A discussion on recent changes in U.S. vaccine policy, the impact on pediatric practice, and the ethical challenges created by shifting public health communication.

Guests:
Aviva Schein, MD, Pediatrician, Zufall Health
J. Patrick Bardill, PhD, Assistant Professor & Microbiologist, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Veronica Catanese about accreditation in medical education and its role in ensuring quality standards for MD programs. They also discuss how recent legislative challenges have affected accreditation Element 3.3 (diversity programs and partnerships).

Veronica Catanese, MD, is Senior Director of Accreditation Services at the Association of American Medical Colleges.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Kaitlin Puccio, JD, MS about how discussion of current emotionally-charged social issues can benefit from logical reasoning and respectful dialogue with opposing viewpoints. The use of art as a way to make bioethical issues accessible to the public and foster civil discourse is also discussed.

Kaitlin Puccio, JD, MS is Director, Art and Bioethics Initiative at the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights & Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham Law. https://kaitlinpuccio.com/

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Gabrielle Finn on differential attainment, which refers to the variation in academic attainment between groups of students who share protected characteristics (such as religion, ethnicity and ability) and those who do not share the same characteristic.

Report discussed:
Gabrielle Finn, Jenny Twyford, Adam Danquah, Asieh Shomali. The Game of Academic Privilege: An Exploration of Differential Attainment at the University of Manchester. 2025. https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=76069

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Kyle Tafuri, a healthcare sustainability expert, about the importance of aligning environmental sustainability with the mission of healthcare systems. Tafuri emphasizes that clean air, water, and healthy soil are fundamental to health and that healthcare institutions, as major employers and resource users, have both an ethical obligation and strategic opportunity to lead in sustainability.

Kyle Tafuri is Vice President of Sustainability, Hackensack Meridian Health.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Lawrence Rosen about how advocacy extends beyond individual patient care to include public health, policy reform, and environmental sustainability. Rosen argues that physicians have an ethical obligation to use their trusted position to defend and promote health at all levels.

Lawrence Rosen, MD is an Integrative Pediatrician and Founder of The Whole Child Center & Associate Professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Arthur Caplan about on the evolution of bioethics from an academic niche to a more public-facing discipline that now must address misinformation and political polarization.

Dr. Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Lori Bruce on the ethical concerns surrounding baby boxes—devices used for the anonymous surrender of infants under Safe Haven laws. While good intentioned, Bruce argues these boxes lack regulation, informed consent, and support for vulnerable mothers. Evidence-based alternatives like confidential births and crisis counseling to better support families are discussed.

Dr. Lori Bruce is Associate Director, Center for Bioethics, at the Yale School of Medicine.

Episode Resources:
Summer bioethics program:
https://bioethics.yale.edu/summer

Article about supported/confidential birth:
https://bioethicstoday.org/blog/the-us-needs-confidential-birth/

Open letter to HHS about box regulations:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XDZMxjLSZPDUdOKT1yWHAf_e8vxW1QayxSgX3auANGE/

Token: Handmade paper and textile heart [Foundling Museum]
https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/object/token-handmade-paper-and-textile-heart/

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Boscamp about the decline in public trust in science, particularly around vaccines, and notes that this erosion affects not only individual health decisions but also community well-being.

In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Nanette Elster, JD, MPH and Kayhan Parsi, JD, PhD about the need for both legal and societal frameworks to ensure the rights and well-being of neurodivergent individuals.