Thaddeus Pope
January 25, 2012

Is there a role for courts in medical futility decisions at the bedside? That's the question for this edition of The Bioethics Channel hosted by Lorell LaBoube.

Thaddeus Pope is Director of the Health Law Institute and an Associate Professor of Law at Hamline University School of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He co-authored an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled "The Courts, Futility and the Ends of Medicine."

Karin Porter Williamson, MD
John Carney

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests Do Not Resuscitate Orders may prompt caregivers to forego treatments that patients may have wanted.

Host Lorell LaBoube examines the issue with Karin Porter Williamson, MD of the University of Kansas Hospital, and John Carney, President/CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics. 

Bob Hill
Carol McAdoo

"Grace Before Dying" is a traveling exhibit portraying a hospice program run by prisoners in Louisiana. Reverend Bob Hill and Carol McAdoo talk about the exhibit with Lorell LaBoube.

The exhibit runs through January 28, 2012 at Community Christian Church in Kansas City. For more information visit www.practicalbioethics.org.  

Myra Christopher

January 6, 2012

Cooler heads must rise above the rhetoric in the state of Washington when it comes to new legislation attempting to reduce prescription drug abuse. That's according to Myra Christopher, the Kathleen Foley Chair in Pain and Palliative Care at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Lorell LaBoube visits with Myra about this issue in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Terry Rosell, PhD
Ellen Averett

How do you know if an ethics committee is making a difference? That's the question for this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Host Lorell LaBoube visits with Ellen Averett, associate professor for health policy and management at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Terry Rosell, the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics. 

Wesley Smith
December 16, 2011

The December 2011 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics features a special "trending" section on personalities and politics in bioethics.

Wesley Smith, Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism and a special consultant for the Center for Bioethics and Culture, writes about William Hurlbut. The article is entitled "Building a Bridge over Troubled Stem Cell Waters." Lorell LaBoube visits with Smith about the article in this edition of The Bioethics Channel. 

Myra Christopher
John Carney

A time for change at the Center for Practical Bioethics, as the founding executive steps into a new role, and a former Center executive returns as the new president and CEO of the Center.

Lorell LaBoube talks about the transition with Myra Christopher, the Kathleen M. Foley Chair for Pain and Palliative Care, and John Carney, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics. 

Harvey Tettlebaum, JD
Sandy Silva, JD

Now here's a sticky question - is rationing care to elderly and terminal patients ethically or legally appropriate under any circumstances? The two guests in this edition of The Bioethics Channel attempt to answer that question. Harvey Tettlebaum is a partner with the Husch Blackwell Law Firm and Sandy Silva is a program associate with the Center for Practical Bioethics.

John Yeast, MD
Terry Rosell, PhD

Almost all hospitals in America have an ethics committee. But how many hospital systems have such a group?

That's the case at the Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Missouri. Host Lorell LaBoube visits with John Yeast, MD of the system and Terry Rosell of the Center for Practical Bioethics about how the committee evolved and how it's working so far.

Nelda Godfrey, RN

November 18, 2011

In a disaster, what is the role of palliative care? Where does an “ethic of caring” fit in responding to a disaster?

Those are the questions to be posed by Nelda Godfrey during The Perfect Storm – Disaster Ethics Symposium and Public Forum on December 7^th 2011 in Kansas City. She talks about it with host Lorell LaBoube in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Kyle McPhee

An earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

A devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri.

Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

It seems we're experiencing more and damaging disasters. So how should ethics be involved with disaster readiness? Kyle McPhee of Hagerty Consulting talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. A symposium and public forum on the subject are scheduled for December 7, 2011 in Kansas City. For more information visit practicalbioethics.org.

John Lantos, MD

Slow codes, defined as half hearted efforts to resuscitate patients, have been called deceptive, dishonest, unethical and deplorable. But is it time to reconsider that point of view? Can slow codes be appropriate, and ethically defensible?

Dr. John Lantos thinks so and he expresses that point of view in the November 2011 edition of The American Journal of Bioethics. And he talks about it with host Lorell LaBoube of The Bioethics Channel.

Kathy Davis
Tarris Rosell

Occasionally an institution needs to revise its ethics handbook. One such institution recently went through the process, and host Lorell LaBoube talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Sandy Silva, JD

A new study suggests frail elderly patients in nursing homes who document what medical treatment they want have fewer unwanted trips to the hospital. Sandy Silva, JD, a program associate at the Center for Practical Bioethics, talks about the study in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Daniel Goldberg

Viewing pain as a disease symptom - rather than a disease itself - has contributed to the neglect of this condition in the world of public health. Daniel Goldberg of East Carolina University explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Art Caplan, PhD

The use of prisoners as sources of organs - an ethically dubious practice. That's the title of an article in the October 2011 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics. Art Caplan of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania is the author, and he talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Myra Christopher

Advance directives specifying limits at the end of life may have their greatest impact in regions where the norms are to provide high-intensity end of life treatment. That's according to an October 5, 2011 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Myra Christopher of the Center for Practical Bioethics talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Heather Tick, MD

More and more people in pain and the medical professionals who treat them are turning to integrative medicine to treat pain. Dr. Heather Tick explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Penney Cowan

There are many people you can point to as pioneers and advocates for people in pain. Lorell LaBoube talks to one of them - Penney Cowan of the American Chronic Pain Association - in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Lynda Anderson

An online course sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control is designed to equip professionals at public health departments and aging services networks with the tools to discuss advance care planning with their clients. Lynda Anderson of the CDC explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Summer McGee, PhD

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues holds US doctors and researchers morally culpable for experiments involving hundreds of people from 1946 to 1948.

Lorell LaBoube visits with Summer McGee about this report in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Pamela Bennett
Ann Schreier

Nurses play an important role in pain management. Two nurses -- Ann Schreier of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing and Pamela Bennett of Purdue Pharma -- talk about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Kenneth Kipnis

Where is the boundary between marketing and medical education? And at what point does a corporation become responsible?

Those are the questions posed by Kenneth Kipnis in the September 2011 issue of The American Journal of Bioehtics. Host Lorell LaBoube discusses the article with Professor Kipnis in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Myra Christopher
Summer McGee

There is nationwide consensus developing around the ethical issues involved in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. That's according to an article in the September 2011 edition of Pain Medicine.

Two authors of the article talk about that consensus in this episode of The Bioethics Channel.

David Magnus

"Can the Dead Donor Rule be Resuscitated?" That's the title of an editorial in the August 2011 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics.

Editorial co-author David Magnus of the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics addresses the question in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Terry Rosell, PhD

Bioethics goes international with work on the Kenya Peace Initiative. Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD, the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Charles Sabatino

Now I Am the One Making the Decision. That's the title of the 7th Annual Policy Summit sponsored by the Missouri End of Life Coalition on September 29, 2011. Charles Sabatino, JD, the director of the Commission on Law and Aging at the American Bar Association, is one of the speakers at this event.

Jeff Ellis, JD
Glenn McGee, PhD

What do you know about your healthcare information? And how would your understanding change as healthcare reform calls for health information exchanges?

