This episode looks at pharmaceutical ad writing exploring how misleading information enters the advertising pipeline. Lydia Green, a former pharmaceutical ad writer, founded RxBalance, a 501(3)(c), to impact the information ecosystem and give clinicians, patients, caregivers, and policymakers access to unbiased, evidence-based medical information. She notes ways in which ad writers can encourage off-label uses,…

Randi Fain MD, MS explores available environmentally friendly practices for the disposition of human corpses.  First, she discusses green burial with Lee Webster, an author and educator who served on the Green Burial Council and Conservation Burial Alliance.  Then, she explores alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) with Barbara Kemmis, the Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America.  Finally,…

Randi Fain MD, MS interviews Lee Webster, author of several books, including The After-Death Care Educator handbook, Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral service, and The Green Burial Masterclass Companion, a book accompanying certification for green cemetery operators. She has served on the Green Burial Council, Conservation Burial…

Dr. Hassan Tetteh is a thoracic surgeon and retired US Navy Captain. He also holds an MBA, a Master of Public Administration, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy and AI. Dr. Tetteh is the author of best-selling books including Gifts of the Heart, The Art of Human Care, and Smarter Healthcare with…

Anne Zimmerman engages Reid Blackman, PhD, the author of Ethical Machines (Harvard Business Review Press) and CEO of Virtue Consultants, in conversation about how to ethically deploy AI systems. Blackman has appeared on BBC News and Fox News and has numerous publications including essays in the New York Times and Harvard Business Review. His work…

Voices in Bioethics editor Julia Baggish interviews Robert Klitzman. He is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Director of the Master of Science in Bioethics Program at Columbia University. He is the author of nine books and numerous articles in both the academic and mainstream media. They discuss his newest book, Doctor Will You Pray…

Randi Fain, MD interviews author Diane Button, an end-of-life doula and instructor in the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program and end-of-life doula Sarah Hill, owner of East Bay Doula for the Dying, LLC. They discuss what an end-of-life doula does, how they work with other healthcare professionals, and…

Voices in Bioethics staff member Valerie Chung interviews Dr. Zohar Lederman, MD, PhD, an emergency medicine physician and bioethicist with a particular interest in loneliness. Discussion includes how COVID-19 has affected our understanding of loneliness, the difference between solidarity and loneliness, and the issue of justice. Dr. Lederman also discusses ways that bioethicists can become…

Marc-David Munk, MD, MPH, MS, joined the podcast to discuss his book, Urgent Calls from Distant Places, which chronicles his time as a doctor with Amref Health Flying Doctor Services in Nairobi, Kenya. With the organization, Dr. Munk provided emergency medical services to people in need across the region traveling to Rwanda, Tanzania, and the…

Karla Childers, MS, Head, Bioethics-based Science & Technology Policy for the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at Johnson & Johnson, discusses the challenges and opportunities to collaborate during crisis. The episode covers challenges to operations, supply chain, and infrastructure and creative ways to continue clinical trials. Disruptions from weather-related events, the pandemic, and war…