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2015 Annual Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Ethics Session
Date :
Friday 8th October 2015
Location : Tampa Convention Center, Room 25
Start Time :
9.00am - 10.00am
Session
Chairs : Robert D. Frisina, PhD, Bhavit Vora, MS.
Title :
Genomic Testing and Personalized Medicine, to what extent is knowing a good thing ?
Today’s
biomedical engineers are advancing many technical areas of
bioengineering at a very rapid pace. Impacts of recent and ongoing
advances in tissue engineering and microelectronic fabrication are
revolutionizing progress in the arenas of personalized medicine,
especially with regards to molecular genetics and genomic testing.
Technological progress in these areas have significantly improved
quality of care and the efficacy of treatment. However, one of the
professional conundrums in the area of genomic testing pertains to
moral and ethical challenges, especially with regards to newborns and
children. The basic dilemma here focuses upon the decisions that
parents have to make for their young children, since children cannot
make the decision themselves, about how much genetic testing should be
carried out, and what can or should be done with the results of that
genetic testing. Genomic testing in children is becoming faster, more
efficient and less expensive. So, now instead of testing for a few
obvious genes for children who are born with birth defects, possible
genetic syndromes, or easily diagnosed problems such as hearing loss or
deafness, genetic screening immediately on the horizon will be able to
screen for mutations in hundreds or thousands of genes routinely. So,
for example, what if a newborn is discovered to have a gene that causes
an age-related disorder such as Alzheimer’s Disease? Should the parents
be told? Should the child be told when they are old enough to know?
What is the point of telling the family now, when there are still no
preventative or curative treatments of Alzheimer’s? Should it go in the
child’s medical record, where future employers, insurance companies or
hackers can gain access to it? And you can imagine a number of
biomedical scenarios where it is not obvious what to do with genetic
information such as this. Another challenging issue is how to obtain
the necessary blood samples from a newborn, which has a relatively
small blood volume. Umbilical cord blood has been mentioned as a good
source, since the umbilical cord is normally cut (sometimes by the
proud Father) and discarded with the placenta. However, even this
seemingly innocent, harmless procedure has now been called into
question as some new evidence suggests that babies do better when the
cord blood is allowed to flow into the baby for awhile, precluding a
quick cutting of the cord, as has traditionally been done. So, as
biomedical engineers work with nurses, doctors, insurance companies and
other players in our healthcare system, these issues will come up
without clear-cut answers avalable to them.
Alpha
Eta Mu Beta (AEMB), the International Biomedical Engineering Honor
Society, is committed to promoting ethics in the field of biomedical
engineering. This year, AEMB is honored to host Dr. Robert D. Frisina.
Dr. Frisina is a Professor and Director of the Department of Chemical
and Biomedical Engineering and also the director for the Communication
Sciences and Disorders lab at the University of South Florida. In
addition, Dr. Frisina is the director of the Global Center for Hearing
and Speech Research and holds joint appointments as Professor at the
National Technical Institute for the Deaf (one of two colleges for the
deaf in the world), and at the University of Buffalo Center for Hearing
and Deafness. Dr. Frisina’s research is focused on the function and
disorders of the auditory system, more specifically in the critical
areas of hearing loss and deadness for which there are is no existing
cure. More information about Dr. Frisina can be found at his official
website (http://www.eng.usf.edu/~rfrisina/).
A report on this session can be obtained from here
2014 Annual Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Ethics Session
Date :
Friday 24th October 2014
Location :
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Room 002AB
Start Time :
9.00am - 10.00am
Session
Chairs : Anson Joo L. Ong, PhD. and Rupak
Dua, PhD.
Title :
Ethics in TIssue-Biomaterials Engineering
Tissue-biomaterials
interactions have always been in the mind of researchers when focusing
on developing or modifying biomaterials and tissue engineering
constructs for optimal properties. These newly developed or
modified materials are often evaluated in cell culture systems or in
animal models. As a result, ethical issues related to
biomaterials and tissue engineering research needs to be considered
during their testing phase. Ethical concerns in pre-clinical
testing have always involved the types of tissues or cells used.