Those are the questions for this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Host Lorell LaBoube talks about the issues with Jeff Ellis, JD of Spencer Fane Britt and Brown in Kansas City, and Glenn McGee, PhD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Tom Gerend

August 17, 2011

By 2015 more than 15.5 million Americans are expected to live in communities where public transportation is poor or nonexistent. What does that mean and what should we do about it?

Lorell LaBoube, host of the Bioethics Channel, addresses those questions with Tom Geren, assistant director of transporation at the Mid America Regional Council.

Walter Winch

August 12, 2011

More and more medical institutions are using standardized patients to train future doctors on patient interactions. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with an actor who portrays a standardized patient.

Richard Payne, MD
Tarris Rosell, PhD

What does spirituality and race have to do with end of life care? That's the question for this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Program host Lorell LaBoube moderates the discussion on these issues with Richard Payne, MD of Duke University and Tarris Rosell, PhD, of the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Karin Porter Williamson, MD
Christian Sinclair, MD
Carol Buller, RN

A progress report on palliative care provided by a trio of medical professionals in the trenches of the Midwest. That's the subject host Lorell LaBoube takes on in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Guests include Carol Buller, a geriatric nurse practitioner at Shawnee Mission, Kansas Geriatric Center; Dr. Christian Sinclair, associate medical director at Kansas City, Hospice, and Dr. Karin Porter Williamson, associate professor and medical director for palliative care services at the University of Kansas Hospital.

Nelda Godfrey, RN
Noreen Thompson, RN

Nurses face any number of ethical issues at the bedside. Is there a difference between nursing and medical ethics? And how should nurses best address those differences?

Lorell LaBoube talks about it with Nelda Godfrey, RN, associate dean for undergraduate programs at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, and Noreen Thompson, RN, clinical nurse specialist at the University of Kansas Hospital.

Lawrence Schneiderman, MD

July 22, 2011

US politicians and policymakers are preoccupied with how to pay for healthcare. Hardly any thought has been given to what should be paid for.

Lorell LaBoube discusses the issue with Dr. Lawrence Schneiderman, author of an article entitled "Rationing Just Medical Care" in the July 2011 edition of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Richard Payne, MD

July 14, 2011

Standard bioethics is ripe for transformation. Richard Payne, MD of the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life explains why in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Lauren Aaronson, PhD

John Lantos, MD

Glenn McGee, PhD July 6, 2011

It’s called Frontiers: The Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Based at the University of Kansas Medical Center, its aim is to transform laboratory discoveries into treatments and cures.

We’ll talk about Frontiers – and the ethical component of the program – in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.   

Myra Christopher
June 29, 2011

At least 116 million US adults suffer from chronic pain. That's more than the number affected by heart disease, diabetes and cancer - combined. The annual economic cost - $560 to $635 billlion.

That's according to a new report released by the Institute of Medicine, Relieving Pain in America-A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Educationa and Research.

Myra Christopher served on the IOM committee releasing the report, and describes how various groups plan to act on IOM recommendations in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. 

Alexander Kon, MD

June 24, 2011

Palliative sedation is not a panacea. That's according to an article in the Jun 2011 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics. Dr. Alexander Kon of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD

June 24, 2011

There's a race between ethics and science. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel Lorell LaBoube examines the implications of this race with Glenn McGee, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics and editor in chief of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Laurence McCullough
June 17, 2011

An Ethically Justified Framework for Clinical Investigation to Benefit Pregnant and Fetal Patients. That's the title of an article in the May 2011 edition of the American Journal of Bioethics. Lorell LaBoube talks with the co-author of the article, Dr. Laurence McCullough of the Baylor College of Medicine, in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Myra Christopher
June 10, 2011

He was known as "Dr. Death," responsible for more than 130 physician assisted suicides. Dr. Jack Kevorkian died on June 3, 2011.

What will be his legacy? Myra Christopher talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Sandy Silva
June 10, 2011

Working with a chronic disease.

We're living longer, we're working longer, so how do we strike a balance between the needs of the person with the chronic diseaswe and the needs of the workplace?

Sandy Silva, director of the KC4 Aging in Community Initiative at the Center for Practical Bioethics, suggests some answers in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD
June 1, 2011

Glenn McGee, PhD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, recently attended and presented at the International Bioethics Conference of the United Nations and UNESCO.

Dr. McGee talks about his trip to Singapore and what happens next in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Summer McGee, PhD
American Journal of Bioethics
May 19, 2011

The May 2011 edition of the American Journal of Bioethics focuses on social issues in research. Why does social context matter for ethical research design? If institutional review boards can't assess the social implications of research, then who will and must?

The host of the Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube, visits with Summer McGee, PhD about these issues. Dr. McGee is the executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Rabbi Richard Address

May 13, 2011

We are in the midst of a longevity revolution and that’s presenting challenges for us all.

Rabbi Richard Address is the director of the Department of Jewish Family Concerns for the Union for Reform Judaism based in New York City. He was in Kansas City recently for presentations on honor and respect in healthcare. Lorell LaBoube visited with him about those issues on this edition of the Bioethics Channel. 

Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD

Rob Linderer

May 6, 2011

There are more people who need organs than there are organs available. That puts pressure on all sides of the organ donation equation – patients, families and medical professionals.

Joining host Lorell LaBoube on the Bioethics Channel to talk about one approach to this challenge are Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD, Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, and Rob Linderer, president and CEO of the Midwest Transplant Network.

Kathleen Foley, MD
Myra Christopher

In an emotional announcement April 26 before more than 650 supporters, Myra J. Christopher, the first and only president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, said that she will step down from that position at the end of 2011.  

That announcement was tempered with another one – that Ms. Christopher will continue her work at the Center as the holder of the Kathleen M. Foley Chair for Pain and Palliative Care at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Dave Kingsley, PhD

University of Kansas

To which group are we devoting our healthcare dollars? Are we favoring one group over another? Are we blaming any particular group for rising healthcare costs?

Those are questions for Dave Kingsley, a research assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His answers might be surprising.

Teresa Celada, PhD

Ethical concerns over new recommendations for HIV testing appear to focus on implementation, rather than the recommendations themselves. That's according to authors of an article in the April 2011 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Lorell LaBoube talks about the issue with a co-author of the article, Teresa Celada of Wheaton College.

Health Talk
KMBZ/98.1 FM Radio
April 9, 2011

Have you had "The Talk?" That was the question during the April 9 edition of Health Talk on KMBZ/98.1 FM in Kansas City. Providing some answers about National Healthcare Decisions Day were John Carney and Suzanne Morse of Crossroads Hospice -Kansas, along with Samantha Shepherd of the Shepherd Elder Law Group.

Rollin "Mac" Gallagher, MD

Pain is Hard: The Complexity of Pain Treatment. That's the subject for a presentation by Rollin "Mac" Gallagher, MD during a pain symposium in Kansas City April 26, 2011. He talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

James Giordano, PhD

Moving from a neuroscience of pain to a neuroethics of care. That's the subject for this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Host Lorell LaBoube visits with Professor James Giordano of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Krissy Garrett

The 2011 Greater Kansas City Home Show features a 1,600 square foot home especially designed for aging in place. This is the first time in the 63 year history of the event where a universal design home has been built.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Krissy Garrett, home show coordinator, explains the concept is to improve function and access throughout the home.

