at University of Maryland presented the keynote, "Less Talk More Action: Mobilizing Community Engaged Research to Eliminate Health Disparities,"​ at the 8th Annual CCTSI Research Ethics Conference held on November 2nd, 2017.  This year's conference theme was: Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Research: Addressing Ethical & Logistical Challenges.

"Lessons from the Holocaust,"​ was presented by Franziska Eckert, MD on​ October 23, 2017.  ​​Dr. Eckert is a radiation oncologist at the University of Tuebingen in Germany, and has researched medical atrocities during the Holocaust.  She shared her personal and academic perspectives on Nazi medicine.

Black Men & Women in White Coats​ was presented on September 25, 2017.  Three ​members of the AMC Community shared their personal perspectives and experiences around diversity in the health professions.  Participants included;​ Amira del Pino-Jones, MD, 2nd year medical student Bailey Loving and Vaughn Browne, MD, PhD.​

Professional self-regulation in medicine: Earning the public's trust​,​ was ​ presented by Audiey Kao, MD, PhD, Vice President, Ethics at the American Medical Association, on May 10th, 2017. 

Embodying Unemployment: An Historical Perspective​​​, was presented by Marjorie​ Levine-Clark, Professor and Associate Dean, CU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, on February 6, 2017. This talk explored unemployment as an experience of health and the body, using examples from 20th century Britain.​

Vitae Vocem, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Choir​, performed​ a Holiday Concert on December 5, 2016. The choir is conducted by Kevin Padworski, Director.  The Assistant Director is Liz Olson and the pianist is Dan Romero.  Special guest was Nabin Shrestha, playing the tabla.​

The Land Beyond the Sunset: A Curious Movie - Screening & Discussion,​ was presented by Howie Movshovitz, PhD, on November 14th, 2016.  The 1912 short, silent drama tells the story of Joe, an impoverished New York newsboy who lives with an abusive grandmother.  Joe goes on an outing to the country with a social welfare group where he dares to dream of another more care free life.

"X-Rays, Martyrs and the Power of Sight: Why Late 19th-Early 20th Century Americans Were Willing to Die for X-Rays,"​​​ was presented by Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD on October 31st, 2016.  

Among Dreams, artwork by Chelsea Rae Klein​, traces the invisible history of LGBTQI​ veterans and active duty service members through experimental film, portaiture, quilt-work and text based art. This event on October 10, 2016 featured Drs. Brenda J. Allen
and Maria Elena Buszek, as well as the artist who joined us virtually.   Click for more info on Among Dreams and Chelsea Rae Klein.

The inaugural Bernie Karshmer, PhD, Program in Ethics and Humanities honors​ the memory of Dr. Karshmer and his lifelong commitment to teaching and learning about human values, human imagination and the practice of compassionate, ethical healthcare.The presentation, "Transdisciplinary Professionalism: What it means, why we need it, and how we can create it in health care," was delivered by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, on September 28th, 2016.​

"CRISPR: (Genome Editing) Past, Present and Future,"​ was presented by​ Robert T. Batey, PhD, Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at CU Boulder and Marilyn Coors, PhD, Director of Research at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities on May 9th, 2016.

"Medicine and the Media," was presented by Avash Kalra, MD, on ​April 25th,​ 2016.  Dr. Kalra shared his perspective on the complex and evolving relationship between medical professionals and journalists.​​

The Arrhythmias Spring Concert: My Favorite Things was performed on ​​ April 18, 2016.  The choir was conducted by Christina Bishop and featured tenor soloist Nicholas Bishop.

Louis Pasteur; Artist​ was presented by Joseph Gal, PhD on April 11, 2016.  Well known for his scientific discoveries, Louis Pasteur was also a talented artist and a dedicated patron of the arts.   

Matt McCarthy, MD presented, "Controlling the Message: The Power of Medical Writing," on April 4th, 2016.  Dr. McCarthy is an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Slate, New England Journal of Medicine and Deadspin. His first book, Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit, was a New York Times bestseller. His latest book is The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly.

Rano Winds, the resident graduate woodwind quintet at the University of Colorado​ Boulder, performed on Monday, March 14th at the Fulginiti Pavilion.

"African Americans and American Medicine: Confronting a Painful Legacy,"​ was presented by Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH on February 29, 2016.

"The End of Romance: Contemporary Western Landscape Photography,"​ was ​ presented by​ Daniel Teitelbaum, MD on February 8th, 2016.  Dr. Teitelbaum described the evolution of Western landscape photography from the glorification of  nature, to the depiction of the impact of human endeavor on the American West.

Using Stories to Promote RightCare, was presented by Brandon Combs, MD and  Daniel Nicklas, MD on December 14, 2015.  RightCare is a movement to reduce overuse, underuse and misuse of medical care and treatments.  Combs and Nicklas, who are faculty at the CU Medical School, discuss how reflection and storytelling by students and residents can begin the discussion of RightCare within our communities.  

