Our monthly bioethics forum operates as a drop in. People come with whatever topics they wish to discuss. That may range from the availability of mifepristone to the way people engage with medical information in the mainstream media. Law, theory, ethics, and philosophy allow us to dive into the deeper matters. We lean away from ethics checkboxes and look toward fundamental ethical dilemmas and their societal or individual solutions. As we engage in informed bioethics discussions, we tend to stumble on great ideas to further pursue. We turn ideas into projects, events, or papers, or simply keep the ideas going through conversation.
By sharing resources and engaging in a writing process designed to ensure results, we incorporate early and later career individuals. To make things easier, we do have project guidelines that include a timeframe, authorship guidelines, and rough instructions from conception to writing style to journal selection. By reading and researching topics thoroughly and adhering to straightforward no-nonsense writing styles, we create cohesive pieces. Incorporating viewpoints of the group allows everyone involved to learn and contribute. However, authorship is reserved for those who research and write – authors must make a substantial contribution and be accountable for content.
The forum is also a place where people can discuss their own projects. Many members have published works in the bioethics space. So, members, feel free to join the conversations, use the Slack channel, connect, and engage in projects.
For information on the forum, please reach out to me at ahz5@columbia.edu.
Innovative Bioethics Forum 