Richard Randolph, PhD

The medical ethics of treating pain sometimes collides with religion. Dr. Richard Randolph explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Dr. Randolph is associate professor of bioethics at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Joan M. Berkley

Many nonprofits are fortunate to have volunteers and supporters who quietly work behind the scenes to advance their mission. At the Center for Practical for Practical Bioethics, one of those volunteers will be honored with the Vision to Action Award.

Lorell LaBoube reports in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD

Ethics and the chronic pain stigma in geriatric populations is the subject for this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD of East Carolina University talks about it with the host of the program, Lorell LaBoube.

September Williams, MD

Chronic pain and health disparity. It exists and we need to do something about it.

September Williams, MD, discusses the issue with Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel. Dr. Williams is an internal medicine physician at the San Francisco Public Health Department's Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. She is also a clinical ethicist and a film maker.

Glenn McGee, PhD

There can be medical consequences for women donating eggs. Glenn McGee, PhD, the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Lisa Campo Engelstein

March 8, 2011

There's an obscure rider obstructing science when it comes to parthenotes. Lisa Campo Engelstein and colleagues explain in the the March 2011 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Summer McGee, PhD

There are no guarantees against unethical research. But the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues has been charged with making that attempt. Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel visits with Summer McGee about this issue.

Jennifer Bolen, JD

There are wrecks at the intersection of law, medical ethics and pain. Jennifer Bolen of the Legal Side of Pain explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Richard Payne, MD

What are the duties and obligations of physicians to treat pain? Richard Payne, MD talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Dr. Payne is professor of medicine and divinity at Duke Divinity School, Duke University, and the Esther Colliflower Director of the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life.

Katie Boyer and Greg Corpier
Inventive Health Solutions

There are new business opportunities on the old age frontier. Lorell LaBoube talks about it with two individuals working within that marketplace -- Katie Boyer and Greg Corpier of Inventive Health Solutions.

Peter Ubel, MD

How to resolve ethical stalemates in clinical research? An article in the February 2011 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics suggests such an approach -- an ethical standard of behavioral equipoise.

Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel talks about it with Doctor Peter Ubel of Duke University.

Richard Randolph, PhD
February 11, 2011

Biomedical bioethics and environmental bioethics are separate and distinct. Should the two be joined?

Richard Randolph thinks so, and he says why in this conversation with Lorell LaBoube on the Bioethics Channel.

Dr. Randolph is an associate professor of bioethics at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Sue Lewis

Terry Rosell

February 4, 2011

The initiative is called Sabbaths of Hope aimed at enabling clergy and other faith leaders to address clinical depression in their communities. It’s in its fourth year and its time for an update in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Lorell LaBoube visits with Sue Lewis, CEO and President of the Mental Health Association of the Heartland, and Terry Rosell, Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Matthew Wynia, MD
January 28, 2011

How do doctors view prescribing drugs to enhance athletic performance?

That's one of the questions addressed in an article published in the January 2011 edition of The American Journal of Bioethics. Lorell LaBoube visits with article co-author Dr. Matthew Wynia, the director of the Institute for Ethics at the American Medical Association.

Annette Prince, JD

January 21, 2011

What's the state of medical ethics and the law? Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel visits with Annette Prince of the University of Oklahoma.

Kelley Hrabe and Jeremy Whitt
January 14, 2011

A Kansas City Missouri project is now underway to build senior housing for assisted living, memory impaired residents, and seniors living independently. It's called the Rockhill Greens Redevelopment Plan and two developers explain the project in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Helen Emmott

January 14, 2011

Health care and social justice challenges exist not just in Haiti but in the heartland of America as well. Helen Emmott, a nurse ethicist, explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Brent Never

January 7, 2011

A Kansas City area study examines how aging individuals are able to access the services they need to remain independent. Brent Never of the University of Missouri Kansas City explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

John Carney

January 7, 2011

Now you have it, now you don't. It's the Medicare policy that would have paid for end of life counseling as part of an annual wellness visit. John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics explains what led to the withdrawal of the provision and where end of life counseling goes from here.

Jeremy Snyder

December 24, 2010

Better public reporting is needed about the quality of care received abroad, as are better guidelines for patients seeking that care. That's according to Jeremy Snyder and Valerie Crooks writing in the December 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Snyder is an assistant professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University.

John Carney

December 17, 2010

Surrogate decision makers need more help from doctors on end of life care … that’s according to a couple of medical journal articles that explore where to draw the line between physician guidance and respecting surrogate and patient wishes.

 
John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Summer McGee, PhD

December 10, 2010

11 minutes 51 seconds

Some early advice for synthetic biology from the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Essentially, don’t clamp down too hard on the research, and anticipate some risk from synthetic biologists who are not covered by the regulations.

Dr. Summer McGee discusses the issue with Lorell LaBoube in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Dr. McGee is the director of graduate studies at the Center for Practical Bioethics, executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics. She’s also written a book about presidential bioethics commissions.

Thanks for listening to The Bioethics Channel. Since launching the program in February 2009, we have produced 128 episodes with more than 45,000 downloads. And the numbers keep growing each month.

In order to keep improving the program, please take a few minutes to complete an online survey by clicking here.

Joseph Fins, MD
Art Caplan, PhD

“Ethical Considerations in Disorders of Consciousness.” That’s the title of an interview with Dr. Joseph Fins published in the October-December issue of the American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel Dr. Fins, chief of medical ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College, discusses this issue with Dr. Art Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Note to podcast subscribers: The URL to subscribe to The Bioethics Channel podcast has been changed. To subscribe anew or re-subscribe, please click on http://thebioethicschannel.libsyn.com/rss.

Drew Edmondson

Attorney General-Oklahoma

Be careful how you help … when it comes to curbing abuse of prescription drugs. That’s according to Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson … he writes about it in the November 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics … and he talks about it on the Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.

Chris Cruzan White
Angie Broaddus
Miranda Lewis

It's hard to believe for many, but it's been 20 years since Nancy Cruzan died after years of litigation and public strife over the right to withdraw life sustaining treatment.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube takes a look back and at lies ahead with Chris Cruzan White, the sister of Nancy Cruzan, and her two daughters, Angie Broaddus and Miranda Lewis.

How far would you go to sustain your life or the life of someone you love? When the moment comes, and you're confronted with the prospect of "pulling the plug," do you know how you'll respond?

Those questions and many others are addressed in a PBS Frontline program on November 23^rd 2010 entitled Facing Death. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel host Lorell LaBoube talks about the program with Dr. Judith Nelson, professor of medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and associate director of Mount Sinai Hospital’s intensive care unit, and the producers for the program, Miri Navasky and Karen O’Connor.

Tina Uridge
Executive Director
Clay County Senior Services

Charlie Hughes
Board Vice Chair
Clay County Senior Services

Clay County Senior Services recently awarded a $15,000 grant to the KC4 Aging in Community Initiative to provide educational programs to civic and community leaders about the impact of our aging society.

They talk about it with Lorell LaBoube in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Steven Joiner

America is aging, and America’s workforce needs to adjust to that reality.

That's according to Steven Joiner, a career development specialist who writes and speaks on the issues of aging. He also heads the workforce pillars of the KC4 Aging in Community Initiative.