Self-regulated oversights have been provided at institutions to ensure
compliance of the US federal law and to oversee animal care and use
within the institutions. As funding is also shifting from federal
agencies to the biomedical industries, other potential ethical concerns
have also emerged, including conflict of interest between the industry
and the researchers. These conflicts are often managed by the
investigator’s institution. As such, it is imperative that
researchers are aware of the moral and ethical concerns prior to
embarking on their experimental designs. Alpha Eta Mu Beta (AEMB),
the National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society, is committed to
promoting ethics in the field of biomedical engineering. This year,
AEMB is honored to host Anson Joo L. Ong, Ph.D. is currently the
USAA Distinguished Professor and Chairman for the Department of
Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
He is also the Program Director for the Joint Graduate Program in
Biomedical Engineering as well as an Adjunct Professor in the
Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio. Aside from his current academic
appointments, Dr. Ong is also the Associate Editor for the Journal of
Biomedical Materials Research, Part B. He received his bachelor’s
degree from the University of Iowa in 1987, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from
the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1990 and 1994, respectively. Dr.
Ong’s primary research interests focus the modification and
characterization of the implant biomaterials surfaces for dental and
orthopedic applications, modification of tissue engineered ceramic
scaffolds, protein-biomaterials interactions, and bone-biomaterials
interactions. His work has been funded by the National Institute
of Health, National Science Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation,
Implant Dentistry Research and Education Foundation, Academy of
Prosthodontics, American Association for Dental Research, and US Army,
as well as numerous biomedical industries. Dr. Ong has
authored/co-authored over 100 articles published in refereed journals
and over 200 conference abstracts. In addition, he has given
invited lectures and keynote lectures at national and international
meetings, served as a manuscript reviewer for several biomedical
engineering related scientific journals, and continues to serve as a
grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, National Science
Foundations, Department of Defense, and other international funding
agencies. Dr. Ong has served on numerous committees in professional
societies, including the Society for Biomaterials, Biomedical
Engineering Society, and the International Association for Dental
Research. He is currently on the editorial board of several
biomedical related journals and was the Past Program Chair for the
Society for Biomaterials and the Past President of the Implantology
Research Group in the International Association for Dental Research.
2013 Annual Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Ethics Session
Date :
Friday 27th September 2013
Location :
Washington State Convention Center, Room 303
Start Time :
9.00am - 10.00am
Session
Chairs : James B. Bassingthwaighte, MD., PhD. and Rupak
Dua, MS.
Title :
The
Importance of Reproducibility in Research Publishing (Annual Alpha Eta
Mu Beta Ethics Session).
Summary :
Publishing
is an important bridge that brings cutting edge research from the lab
to the outside world. The ability to fully reproduce research results
and implement methods is of the utmost importance. In this talk, we
explore the current guidelines in place, the importance of access to
experiment data, methods on how to validate and obtain reproducible
result, and explore the technology that is available to facilitate this
process in an efficient manner.
Alpha Eta Mu Beta
(AEMB), the National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society, is committed
to promoting ethics in the field of biomedical engineering. This year,
AEMB is honored to host Dr. James B. Bassingthwaighte. Dr.
Bassingthwaighte is a Professor of Bioengineering with joint
appointments in the departments of Biomathematics and Radiology at the
University of Washington. He is an active teacher and internationally
known researcher focused on bioengineering and quantitative and
integrative approaches to cardiovascular physiology. He received his MD
in from the University of Toronto, and completed a residency in
Medicine and Cardiology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he also earned a Ph.D. in
Physiology. Dr. Bassingthwaighte is the originator of the Human
Physiome Project, a large-scale international program for developing
data basing and biological systems modeling for understanding genomic
and pharmaceutic effects on human physiology. His program is highly
collaborative, involving co-investigators at a dozen U.S. universities,
several in Europe, and in 14 departments at the University of
Washington.
For more
information on Dr. Bassingthwaighte and his research, please
visit his official site
For a copy of Dr. Bassingthwaighte's presentation please click here.
Please use and distribute as needed, but remember to credit Dr.
Bassignthwaighte and cite his talk appropriately.
