The Johns
Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics will begin this
week a three-part discussion series designed to better
connect members of the general public with some of the
nation's leading scholars of medical and public health
ethics, all of whom are working on issues that affect
society at large. As a public service to the local
community, the institute will host its first-ever Grounds
for Discussion series at the Evergreen coffee house in
Baltimore.
"For concerned citizens, moral dialogue can be
empowering," said Ruth Faden, executive director of the
Berman Bioethics Institute. "Everyone remembers the dilemma
of the Terry Schiavo case. It was an agonizing debate for
the nation, but it could have been resolved much sooner if
educated public discourse had taken place. Interacting with
the public about such difficult moral issues is important
to help inform future debates."
The first lecture, set for Tuesday, Nov. 14, is titled
"Does Medical Ethics Get Scrubbed? What Doctors Don't Know,
and How it Affects You." It will be given by Margaret R.
Moon, an assistant professor of general pediatrics and
adolescent medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
and a bioethicist at the Berman Bioethics Institute.
The other two topics will be "Scientists Can Watch
Your Mind, Maybe Even Read It. Now What?" (Dec. 5) and "Why
You Should Care About Research on Humans in Developing
Countries" (Jan. 23).
All lectures will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the
Evergreen, 501 W. Cold Spring Lane. To attend, contact
Stephanie Davis at
stdavis@jhsph.edu or 410-516-8570. More information is
available at
www.bioethicsinstitute.org.