Sandy Silva
Center for Practical Bioethics

Lynn Polk
Kansas City Chapter - American Red Cross

The statistics around caregiving are daunting … an estimated 120 million adult Americans (57 percent) are either providing unpaid care to an adult family member or friend or have provided this care in the past. About 22 percent of the population -- approximately 46 million Americans -- is providing care to an adult relative or friend. And more than 138 million Americans -- believe they will need to provide care to someone in the future.

This edition of the Bioethics Channel features Sandy Silva of the Center for Practical Bioethics and Lyn Polk of the American Red Cross discussing caregiving issues on Health Talk on KMBZ Radio in Kansas City.

Michael Dodd
Deborah Hartzler

The home of the future is one that will accomodate our rapidly rising numbers of older Americans. Michael Dodd of Lifewise Renovations and Deborah Hartzler, an occupational therapist, explain the how and the why of that trend in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD
Summer McGee, PhD

It's the 10th Anniversary of the American Journal of Bioethics. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel Lorell LaBoube visits with Glenn McGee and Summer McGee, Editor in Chief and Executive Editor, of the publication.

Paul Tobin

President and CEO

United Spinal Association

Where do we stand these days when it comes to people with disabilities and end of life issues?

Paul Tobin, president and CEO of the United Spinal Association, addresses this question in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. He will be in Kansas City for the Legacy of Nancy Cruzan Conference November 12^th and 13^th, 2010.

Rosemary Flanigan, PhD Robert Potter, MD

Two pioneers of bioethics get together to talk about the past and what the future will bring in this special edition of the Bioethics Channel. Rosemary Flanigan, PhD, retired from the Center for Practical Bioethics in July 2010. Robert Potter, MD, retired from the Center in 2005 and now teaches at the Center for Ethics in Healthcare at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Glenn McGee, PhD

John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics

October 8, 2010

14 minutes 47 seconds

Another development in stem cell research – a way to produce the benefits of embryonic stem cell research, without destroying embryos. Is this the Holy Grail around the moral and ethical challenges associated with this research?

Glenn McGee, PhD talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD

October 1, 2010

18 minutes 20 seconds

Some compelling questions in the September first 2010 edition of Fast Company.

Is it really okay to treat a woman the way we treat a hen, pumping her up with hormones so we can farm more eggs for sale? Is a human egg a widget and the donor nothing more than a cog?

Glenn McGee was interviewed for that story and talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Dr. McGee is the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics and editor in chief of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Link: Unpacking the Global Human Egg Trade, Scott Carney, Fast Company, September 1, 2010

Myra Christopher
Bill Novelli

September 24, 2010
12 minutes 39 seconds

Living with advanced illness in America is painful, isolating and costly. Most people spend their last days alone in hospitals and nursing homes, often in pain, despite the availability of effective pain management.

The current system fails the public, health providers and society. That is why “The Transformation Project: A New Initiative to Improve Advanced Illness Care” is creating a national consortium of leading organizations and individuals to work collaboratively on this issue. The goal is to produce a system that provides quality care consistent with the patient’s goals and values. 

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel host Lorell LaBoube visits with the co-directors of the initiative – Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, and Bill Novelli, Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

For more information about the Transformation Project click here.

David Casarett, MD

September 21, 2010

12 minutes 1 second

To feed or not to feed? That’s the question facing medical professionals and families about the use of artificial nutrition and hydration.  

Lorell LaBoube, host of the Bioethics Channel, discusses this issue with Dr. David Casarett, Associate Professor of Geriatrics at the Pennsylvania University School of Medicine and author of Last Acts: Discovering Possibility and Opportunity at the End of Life. 

David Magnus, PhD

September 17, 2010

13 minutes 8 seconds

The debate continues on the ethics of donating organs after cardiac death. How do we make sure patients do not suffer, or that their dying is prolonged? When is someone truly dead, meaning that their organs can be used for transplant?

David Magnus of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics provides some answers and insights in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Debra Schuster, JD

September 17, 2010
9 minutes 36 seconds

 It’s a balancing act between improving end of life care and protecting patient interests. Is surrogate decision making the answer?

Debra Schuster, an elder law attorney in St. Louis, talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Joseph Fins, MD

The questions raised by the Nancy Cruzan Case 20 years ago resonate to this day. When is someone in a persistent vegetative state? What about other states of altered consciousness? When should artificial nutrition and hydration be withdrawn from such patients, and who decides?

Joseph Fins, MD discusses these issues in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Laurence McCullough, PhD
Dalton Tomlin Chair in Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Baylor College of Medicine

A February 3, 2010 “Letter of Concern from Bioethicists” concerning off-label use of dexamethasone by Dr. Maria New "makes false claims, misrepresents scientific publications and websites, and fails to meet standards of evidence-based reasoning."

That’s according to an article in the September 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics, and Laurence McCullough, a co-author of the article, explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Myra Christopher

John Carney

September 3, 2010

17 minutes 13 seconds

Dr. Atul Gawande has created ripples of reaction throughout the medical community with his article in the August 2, 2010 edition of The New Yorker. The piece is entitled “Letting Go: What should medicine do when it can’t save your life?”

Joining us on the Bioethics Channel to discuss their viewpoints on this article are Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, and John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center.

Glenn McGee, PhD

August 26, 2010

16 minutes 20 seconds

A US judge blocks rules on embryonic stem cell research, and the ethical merry-go-round begins anew on this controversial issue. Glenn McGee lends some perspective in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Dr. McGee is the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics and editor in chief of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Neema Sofaer

August 17, 2010

12 minutes 41 seconds

Concerns are growing over the ethics of translational research. But not all such research is morally problematic. That’s according to Neema Sofaer and Nir Eyal in the August 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Neema Sofaer is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics at King’s College London. Nir Eyal is Assistant Professor in Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Sofaer discusses this issue with Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel.

Neema Sofaer

August 17, 2010

12 minutes 41 seconds

Concerns are growing over the ethics of translational research. But not all such research is morally problematic. That’s according to Neema Sofaer and Nir Eyal in the August 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Neema Sofaer is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics at King’s College London. Nir Eyal is Assistant Professor in Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Sofaer discusses this issue with Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD
John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics

August 13, 2010

It’s the classic question posed by advancing medical technology – does an implantable device extend living or prolong dying at the end of life? And who decides?

That’s the question for Glenn McGee, the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics for this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Carol McAdoo

August 6, 2010

End of life in prison. Hospice is needed there, just like anywhere else. That's according to Carol McAdoo of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Lorell LaBoube talks about it with Carol in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Phil Stafford

July 30, 2010

Aging is not about time and body, but about place and relationships. That’s the focus of a new book written by Philip Stafford, and he talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Stafford is director of the Center on Aging and Community at Indiana University. The book is entitled, "Elderburbia: Aging with a Sense of Place in America."

Christian Sinclair, MD
Karin Porter-Williamson, MD

July 30, 2010

A new educational tool for palliative care is now available through Humana Press. It's called Palliative Care: A Case Based Guide, and Bioethics Channel host Lorell LaBoube talks about with Dr. Christian Sinclair of Kansas City Hospice and Dr. Karin Porter Williamson of the University of Kansas Hospital.

Brian Carpenter, PhD

July 23, 2010

Dying is hard enough work without depression and other mental health disorders interfering with achieving end of life goals. Washington University’s Brian Carpenter, PhD talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Barbara Atkinson, MD
Summer Johnson, PhD

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues met for the first time July 8^th and 9^th in Washington DC. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with two individuals who attended that gathering – one as a member of the commission, the other as an observer.