2012 Annual Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Ethics Session
Date :
Friday 26th October 2012
Location :
A310 at the Georgia World Congress Center
Start Time :
9.30am - 10.30am
Session
Chairs : Paul R. Wolpe, Ph.D. and Dominic E. Nathan, Ph.D.
Title : Is
my Mind Mine ? Neuroscience, Privacy, and the Self
Summary :
For the first
time in human history, we are developing the ability to apprehend
information directly from the brain. Brain imaging and allied
technologies now allow scientists a glimpse into the subjective
thoughts and inner dialogues that have always been private and
inaccessible to others. By doing so, they are forever changing the very
idea of privacy, raising thorny questions about who should have access
to our innermost thoughts. In this talk, we explore the implications of
brain imaging not only for personal privacy, but also for legal
questions such as Fifth Amendment protections.
Alpha Eta Mu Beta (AEMB), the National Biomedical Engineering Honor
Society, is committed to promoting ethics in the field of biomedical
engineering. This year, AEMB is honored to host Dr. Paul Root Wolpe,
Director of the Center of Ethics and a professor in the Departments of
Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Sociology at Emory University. Dr.
Wolpe is also the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Bioethics and the
Raymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair in Jewish Bioethics.
Dr. Wolpe serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of
Bioethics Neuroscience and is the first Senior Bioethicist for NASA,
where he is responsible for formulating policy on bioethical issues and
safeguarding research subjects. An accomplished professional in the
field, Dr. Wolpe has over 125 articles, editorials and book chapters in
sociology, medicine and bioethics and has appeared on numerous
broadcasts and printed media, both nationally and internationally.
For more
information on Dr. Wolpe and his research, please visit his official site
To view a copy of the video please click here
2012 Annual Alpha Eta Mu Beta
Special Topics Session
Date :
Friday 26th October 2012
Location :
A313 at the Georgia World Congress Center
Start Time :
2.45pm - 3.45pm
Session
Chairs : Jerry Collins, Ph.D., Gilda Barabino, Ph.D. and Fred Gray
Title : Disparities and Inequalities in Healthcare
Summary :
BMES and AEMB have helped put together a
special session for the 2012 BMES meeting addressing health care
discrepancies facing African Americans. Distinguished panel members
include: Atty. Fred Gray, counsel for Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa
Parks, and the survivors of the Tuskegee Syphilis study; Dr. Camara
Jones of the Center for Disease Control; and Dr. Gilda Barabino,
professor and associate chair of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech
and president-elect of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Respondents
include Dr. Cato Laurencin, CEO of the Connecticut Institute for
Clinical and Translational Science and Director of the Institute for
Regenerative Engineering, and Dr. Raphael Lee, Paul S. and Ailene T.
Professor of Surgery, Medicine, Organismal Biology & Anatomy, and
Molecular Medicine at the University of Chicago and president of the
American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. The session
will be chaired by Dr. Jerry Collins, AEMB Board of Directors member
and chair of the Ethics Committee of the Biomedical Engineering
Society.
To view a copy of the video please click here
2012 Annual Alpha Eta Mu Beta and AIMBE Joint
Public Policy Session
Date :
Friday 26th October 2012
Location :
A313 at the Georgia World Congress Center
Start Time :
1.00pm - 2.00pm
Session
Chairs : Teresa Murray, Ph.D. and Sean Gallagher, M.S.
Title : Student Session: How Recent Legislation and Presidential Decisions Affect You
Summary :
How will recent legislation by the US
Congress and decisions by the President impact the biomedical
engineering field? How could this affect public health? Moreover, how
can you influence policy-making? Find the answers at this informative
session co-hosted by Alpha Eta Mu Beta (AEMB), the National Biomedical
Engineering Honor Society, and the American Institute for Medical and
Biological Engineering (AIMBE). AIMBE is the leading voice for public
policy supporting medical and biological engineering innovation to
improve public health. During this session, we will demonstrate how
advocacy for the profession and the field can have important personal
impact and ensure public policy continues to support our work.
Furthermore, you will learn about the different types of government
funding, how levels have changed, what impact that will have on our
field and what you can do to influence policy-makers.
To view a copy of the video please click here
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