Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society

September 22, 2022

Policy experts discuss abortion ruling and health data privacy

Vanderbilt policy experts discuss how the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and newly enacted state laws limiting or banning abortion can be expected to bring new scrutiny to the privacy vulnerabilities of electronic health records.

By Paul Govern
May 19, 2022

Panel considers ways to improve vaccine readiness, restore trust

A recent Ethics Grand Rounds, sponsored by the Vanderbilt Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, explored potential ways to overcome vaccine readiness and restore trust in health care providers.

By Bill Snyder
October 28, 2021

Patricia Townsend Meador Lecture

Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Douglas Diekema, MD, MPH, was at Vanderbilt last week to deliver the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society’s Patricia Townsend Meador Lecture.

By VUMC News and Communications
January 13, 2021

Kate Payne, Vanderbilt bioethicist and nurse, has died

Associate Professor of Nursing Kate Payne, JD, RN, NC-BC, a bioethicist, attorney and beloved nurse leader at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, died at the Alive Hospice Residence on Jan. 6 after a very brief and unexpected illness.

By Nancy Wise
June 13, 2019

Diversity of conference attendees mirrors increasing support for palliative care

More than 80 people attended a Palliative Care Conference in Nashville recently that was led by faculty members of the Palliative Care programs at VUMC and the Nashville VA Medical Center, and VUMC Center for Biomedical Ethics.

By Jill Clendening
March 21, 2019

Project seeks to ease confusion about advance directives

While Vanderbilt University School of Medicine student Jon Alverio was on rotation with the Vanderbilt Health Palliative Care team, he witnessed the confusion patients often have as they try to complete an advance directive for health care, and he decided to do something about it.

By Jill Clendening
November 29, 2018

Ethics study explores precision medicine’s risks, rewards

Precision medicine research — which involves the consolidation of massive amounts of complex data and the widespread sharing of those data for a variety of research studies — offers the prospect of both benefit and harm.
By Doug Campbell
October 4, 2018

Initiative to promote awareness of need for advance directives

During last week’s Flulapalooza, the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, the Palliative Care Service, the Office for Strategy and Innovation and the Office for Health Sciences Education hosted a booth with information about advance directives for health care.
By Wayne Wood
September 20, 2018

Bioethics expert Kahn to deliver next Discovery Lecture

Noted bioethicist Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 27.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 15, 2016

Lynn set for next Discovery Lecture

Joanne Lynn, M.D., a geriatrician and health services researcher, will present the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Sept. 22.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 16, 2016

VUMC part of national effort to improve genomic science laws, regulations

Experts in medicine and the law at the University of Minnesota and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) are leading a national effort to analyze and recommend improvements in genomic law.
By Bill Snyder
June 9, 2016

Landmark report urges caution before releasing gene drive-modified organisms

A new report released this week raises questions about “gene drives,” a biological process that can profoundly and rapidly alter the characteristics of entire species.
By Bill Snyder
May 19, 2016

New center to study genomic privacy concerns

Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have received a four-year, $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a new center for the study of privacy concerns associated with the use of genomic information, the NIH announced this week.
By Bill Snyder