Barbara Atkinson is Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she also serves as executive dean. Summer Johnson is executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics and director of graduate studies at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Rosemary Flanigan
Myra Christopher
July 22, 2010

It’s an announcement few wanted to hear but everyone understands … that Rosemary Flanigan is retiring from the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Sister Rosemary talks about her 24 years with the Center as a board member and staff in this edition of the Bioethics Channel, along with Myra Christopher, the Center’s president and CEO.

Sister Rosemary’s final official act as a member of the Center is the Flanigan Lecture scheduled for August 3 at 7 pm. For more information and to register for this free lecture, visit www.practicalbioethics.org.

Myra Christopher July 19, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration is moving forward on Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics.

What do those strategies mean for people in chronic pain, and what does it mean for physicians who wish to prescribe such medications?

Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube. 

Summer Johnson, PhD
July 9, 2010

6 minutes 10  seconds

The American Journal of Bioethics launches a spin off journal. It’s called AJOB Primary Research, and Lorell LaBoube visits with AJOB executive editor Summer Johnson about the new journal in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Benjamin Sachs

July 2, 2010

   Minutes   seconds

There are similarities and differences between ethical rules and rules of policy … when it comes to human subjects research.

Benjamin Sachs explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. He is an assistant professor in environmental studies and bioethics at New York University, and he wrote an article entitled “The Case for Evidence-Based Rulemaking in Human Subjects Research” in the June 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Jonathan Marks

June 25, 2010

12 minutes 12 seconds

The intersection of neuroscience and national security is an intriguing place … fraught with excitement but also a need for caution. Jonathan Marks explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Tarris Rosell, PhD

June 18, 2010

14 minutes 39 seconds

Organ donations much in the news as state legislatures consider presumed consent … and physicians consider whether it should be part of advance care planning.

Terry Rosell, the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics … provides some insight in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD

June 4, 2010 14 minutes 29 seconds

So what’s the problem?

You’re an incoming first year student at a major university, and they send you a cotton swab for a DNA sample. It’s voluntary, anonymous and presented as a way to tell if you are vulnerable to certain health problems.

Simple, right? Not according to Glenn McGee, PhD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Dr. McGee explores the ethical issues around the University of California-Berkeley program asking for DNA samples from incoming freshmen.

Link: UC Berkeley offer to test DNA of incoming students sparks debate, Los Angeles Times, June 1

Glenn McGee, PhD

May 28, 2010

16 minutes 34 seconds

What have we done? And what does it mean?

Those are the questions after headlines exploded with news of a synthetic cell created from a made-from-scratch genome.

Lorell LaBoube visits with Glenn McGee, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, about this development.

Links:

• How We Created the First Synthetic Cell, J. Craig Venter and Daniel Gibson, Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2010
• Ethics of genetic engineering and synthetic cells: Is it man vs. nature?, San Diego News Network
• Cell-ing Montgomery biotech, Gazette.net, May 26
• Synthetic Biology: The Presidential Bioethics Commission’s First Challenge, Bioethics Forum, The Hastings Center, May 24
• Church warns cell scientists not to play God, Associated Press, May 21

Summer Johnson, PhD

May 21, 2010

13 minutes 49 seconds

What role does ethics play in public health, especially when it comes to emergencies? Summer Johnson, PhD explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Dr. Johnson is executive editor of the American Journal of Bioethics and director of graduate studies at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Link:

Interview: George J. Annas on Worst Case Bioethics

Michael Cook

BioEdge

May 17, 2010

George J. Annas, of Boston University, is one of America’s best-known bioethicists. In this exclusive interview, he answers questions about his latest book, Worst Case Bioethics: Death, Disaster and Public Health.

Christopher Thomas Scott

May 14, 2010

13 minutes 29 seconds

Thousands of people are heading overseas to seek treatments for rare and terminal conditions. How do we balance the needs of these desperately sick individuals with the need for rigorous, evidence based medicine? How do we reach that balance without treading on the power of hope?

Christopher Thomas Scott, director of the Stanford Program on Stem Cells in Society, co-authored a target article on the subject in the May 2010 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics. He discusses the issue with Lorell LaBoube in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Link: Table of Contents, May 2010 American Journal of Bioethics

Ben Rich

University of California-Davis

May 13, 2010

7 minutes 33 seconds

When a pain contract includes random urine screens, a patient might just think their doctor doesn’t trust them.

And that’s a problem, according to Ben Rich of the University of California at Davis. Lorell LaBoube explores the issue in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Aaron Gilson

Director – Pain and Policy Studies Group

University of Wisconsin

May 13, 2010

10 minutes 18 seconds

There are too many variables to justify universal acceptance of pain contracts. That’s according to Aaron Gilson, director of the pain and policy studies group at the University of Wisconsin. He talks about it with Lorell LaBoube of the Bioethics Channel.

Will Rowe, President and CEO

American Pain Foundation

May 7, 2010

5 minutes 4 seconds

A Balance at the Bedside approach makes prescribers and patients partners in the achievement of pain relief … while limiting misuse and abuse. So says Will Rowe, president and CEO of the American Pain Foundation.

He talks about the concept in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Carlton Haywood, PhD

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

May 7, 2010

9 minutes 42 seconds

Opioid contracts are too often tilted toward patient consequences, not toward physicians for failing to meet their responsibilities. That’s according to Carlton Haywood at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Dr. Haywood talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Carmen Green, MD

University of Michigan

May 7, 2010

10 minutes 11 seconds

Knowing a physician’s … and a patient’s … pain management goals, biases and misconceptions are important to consider when using pain contracts.

Carmen Green, MD, is a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. She tells the host of the Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube, that even under the best of circumstances, communication between physician and patient is fraught with potential for misunderstanding and misinterpretation.

Scott Fishman, MD
University of California-Davis

April 29, 2010

7 minutes 10 seconds

Can pain contracts produce great good … or great harm? That’s the question for this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Host Lorell LaBoube addresses the question with Scott Fishman, MD in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Richard Payne, MD
Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life

April 29, 2010

6 minutes 24 seconds

Pain contracts may lead to unintended consequences for both the patient and the physician. That’s according to Richard Payne, MD, president and CEO of the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life.

Susan Bachrach

Jean Zeldin

Looking back, we can’t imagine how it happened. But it did … and Deadly Medicine—Creating the Master Race, examines now Nazi Germany nearly annihilated European Jewry.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with Susan Bachrach, the curator of the Deadly Medicine exhibit on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and on display through June 10 at the National Archives in Kansas City.

Also on the program is Jean Zeldin, executive director of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, in partnership with the National Archives at Kansas City and in cooperation with the Center for Practical Bioethics. 

Links:

• News release, National Archives
• Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race

Health Talk

KMBZ Radio

April 10, 2010

40 minutes 8 seconds

April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a day to designate someone to speak for you when you can no longer speak for yourself during a serious illness or at the end of life. John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics and Ed Kraemer, MD, a family physician talk about it in this edition of Health Talk.

Michael Green, MD
Benjamin Levi, MD

April 15, 2010
15 minutes 7 seconds

Advance directives have been in the news with a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine and the fifth anniversary of the death of Terri Schiavo.

