Author Archives: Rhea Hebert

Rebecca L. Walker is the author of chapter 41, “Physicians and Punishment: Ethics beyond oaths and codes” in The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Punishment, ed. Jesper Ryberg. Abstract: Despite orientation to goals that are in deep tension, medicine and state-sanctioned punishment have long cooperated. Involvement of physicians in...

Stuart Rennie is the first author on a new article in Public Health Ethics: “Ethics of Mathematical Modeling in Public Health: The Case of Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Africa.” The authors call for greater research and reflection on the ethics of mathematical modeling public health. They use...

Stuart Rennie is a co-author on a new article in Research Ethics: “Exploring views of South African research ethics committees on pandemic preparedness and response during COVID-19.” The authors did in-depth interviews to explore the views of South African research ethics committees (RECs) on their COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response....

The recording of Eric Meslin’s talk “How Artificial Intelligence Might Save Bioethics (And it’s not how you think)” is available now!

by Brittany Phillips, UNC Health Publishing in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine researchers delve into the perspectives of community and academic providers on the role of biologics and food allergy. This study was led by co-authors Edwin Kim, MD, Division Chief of Pediatric Allergy and...

Jill A. Fisher and Maral Erol are co-authors, with colleague Edwin H. Kim, on a new article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The researchers interviewed providers in community practice or academic medical centers. They asked providers about “their perceptions of the risks and benefits of current and future...

Since the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 18 states have put functional abortion bans in place. New research fills a gap in understanding impacts on physicians after these bans. Mara Buchbinder, Kavita S. Arora and colleagues identify sources of moral distress impacting...

Margaret Waltz and Jonathan S. Berg are co-authors, with colleagues, on a new article in Genetics in Medicine. The researchers “investigated associations between GBMM [group-based medical mistrust]” and perceptions of a specialty care appointment. The study includes perspectives from caregivers of child patients and from providers. Findings “extend evidence for...

In new research in AJOB Empirical Bioethics, Jean Cadigan and co-authors interviewed networked biobank representatives. Using thematic analysis, they share how the representatives “describe three topics associated with stewarding biobank resources.” The three topics are funding, utlitzation and sustainability. Cadigan et al. argue that the results “support inclusion of funding,...

In the AMA Journal of Ethics, Rebecca Walker shares a case and commentary on nonhuman animals used in human-centered science. The article “considers the ethical tension” between justifications for using nonhuman animals in research that benefits humans. Importantly, the commentary also suggests the importance of extending reasoning “beyond governning regulations...