Spirit of the Season:  Concert by the Arrhythmias Choir on December 7, 2015.  The Arrythmias are comprised of students, faculty, staff and community members of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.  This concert, under the direction
of Christina Bishop, features guest soloist Logan McKenna.​   Click for program.​

The Day I Held His Hand: An Auto-Ethnography by Jeremy Blair, PhD was presented on November 16th, 2015.  Blair described his research in stop-motion animation and auto-ethnography, and how he has collaboratively utilized these methods to investigate his personal experiences and struggles with mental illness​.

"The Last Walk: Caring for our Animal Companions at the End of Life,"​ ​was ​​ presented by Jessica Pierce, PhD​ on November 9th, 2015. As animals grow old and infirm, veterinarians and human caregivers are faced with a complex and confusing array of choices and decisions. Bioethicist and writer Jessica Pierce explored some of the central moral challenges in end of life care for animals, from pain management, to Quality of Life assessments, to hospice, to making that final decision to hasten an animal’s death. This talk was based on Pierce's book, The Last Walk.

"Colorado: The Highest State,"​ was presented by Tom "Dr. Colorado" Noel on November 2, 2015.​ Tom's talk explored everything Colorado, from dinosaurs to DIA, with special attention to Mesa Verde, Native Americans, Explorers, Latinos, gold and silver rushes, stagecoaching, railroads, wineries, brew pubs, the top tourist attractions, landmarks and landmark districts, the best old time saloons and hotels, sacred sites, Color-Oddities, and the most remarkable cemeteries.

Healing Through the Arts: The Ponzio Creative Arts Therapy Program ​​ at Children's Hospital Colorado​ was presented on October 26, 2015 by Tony Edelblute, LPC, MT-BC, Erin Anderson, LPC, BC-DMT and Tisha Adams, LPC, BC-DMT.

Ethical Issues at the Beginning of Life: A Case of Withholding / Withdrawing Life-sustaining Treatment​ was led by Heather Fitzgerald, RN, MS, on October 19, 2015.  This case discussion explored how decisions are and ought to be made in the thorny navigation of evaluating benefits and burdens of treatment with seriously ill newborns. Fitzgerald is Clinical Nurse Ethicist, Co-chair, Children’s Hospital Colorado Ethics Committee and faculty at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.​

Do We Need More Organ Transplants? was presented by Govind Persad, JD, PhD​ on October 12, 2015.  Transplant advocates and critics both agree that  expanding organ procurement would save lives.  In contrast, Persad argues that  organ transplantation is less cost-effective than many other interventions, and  expanding procurement might actually cost lives by diverting limited resources.

Howie Movshovitz, PhD, presented, "Mighty Like a Moose," A Guide for Medical Providers and Patients (NOT),​ on October 5th, 2015.  This 1926 silent film comedy starring Charlie Chase and Vivien Oakland, shows how medical procedures may affect one's life. 

"Country Doctor: A Colorado Story," presented by Bob Anderson, MD​ on  September 21st, 2015.  This 1948 LIFE Magazine photo essay by photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, features Dr. Ernest Ceriani of Kremmling, CO.  Learn about Dr. Ceriani, the photographer and the back story leading to the essay.

"Facets of Love,"​ was the theme of a concert on May 4th, 2015 by the Arrhythmias Choir, conducted by Christina Bishop, at the Fulginiti Pavilion. Their special guests were The Soundscape Trio.​

"A Question of Mercy and Morality? A Debate on Assisted Dying,"​ was held on April 27th, 2015, featuring perspectives of Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, psychiatrist  and past-president of the American Medical Association, Harlan Davis Hibbard, MD,  former Senior Medical Director of Gentiva Hospice and Jennifer Ballentine, MA, Vice-President of Hospice Analytics.  Click for audience response data.

"MOOCing the Mini Med," was presented by Helen Macfarlane, MA ​and JJ Cohen, MD, PhD on April 20th, 2015.  The CU Mini Med School, founded in 1989, transitioned into a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) last year.  Hear about the process, the xperience and future directions.​​​

"Dogs and Humans: Past, Current and Future Roles and Relationships​,"  was presented on April 13, 2015 by Jessica Grey, BA and Sarah Sarni, BA, BSN/RN (anticipated).  Their talk focused on service dogs and veterans, and the work of the Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors (C-PAWW) Health Research  Initiative for Veterans.

"Women Artists of the 18th Century​," was presented by Molly Medakovich, PhD on  March 30, 2015.  She described artists who were “exceptions to the rule” and  thrived in the art world, despite the limitations inscribed on them by contemporary
social, medical and literary discourses. 

A conversation about "Parental Vaccine Hesitancy: Ethical Considerations and Conundrums,​" was held on March 23rd, 2015, led by Matthew F. Daley, MD and Jason M. Glanz, PhD.  They discussed respect for parental decision-making, the "social contract," and the negotiations that occur between parents and providers.

Healing Through the Arts: The Ponzio Creative Arts Therapy Program at  Children's Hospital Colorado, was presented on March 16th, 2015 by music therapist Tony Edelblute, LPC, MT-BC, art therapist Tisha Adams, EdD, LPC, ATR-BC, and dance therapist Erin Anderson, LPC, BC-DMT.

