No Easy Answers in Bioethics

Michigan State University Center for Bioethics and Social Justice and H-Podcast

No Easy Answers in Bioethics is a monthly podcast presented by the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice. Each episode features Center faculty and their collaborators discussing their ongoing work and research across many areas of bioethics—clinical ethics, evidence-based medicine, health policy, medical education, neuroethics, shared decision-making, and more.

  1. Social Justice-Oriented Bioethics: Kelly-Blake and Valles - Episode 25

    05/07/2021

    Social Justice-Oriented Bioethics: Kelly-Blake and Valles - Episode 25

    This month the Center was proud to officially announce its new name: Center for Bioethics and Social Justice. This name change reflects an updated mission with a focus on social justice-oriented bioethics. This episode features a conversation between Director Sean Valles, PhD, and Assistant Director Karen Kelly-Blake, PhD. Together they discuss moving forward in the bioethics space, what engaging in service to the people means to them, and the important work to be done to a create a healthier and more socially just world. They also explore questions related to the practical application of bioethics, and the challenge of preparing medical students for clinical practice in an inequitable world.

    22 min
  2. Insight into the Telehealth Landscape: Bogdan-Lovis and Pletcher - Episode 24

    04/15/2021

    Insight into the Telehealth Landscape: Bogdan-Lovis and Pletcher - Episode 24

    In this episode, Senior Academic Specialist Libby Bogdan-Lovis is joined by Dr. Sarah Pletcher, Vice President and Executive Medical Director of Virtual Care at Houston Methodist. Dr. Pletcher shares her telehealth expertise in a conversation that explores the benefits of telehealth for patients and providers, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth adoption, reimbursement models, the future of telehealth, and more. Recorded March 5, 2021

    28 min
  3. Supporting Michigan’s Agricultural Community: Karbowski, Kelly-Blake, and Millerick-May - Episode 23

    03/11/2021

    Supporting Michigan’s Agricultural Community: Karbowski, Kelly-Blake, and Millerick-May - Episode 23

    This episode focuses on work being done in Michigan to support the well-being of farmers, agribusiness professionals, and the broader statewide agricultural community. Center Assistant Director and Associate Professor Dr. Karen Kelly-Blake is joined by Community Behavioral Health Extension Educator Eric Karbowski and Dr. Melissa Millerick-May, who holds appointments in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Environmental Health & Safety, and MSU Extension. Mr. Karbowski shares MSU Extension resources available to farmers experiencing stress, including webinars, teletherapy, and other programs that help to reduce stigma still associated with behavioral health. Dr. Millerick-May discusses her ongoing work on farm safety, including tools developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both guests also discuss what led them to the work they are currently doing at MSU. Finally, please note that this episode does contain brief mentions of suicide in the context of suicide awareness and prevention. Recorded in February 2021

    36 min
  4. My Experience Living with a Spinal Cord Injury: Kelly-Blake and Van Linden - Episode 22

    05/06/2020

    My Experience Living with a Spinal Cord Injury: Kelly-Blake and Van Linden - Episode 22

    In the words of guest Mark Van Linden, “adversity can present itself to anybody at any time.” This episode features a personal narrative of life with a spinal cord injury. Center Associate Professor Dr. Karen Kelly-Blake is joined by Mark Van Linden, MSA, and president of Adversity Solutions LLC. Mr. Van Linden experienced a spinal cord injury in 2009. In conversation with Dr. Kelly-Blake, Mr. Van Linden candidly shares his story, discussing his life before and after his injury, and addressing not just the physical impact, but the mental, emotional, and relational impact of becoming paralyzed at age 39. Recorded May 1, 2020

    34 min
  5. Why I Left the U.S. for My Surgical Procedure: Fleck and Fluegel - Episode 21

    03/10/2020

    Why I Left the U.S. for My Surgical Procedure: Fleck and Fluegel - Episode 21

    What would you do if you needed surgery, but seeking care would mean $25,000 or more in medical debt? Would you consider traveling to another country to receive the same surgery at a fraction of that cost? Would you put off seeking care entirely, until it became an emergency situation? These questions related to access to care, health insurance, and medical tourism are explored in this episode, which features Center for Ethics faculty members Len Fleck and Larissa Fluegel. Dr. Fluegel, a clinician born and raised in the Dominican Republic, shares her personal experience of needing gallbladder surgery, and the reasons why she traveled from Michigan to the Dominican Republic to receive that surgery. It may not be surprising that the main reason was cost. Discussing the healthcare systems in both countries, Drs. Fleck and Fluegel explore the challenges that under- and uninsured individuals in the U.S. face when seeking care.

    26 min
  6. Shared Decision-Making in Colorectal Cancer Screening: Jimbo and Kelly-Blake - Episode 20

    02/04/2020

    Shared Decision-Making in Colorectal Cancer Screening: Jimbo and Kelly-Blake - Episode 20

    This episode features guests Dr. Karen Kelly-Blake, Associate Professor in the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, and Dr. Masahito Jimbo, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at University of Michigan Medical School. Drs. Kelly-Blake and Jimbo discuss their NIH-funded study known by the acronym DATES—Decision Aid to Technologically Enhance Shared Decision Making—which addressed shared decision-making, decision aids, and patient-physician communication regarding colorectal cancer screening. The two researchers provide insight into the study and its results, also reflecting on what the process of shared decision-making means to them in the present day.

    42 min
  7. Considering Consciousness in Neuroscience Research: Cabrera and Reimers - Episode 19

    01/07/2020

    Considering Consciousness in Neuroscience Research: Cabrera and Reimers - Episode 19

    What can neuroscience tell us about human consciousness, the developing brains of babies, or lab-grown brain-like tissue? How do we define “consciousness” when it is a complex, much-debated topic? In this episode, Michigan State University researchers Dr. Laura Cabrera, Assistant Professor in the Center for Ethics, and Dr. Mark Reimers, Associate Professor in the Neuroscience Program, discuss the many layers of consciousness. Examining recent research on lab-grown brain organoids, they discuss moral and ethical considerations of such research, including how future technologies could challenge our definitions of consciousness and moral agency. They distinguish consciousness from intelligence, also discussing artificial intelligence.

    24 min
  8. Social Determinants of Health in Medical Education: Ajegba, Bogdan-Lovis, and Kelly-Blake - Episode 18

    12/03/2019

    Social Determinants of Health in Medical Education: Ajegba, Bogdan-Lovis, and Kelly-Blake - Episode 18

    This episode focuses on the topic of social determinants of health, or the social and environmental factors that influence our health and access to resources. How can social determinants of health be integrated effectively into medical education and clinical practice? Center for Ethics faculty members Libby Bogdan-Lovis and Dr. Karen Kelly-Blake speak with College of Human Medicine student Brittany Ajegba, who emphasizes the need for standardization when training physicians on social determinants of health. From medical education to clinical encounters, they provide a variety of perspectives on this increasingly important work.

    35 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.8
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

No Easy Answers in Bioethics is a monthly podcast presented by the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice. Each episode features Center faculty and their collaborators discussing their ongoing work and research across many areas of bioethics—clinical ethics, evidence-based medicine, health policy, medical education, neuroethics, shared decision-making, and more.

Information

  • Creator
    Michigan State University Center for Bioethics and Social Justice and H-Podcast
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2021
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Michigan State University Center for Bioethics and Social Justice and H-Podcast
  • Show Website
    No Easy Answers in Bioethics