Ethics Center series topics range from medical errors to conspiracy theories

Contact: Sandra Borden

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Western Michigan University Center for the Study of Ethics in Society is hosting a series of in-person and online presentations during the fall 2022 semester that are free and open to the public.

The lecture series kicks off on Friday, Sept. 23, at 4 p.m. with “Improving End-of-Life Care: The 3 Wishes Program,” with Thanh Neville, a pulmonologist who runs UCLA’s 3 Wishes Program for terminal patients. This event is part of the WMU Medical Humanities Conference co-sponsored by the WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed), the WMU Medical Humanities Workgroup and Department of Philosophy. This event is online on Teams and in-person at W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus Team Based Learning (TBL) lecture room 1. Register to receive the Teams meeting link.  

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon and have gained renewed public attention. “Conspiracy Theories in Germany and the U.S.” will give a brief overview of the phenomenon and its ethical implications. Thomas Stelzl, a lecturer in history education on a faculty exchange from the University of Passau in Germany, will present some examples and offer some thoughts on how to deal with it. This event will take place Thursday, Nov. 3, at 4 p.m. in 1730 Sangren Hall. The co-sponsors for this event are the Department of History and the Diether Haenicke Institute for Global Education.

Next  is the 2022 Burian Lecture, “Uncertain Expertise in Trans Medicine” with stef shuster, assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University. This lecture will take place at the College of Health and Human Services on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. in Room 4010 and will also be streamed live on the CHHS YouTube channel. This talk is co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, WMed and  School of Social Work. Register to reserve your spot.

The center’s series ends on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. with a panel on “Medical Error and the RaDonda Vaught Verdict” in Room 4010 of the College of Health and Human Services. This is a discussion of a nurse’s criminal conviction and sentence for administering the wrong medicine to a patient with fatal results. Elissa Allen, assistant professor at the Bronson School of Nursing, will moderate. The panelists are Jamie Brown, president of the Michigan Nurses Association; James “Chip” Falahee Jr., senior vice president of legal and legislative affairs for the Bronson Healthcare Group; Nayeli Guandique-Benitez, a third-year student at the Bronson School of Nursing; Aaron Lane-Davies, chief of quality for the Bronson Medical Group, and Jaide Woods-Dawson, a medical student leader of the WMed’s Bioethics Interest Group. This event’s co-sponsors are the Bronson School of Nursing and WMed.

All Ethics Center events are eligible for WMU Signature credit. Learn more about the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society and its lecture series.

About the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society

In August 1985, the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society was created after Western faculty across the curriculum met to discuss their common interests in studying and teaching ethics. Each academic year, the center sponsors a number of public presentations addressing a wide range of ethical issues.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.