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.

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.

Bioethics study focuses on comprehension of informed consent for research

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.

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.

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.

Noted bioethicist Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 27.