So where do advance directives stand these days and how might we make better use of them?

Michael Green, MD and Benjamin Levi, MD of the Penn State College of Medicine offer a computer based approach to advance directives in the April 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Lorell LaBoube visits with both Drs. Green and Levi in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Barbara Bollier, MD

April 9, 2010

A mother, a physician, a volunteer, a state legislator.

And on April 13, 2010, a recipient of the Vision to Action Award by the Center for Practical Bioethics. Her name is Doctor Barbara Bollier, and she talks about the bioethics center in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Steve Salanski, MD

April 2, 2010

14 minutes 27 seconds

The Center for Practical Bioethics will honor four individuals April 13, 2010 with Vision to Action Awards for their work in advancing the mission of the Center. One recipient of that award is Dr. Steve Salanski, and he talks about the recognition in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD

April 2, 2010

20 minutes 21 seconds

Five years ago you could not avoid hearing about Terri Schiavo. Her story turned into a national shouting match over life and death and who decides. But has much changed since Terri died on March 31^st, 2005?

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube explores the meaning of Terri Schiavo on the fifth anniversary of her death with Glenn McGee, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Myra Christopher

Marshall Scott

11 minutes 31 seconds

The third annual National Healthcare Decisions Day is set for April 16, 2010 in Kansas City and all over the country.

The day is designed to help individuals and families make practical preparations for end-of-life decisions, including the designation of someone to speak for you when you can no longer speak for yourself.

Lorell LaBoube of The Bioethics Channel talks about it with Myra Christopher of the Center for Practical Bioethics and Marshall Scott of Saint Luke's South Hospital in Overland Park, KS.

Rosemary Flanigan
John Carney
Terry Rosell

19 minutes 17 seconds

Health care reform is now the law of the land.

It was quite a ride getting to this point, and now seems a good time to lend some ethical perspectives to how we got here, and how we move forward.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, a panel of ethics professionals from the Center for Practical Bioethics talks about the ethical dimensions of the health reform debate -- and how how an ethical perspective is needed for the debates to come.

David Resnik, JD, PhD

March 19, 2010

8 minutes 49 seconds

Will banning artificial trans fats today effect your ability to have a hot dog tomorrow?

It’s a fair question, and in this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube seeks an answer with Dr. David Resnik, a bioethicist and IRB chair for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Resnik writes about this issue in the March 2010 edition of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Jeff Wieman, MD

Terry Rosell, PhD

In November 2009 a report that questioned the merits of routine mammography screening sparked a firestorm of protest, from women’s advocacy groups and medical professionals alike. But is that criticism deserved?

Dr. Jeff Wieman of the Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute and Terry Rosell of the Center for Practical Bioethics talk about the report and a March 24, 2010 forum in Kansas City examining the issues around this controversy.

Eleanor Clift

March 12, 2010
10 minutes 39 seconds

Seems not all that long ago that healthcare reform not only seemed possible, but probable. Now the prospects are unsettled.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Eleanor Clift talks about the political maneuvering that has made passage of healthcare reform so challenging.

Ms. Clift will be the keynote speaker at the annual dinner of the Center for Practical Bioethics on April 13.

Rosemary Flanigan

March 5, 2010

13 minutes 16 seconds

Is it always wrong to perform futile CPR?

That was the question posed by Doctor Robert Truog in the February 11^th edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. And that question prompted a great deal of debate in an email discussion group sponsored by Sister Rosemary Flanigan at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Sister Rosemary talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD

Francis Chair in Bioethics

February 19, 2010

10 minutes 48 seconds

Is it ethical for individuals, or for society generally, to take advantage of technologies that will change our entire notion of what it means to age? Is it okay to want to live forever?

Those are the questions to be addressed by Doctor Glenn McGee, the Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics during a lecture February 24 in Kansas City.

Dr. McGee talks about the concept during a program on KMBZ Radio in Kansas City.

Gay Men & Donating Blood

Art Caplan, PhD

Director/Center for Bioethics

University of Pennsylvania

February 12, 2010

8 minutes 48 seconds

The current FDA policy excluding gay men from giving blood is absurd and flies in the face of both need and science. That’s according to Dr. Art Caplan in the February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Dr. Caplan argues this policy on gays excludes millions from giving blood during growing blood shortages. He explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.

An Update on Pain Policy

Myra Christopher

President/CEO

Center for Practical Bioethics

February 5, 2010

14 minutes 47 seconds

As we age in America, more of us than ever before will suffer from chronic pain. Whether we receive appropriate for that pain may be an open question … as many patients today continue to suffer from chronic pain even as therapies are available for treatment.

Lorell LaBoube talks about the status on achieving a balanced pain policy with Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Glenn McGee, PhD

John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics

Center for Practical Bioethics

February 4, 2010

12 minutes 44 seconds

Do we need to rethink what a vegetative state means? That question is prompted by an article in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding brain activity in patients in a persistent vegetative state.

Glenn McGee and Lorell LaBoube talk about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Links:

The Plural of Anecdote is not Ambien, bioethics.net, October 6, 2006

Can Ambien Wake Up PVS Patients?, bioethics.net, May 2006

John Carney
January 29, 2010

12 minutes 43 seconds

Terri Schiavo’s name doesn’t appear in the headlines much these days. But her story continues to ripple through state legislatures across the country, trying to wrestle with end of life issues.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, host Lorell LaBoube visits with John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, about legislative efforts to address issues raised by the story of Terri Schiavo. 

The Ashley X case created headlines and raised a host of ethical questions in 2007. Those issues are revisited in the January 2010 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube visits with Norman Fost, MD, co-author of the target article in the journal, and John Lantos, MD, who wrote a peer review commentary.

Glenn McGee, PhD

January 15, 2010

16 minutes 5 seconds

A decade ago Molly Nash made headlines when her parents had a baby brother to save her life. Are the ethics of that decision any more clear today than ten years ago?

Glenn McGee thinks not. He explains in this conversation with Lorell LaBoube on The Bioethics Channel. Dr. McGee holds the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Link: Embryo genetic screening controversial - and successful, USA Today, January 10, 2010

Scott Helm, PhD
January 8, 2010

Mobility is more of an issue with our aging population than transportation. Scott Helm, PhD, of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Daniel Serda, PhD

Kansas City Design Center

December 22, 2009

12 minutes 32 seconds

How will our aging population affect the homes we have now, and how we build homes in the future? In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Daniel Serda, PhD Executive Director and CEO of the Kansas City Design Center discusses these developments with host Lorell LaBoube.

Link: KC4 Aging in Community

Ann Karty, MD
December 17, 2009
13 minutes 15 seconds

Pain is often undertreated. That's why the American Academy of Family Physicians has convened a unique group of organizations to offer a series of programs to educate providers on pain treatment.

John Carney
December 17, 2009
9 minutes 30 seconds

What does the data tell us about aging in Kansas City? And what are the implications?

The host of The Bioethics Channel, Lorell LaBoube, talks about it with John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Summer Johnson, PhD
December 15, 2009
15 minutes 10 seconds

The December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics is now available, with target articles examining the ethics of using placebos in clinical practice.

Executive editor Summer Johnson, PhD discusses the new edition of AJOB with Lorell LaBoube of The Bioethics Channel.

