S07E01 Dr. Brian Tuohy

We are back with season 7, chatting with Brian Tuohy, PhD, a sociologist of immigration and health, assistant professor of bioethics, and co-director of education at the Lewis Katz School of of Medicine at Temple University. We use the lens of immigrant health to delve into some deeper questions like “What does bioethics mean?”

S07E02 Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic

We are so excited to have our very first librarian, Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic, on the show to discuss the impact of and potential responses to the onslaught of book challenges and bans that have exponentially increased since 2022. Dr. Cantwell-Jurkovic is head of access services and outreach at Colorado Mesa University. She has researched and published on information literacy instruction and critical thinking activism. Amelia and Kirk explore with Dr. Cantwell-Jurkovic many consequences of book bans and challenges, which have increased more than 100-fold over the past several years, including “soft censorship” and self-censorship that result from the large administrative burden that results from responding to thousands of challenges, even when a particular book is ultimately not banned outright.

S07E03 Donald Carter

Happy holidays from BITM! We are delighted to share this episode with you this week. Kirk and Amelia sat down with Dr. Donald Carter III, assistant professor at Mercer School of Medicine. This episode is a great one for those who are curious about pursuing a career in Bioethics. Dr. Carter shared how he explored several career paths before ultimately finding his professional home in Bioethics.

S07E04 Shameka Poetry Thomas 

Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas is a medical sociologist with special interest in reproductive justice and genetics technology as well as the intersection of maternal healthcare with sickle cell disease. In this episode, Dr. Thomas centers the experiences of pregnant Black women with sickle cell disease, who, despite advances in medicine, genetics and reproductive technology, have been neglected by research communities due to intersecting marginalized identities despite high mortality during pregnancy and childbirth. Dr. Thomas walks us through what non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is and how it relates to sickle cell disease specifically.

S07E05 Dr. Tanya Zakrison, MD, PhD

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Tanya Zakrison, MD, PhD, Professor of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and Director of Critical Trauma Research at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Her work focuses on the connection between interpersonal trauma, critical race theory and racial capitalism. In this podcast, Dr. Zakrison shares how her personal experiences in young adulthood helped her make connections between violence experienced in the United States and global patterns of violence resulting from capitalism and colonial histories.

S07E06 Dr. Rachel Fabi, PhD

Our first ever repeat guest is Rachel Fabi, PhD, Associate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University.  Dr. Fabi had previously joined us in September of 2023, on Season 5 Episode 2 of Bioethics in the Margins. She joins again today to discuss the timely topic of the effect of recent Executive Orders rescinding the 2021 guidance designating schools, churches and healthcare institutions as “safe zones” exempt from immigration enforcement. Several resources that were mentioned in the episode are linked below:

Toolkit for healthcare institutions curated by Mark Kuczewsk

Link to “red cards” to inform people of their rights
Immigration Policy Tracking Project
The Health of Newcomers by Patricia Illingworth and Wendy E. Parmet

S07E07 DR. ROBERT GLATTER AND DR. PETER J PAPADAKOS

In this episode of Bioethics in the Margins, we delve into the topic of capital punishment by nitrogen gas. Dr. Robert Glatter is Editor at Large for Medscape Emergency Medicine and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Dr. Peter Papadakos is Professor of Anesthesiology, Surgery, Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester, and a Professor of Internal Medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine. Drs. Papadakos and Glatter dissect the harsh realities of suffering and injustice surrounding the execution of Kenneth Smith in Alabama, the first person executed using nitrogen gas. They explore what nitrogen is and its physiological effects and reflect on the inhumane nature of nitrogen hypoxia. The conversation also touches upon the broader issues of botched executions, delayed executions as psychological torture, the absence of definitive DNA evidence in some death row cases. They highlight the point that both the American Medical Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists as well as many nursing associations state that participating in executions is not the practice of medicine and is prohibited by their members. This means that executions are conducted by non-medical personnel. They also point out that delaying executions, sometimes for decades, falls under the definition of torture under the Geneva conventions. This conversation poses the question; if our society continues to condone these practices, are we civilized?
The JAMA editorial mentioned during the podcast can be found here: Evidence Against Use of Nitrogen for the Death Penalty
Capital Punishment by Nitrogen Gas: The Harsh Reality of Suffering and Injustice

S07E08 Dr. Carlos Smith

Dr. Carlos Smith, a general dentist and ethicist, is the Associate Dean of Ethics and Community Engagement and an Associate Professor in the Department of Dental Public Health and Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. His work focuses on professional identity formation, dental ethics, and oral health justice. In this episode, Dr. Smith discusses his unique path blending dentistry, theology, and bioethics.

Works cited in the podcast can be found here:

S07E09 A Survey of Attitudes Toward Social Justice Obligations in the Field of Bioethics” a discussion with AJOB article authors

In this conversation, the authors discuss their key findings on what social justice obligations bioethicists feel they have, the concept of “social bioethics,” and the duty of the field to address systemic injustice. We start by defining the term “social justice” and discussing how it relates to the four principles of bioethics. We spend some time unpacking the methods of the study including strengths and limitations. The main finding – that >80% of bioethicists surveyed believe that social justice should be part of their work – is contextualized by exploring how social justice can add information and objectivity to our work. The episode ends with some reflections by the authors on how we can move forward in the field with these important tools.