Marjorie Levine-Clark, PhD, presented "Gender, Health and Welfare: A Historical Case Study from England,"​on March 9, 2015.  Dr. Levine-Clark is an Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean of the UCD College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  Her research explores relationships among gender, health, work, and social policy in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain.

Courtney Ann Roby, PhD, from the Dept. of Classics at Cornell University presented, "Gladiatorial Medicine in the Roman Empire,"​ on March 2, 2015.  Dr. Roby,  examined the career of Galen of Pergamum, a celebrity physician whose patients  included emperor Marcus Aurelius.​​  His success was founded on his mastery of experimental demonstrations (including both surgery and vivisection).

Lois Rudnick, PhD, ​Professor Emerita of American Studies at University of Massachusetts, explored the impact of syphilis on European and American literature, art, social reform, psychoanalysis, and the emerging women’s movement in the late
19th and early 20th centuries, focusing the life and memoirs of art patron and salon hostess Mabel Dodge Luhan on February 17, 2015.​

‘This Weird, Incurable Disease’: A Rhetorical Look at a Contested Illness,"​ was ​ presented by Lisa Keränen, PhD on February 2nd, 2015.  Discussion focused on how patients and the medical community have constructed Morgellons Disease, and what can we learn from the competing rhetorical appeals for understanding this contested illness?​

"To transplant or not to transplant? Getting a liver after attempting  suicide," was presented by Jean Abbott, MD, MH on January 26, 2015​.  Your patient attempts suicide with acetaminophin.  She only will survive with a liver transplant.  Hear the discussion of the ethics of transplantation after self-injury.

Jack Cochran, MD, alum CU School of Medicine Class of '73, discussed his​ new book, "The Doctor Crisis," on Monday, January 12th, 2015.  In his book, Dr. Cochran, who is Executive Director of the Permanente Federation, advocates for the role of the doctor as not only a healer but also a leader and partner - with patients, staff, administrators and policy-makers alike.

"Peace," A Concert by the Arrhythmias Choir, featuring voice/guitar/folk duo  Mimi Goodwin and Patrick O'Flynn was performed on December 8th, 2014. The Arrhythmias, conducted by Christina Bishop, are comprised of students,faculty and staff at the AMC Campus. 

"Chirality (handedness) in Science, Medicine, Art and Architecture: A Philatelic Journey," was presented by Joseph Gal, PhD, on November 17, 2014. An object is chiral if it is not superposable on its mirror image. Dr. Gal discussed how this phenomenon has interesting and important manifestations at the molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels.​

"The Neuroscientific Origins of Modern Culture," was prsented by Gabriel ​Finkelstein, PhD, on November 10th, 2014.  Dr. Finkelstein discussed the subject of his most recent book, Emil du Bois-Reymond: Neuroscience, Self, and Society in Nineteenth-Century Germany.  du Bois-Reymond was a German scientist who founded the discipline of electrophysiology and much more...​  ​

Tom Noel, PhD, presented "Colorado: A Liquid History and Tavern Guide,"​ on​ November 3rd, 2014, sharing fascinating tales of saloons, and the social and political roles taverns played, especially for immigrants. 

Charles Steinberg, MD, presented, "Photographer-Physician: A Synergistic Blend​," ​on October 20th, 2014, exploring how your abilities as a clinician can make you a better photographer.​

"The Ethics of Ebola Control Measures," a presentation by CBH Director Matthew​ Wynia, MD, MPH, was part of an Ebola Preparedness Briefing organized by the Colorado School of Public Health on October 24th, 2014.  LEARN MORE>>​​

A screening of clips from the film, Winter in the Blood, based on the novel by Native American author James Welch was presented by Howie Movshovitz, PhD on October 13th, 2014.​ 

"Art, Trauma and Healing," was presented by Simon Zalkind, Curator and ​Independent Art Advisor and Katherine Reed, ATR, LPC, Art Therapist and Program Manager, Children's Hospital Colorado, on October 6th, 2014​.

Ethics Bites: Colorado's new Right to Try law​ was presented on July 28, 2014. This discussion featured two cases about terminally ill patients seeking experimental drugs; one about a four-year old with Niemann-Pick disease and another case about a woman with stage IV pancreatic cancer,  facilitated by Christopher Lieu, MD-UCH Medical Oncology and Alison Sorkin, UCH Assistant General Counsel.

Ethics Bites: Marijuana Therapy for Epilepsy​ on June 23, 2014.​  This discussion focused on a case about a 14 year-old patient with seizures that are not well-controlled by medication.  His parents want to try "Charlotte's Web," marijuana and are seeking a medical marijuana license for their son.  5280 Magazine recently featured an article by Kasey Cordell on this topic.  Facilitators were Kari Franson, PharmD, PhD, BCPP, from University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Heather Fitzgerald, RN, MS, Clinical Nurse Ethicist at Children's Hospital Colorado.