Brian Hofland

Director of the Center for Economic Justice

AARP Foundation

7 minutes 33 seconds

The first wave of Baby Boomers is already turning 60. And America’s rapidly increasing population of older adults represents a vast and under-tapped resource.

Lorell LaBoube talks about how to tap into this resource with Brian Hofland of the  AARP Foundation’s Center for Economic Justice.

Myra Christopher
November 27, 2009

We, as a society, still don’t have it right when it comes to treating people with serious illness or the end of life. That’s according to Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Myra talks about it with Lorell LaBoube and the messages she will deliver during a lecture on December 9.

Glenn McGee, PhD
November 24, 2009

11 minutes 39 seconds

Glenn McGee, PhD, will assume the John B. Francis Endowed Chair in Bioethics on January 1, 2010. He follows John D. Lantos, MD. The chair was established in 2005 through a $3 million endowment from the Francis Family Foundation to the Center for Practical Bioethics.

In this edition of The Bioethcis Channel, Lorell LaBoube talks with Dr. McGee about his philosophy and goals for the Francis Chair.

Health Talk

KMBZ Radio

November 21, 2009

The task of making our medical wishes known during a serious illness or at the end of life is much more complicated now that it’s part of a political debate. John Carney, Vice President of Aging and End of Life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains in this edition of Health Talk on KMBZ Radio, Kansas City.

David Ewing Duncan

November 20, 2009

9 minutes 42 seconds

David Ewing Duncan is a best selling author and director of the Center for Life Science Policy at the University of California-Berkeley. In this You Tube interview, Duncan explores what cutting-edge technologies in personalized medicine can tell us about individual health … and life.

Keith Wailoo, PhD
November 13, 2009

Keith Wailoo is the Director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity at Rutgers University. He is the author of acclaimed books examining the cultural politics of disease in America.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Dr. Wailoo explains the different cultural and clinical responses to diseases like Tay-Sachs and sickle cell anemia.

Jon Entine

American Enterprise Institute

November 6, 2009

Do our genes tell us who we are? That can be a controversial question, especially when intertwined with Jewish identity. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Jon Entine of the American Enterprise Institute talks about the benefits and challenges of addressing this issue.

Gary Pettett, MD

October 30, 2009

The physician patient relationship is changing … as is the concept of medical professionalism. Is it time to redefine what we mean by medical professionalism? And how will that affect your relationship with your doctor.

Doctor Gary Pettett, a neonatologist and a Fellow at the Center for Practical Bioethics explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Robert St. Peter, MD
Karen Miller, PhD

What will a reformed system look like? And how will it work. Robert St. Peter, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute, and Karen Miller, PhD, of the University of Kansas Medical Center speculate in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Marcia Nielsen
Rene Bollier, MD

October 21, 2009
16 minutes 27 seconds

Bending the cost curve in healthcare -- what exactly does that mean? Is it possible? And how will that affect our healthcare?

Marcia Nielsen, vice chancellor of public policy at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Dr. Rene Bollier, a family practice physician in Kansas City, talk about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

John Lantos, MD
October 20, 2009

Advances in genetics change the way we think about health, disease and personal identity. That's the focus of a two day conference in Kansas City November 2-3, 2009.

Dr. John Lantos talks about the conference in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Steve Roling
William Pankey, MD

9 minutes 34 seconds

When it comes to healthcare reform, there's one thing about which most people agree -- that we should cover everybody. How to cover everyone, though, is a point of contention.

Steve Roling, president and CEO of the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City, and Dr. William Pankey of Swope Health Services talk about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Teresa Brooks- Polsinelli Shughart, PC
Max Skidmore, PhD- University of Missouri-Kansas City

October 6, 2009

The Center for Practical Bioethics kicked off its October 2009 series of public forums on healthcare reform with a session entitled “Good Ethics Start with Good Facts.” Two panelists from the program, Teresa Brooks, JD and Max Skidmore, PhD, talked about the forum in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life
Center for Practical Bioethics
October 2, 2009

The health reform debate lurches into October with an uncertain prognosis. John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics gives an update and talks about a series of Center public forums on health reform in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

William Colby, JD
General Counsel – Truman Medical Center

September 30, 2009
8 minutes 48 seconds

Twenty years ago William Colby argued the Nancy Cruzan case before the US Supreme Court. What did the Cruzan case mean for all of us? Have we made progress making our wishes known for the end of life?

Colby talks about the Cruzan case in this interview with Lorell LaBoube, director of communications at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Colby will present his reflections on the case during a lecture on October 14, 2009. For more information on this free lecture and how to register, go to www.practicalbioethics.org.

Robert Twillman, PhD
September 25, 2009
13 minutes 25 seconds

Kansas gets an “A” … Missouri a “C” for state policies addressing pain. What does that mean for physicians and patients when it comes to treating pain?

Dr. Robert Twillman explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Hob Osterlund, RN
11 minutes 54 seconds

The Center for Practical Bioethics honored nurses, social workers, chaplains and allied health professionals with Frontline Action Awards during activities September 8, 2009 in Kansas City.

Hob Osterlund, RN, palliative care nurse and nationally known humorist, presented her unique approach to health care before an audience of more than 200 people.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Hob explains how her comic character, Ivy Push, RN, reflects the absurdities that take place all too often in healthcare.

Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD
Caitlin Belt

September 11, 2009
12 minutes 31 seconds

That's the title of a lecture scheduled for September 23, 2009 in Kansas City, by Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD, the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics.

Dr. Rosell and Caitlin Belt, an intern at the Center for Practical Bioethics, discuss religious influences on donating organs in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

David Albertini, PhD

Kansas University Medical Center

Nancy Howell, PhD

St. Paul School of Theology

September 4, 2009

18 minutes

The state of New York has decided to pay women for donating eggs for stem cell research. What are the scientific implications of such a move? What are the ethical considerations?

David Albertini of the University of Kansas Medical Center and Doctor Nancy Howell of the Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City discuss the issue in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

John Carney
VP for Aging and End of Life
Center for Practical Bioethics

August 28, 2009
13 minutes 45 seconds 

There is confusing language about advance care planning in the US House version of healthcare reform. But it is not inaccurate … and actually protects the interests of the elderly and disabled.

That’s according to John Carney, a vice president at the Center for Practical Bioethics. He talks about it in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Bruce White, MD

August 14, 2009
15 minutes 24 seconds

Physicians recognize treating pain as a moral and ethical duty. Then why are so many patients in pain?

Dr. Bruce White talks about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. He is the author of Drugs, Ethics and the Quality of Life.

Rosemary Flanigan, PhD
Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD

August 7, 2009

13 minutes 57 seconds 

In 2006, the Center for Practical Bioethics announced the establishment of the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics. Three years later, the Center is ready to announce the first holder of that chair.

Rosemary Flanigan and Terry Rosell talk about the chair and what it means in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Myra Christopher

President/CEO

Center for Practical Bioethics

August 3, 2009

14 minutes 44 seconds

Any health reform must address improving end-of-life care, and the pending legislation does that.

Now a group of people have latched onto this legislation and perverted its intent to try to scare the American public, especially older people, and defeat healthcare reform.  They claim that it is simply a way to euthanize the old, the frail, and the sick. 

Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, says that is simply untrue.

In this special edition of the Bioethics Channel, Christopher provides an in-depth explanation of what end of life provisions do … and don’t do … in various healthcare reform proposals.

In retrospect, it was all too predictable.

Over the last week or so opponents of healthcare reform have been latching on to end of life provisions in the House bill, claiming it would promote euthanasia among our nation’s seniors.

In the July 3 edition of The Bioethics Channel, Myra Christopher and Dr. Christian Sinclair of Kansas City Hospice both expressed concern that the debate would turn in that direction.

“This is not about trying to save money on the backs of dying people,” Myra said.

Dr. Sinclair said he was hopeful end of life and palliative care would not become “buzzwords” subject to being demonized.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what has happened.

Celebrating with Frontliners

Karren King Crouch
Helen Emmott
Jane Rues
Dianne Shumaker

The Center for Practical Bioethics will honor nurses, social workers, chaplains and allied health professionals during an event September 8, 2009 at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel the four honorary co-chairs talk about their experiences with ethical issues in healthcare and how important it is to recognize healthcare professionals who work with patients and families.

For more information about Celebrating with Frontliners visit the Center’s website at www.practicalbioethics.org.

Terry Rosell

15 minutes 11 seconds

When is someone dead … truly dead? Meaning their organs can be harvested for transplant?

Terry Rosell, a program associate at the Center for Practical Bioethics, talks about how we as a society are still struggling with some ethical issues when it comes to donating and receiving these organs.

Arthur Derse, MD, JD
July 17, 2009

Many of us have seen it … the emergency room portrayed on television. Frantic. Quick decisions to save lives. At the same time, a place for end of life.

In this environment, how should emergency physicians address end of life issues?

Dr. Arthur Derse, the director of medical and legal affairs and associate director of the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for the Study of Bioethics, explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

John Lantos, MD
July 10, 2009

Milton Friedman once said there is no such thing as a free lunch. Does that apply to healthcare? And does that mean the R word – rationing – will be a factor in healthcare reform?

John Lantos, MD, the John B. Francis Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics, believes we already ration care in America. Find out more in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Myra Christopher
Christian Sinclair, MD

July 3, 2009
15 minutes 32 seconds

President Barack Obama says he does not want to see bureaucracies making end of life decisions. Meanwhile, measures are being filed in Congress to address various aspects of end of life care.

Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, and Christian Sinclair, MD, of Kansas City Hospice, talk about the President’s remarks and proposed legislative approaches to end of life care in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

What’s the ethical case for care of undocumented immigrants?

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Dr. Sharon Lee, director of a safety net clinic in Kansas City, Kansas and attorney David Grummon discuss how should we talk about and address this challenge.  

A new study projects the number of residents 65 and older in metro Kansas City to double by the year 2030. The impact on housing, transportation and healthcare will be profound.

Scott Helm, senior fellow with the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, and John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, talk about the implications of the numbers in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

The Ethics of Untreated Pain

Richard Payne, MD
June 5, 2009
15 minutes 37 seconds

Pain is too often left untreated … and that’s a serious public health issue. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Dr. Richard Payne of Duke University’s Institute for Care at the End of Life describes the scope of problem and the obligations to treat pain.

The overwhelming majority of Americans will die of complications from a chronic disease. At the same time, that overwhelming majority will pay little attention to what that means, awaiting a medical crash instead, forcing us to face the inevitable.

John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics discusses the implications of chronic disease and aging in this edition of The Bioethics Channel. 

Mia Oberlink and Phil Stafford
May 22, 2009

The data is undeniable – we are an aging society. What does that mean? And how can we prepare today for tomorrow’s aging America?

Mia Oberlin and Phil Stafford of the Advantage Initiative discuss these issues in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

Should religion play a role in the practice of medicine? Drs. Farr Curlin and John Lantos have done extensive research into this question and share their views in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

The Terri Schiavo case was outrageous and an extreme use of government. That's according to John Danforth, former US Senator and this week's guest on The Bioethics Channel.

It began as a vision a quarter century ago. With medical technology accelerating rapidly, a healthcare attorney, a physician and a philosopher envisioned a place to consider the ethical implications of using this technology.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Mary Beth Blake and Hans Uffelmann describe how the Center for Practical Bioethics evolved into what it is 25 years later.  

Four years ago it was an idea. Two years later, it became a reality. It's the Northland Care/MetroCARE program, a specialty care network for the poor and uninsured in the Kansas City area. Jill Watson of the Metropolitan Medical Society and Dr. Tyler Brundige talk about the program in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Hospital ethics committees evolved in the late 1970s and into the 80s. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Rosemary Flanigan talks about how hospital ethics committees began and their future.

April 16, 2009 is Healthcare Decisions Day across the country - a day to name someone you trust to speak for you during a serious illness or at the end of life.

This special edition of the Bioethics Channel comes courtesy of KMBZ Radio in Kansas City. It’s a radio program that aired April 4, 2009. Guests include Kathy Sproules, MD of Crossroads Hospice and John Carney of the Center for Practical Bioethics.  

Dr. Robert Potter was a revered physician and medical educator in Kansas City for 30 years before moving to Oregon in 2004. In the decade prior to his departure, he served as a scholar and consultant for the Center for Practical Bioethics. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Dr. Potter reflects on bioethics then, now and in the future.

For a number of years, the Center for Practical Bioethics has offered a booklet called Caring Conversations to helps individuals and their families make practical preparations for end-of-life decisions.

Now the Center has tailored a version of Caring Conversations for use by young adults. Dr. Barbara Bollier and Lauren Douville talk about it in this edition of the Bioethics Channel.

During its 25 years of service, the Center for Practical Bioethics has taken on a number of initiatives that continue to have impact in the daily work of medical professionals across the country.

One such project is Trusting Our Differences and Helen Emmott explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

A young Democratic President with large Democratic majorities decided to tackle healthcare reform. 2009? No, the year was 1993 and Bill Clinton was president.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel Dr. John Lantos describes his experiences as a member of the Clinton Task Force on Healthcare Reform ... and what we might expect from this effort led by President Barack Obama.

People with depression often visit with clergy first before seeking professional help.

In this edition of the Bioethics Channel, Sue Lewis of the Mental Health Association of the Heartland and Terry Rosell of the Center for Practical Bioethics talk about Sabbaths of Hope, an initiative aimed at enabling clergy and other faith leaders to address clinical depression in their communities.

Officials in Kansas and Missouri are considering provisions which would streamline end of life care decision making and specify preferences for care outside of a hospital. In this edition of the Bioethics Channel John Carney, vice president for aging and end of life at the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains how legislators and officials in both states are working to ensure families can make practical preparations for end-of-life decisions.

A new policy brief aims at balancing the need to prosecute improper use of pain medications, while at the same time avoiding the unintended consequence of under-treating pain.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel Bill Colby, Senior Fellow for Law and Patient Rights at the Center for Practical Bioethics, explains how the policy brief establishes a clear set of strategies to help guide investigation and prosecution of these cases.

How small is too small? And how should we decide?

Some babies born after just five months of pregnancy -- as early as 22 weeks of gestation -- can now survive. Their chances for survival depend on where they are born.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Dr. John Lantos examines the moral dilemmas in treating babies born at the borderline of viability.