The Hastings Center for Bioethics

National Institutes of Health invitation: Global Course entitled “Demystifying Medicine,” with Hastings Center CEO Vardit Ravitsky discussing AI with Holden Thorp, editor of Science. Dr. Ravitsky will talk about “AI in healthcare and biomedical research: Ethical implications.” Watch here: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=54049

Grand Rounds at Alden March Bioethics Institute, Albany Medical College, Albany, NYHastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will discuss the ethical implications of polygenic embryo screening. Recent advances in genetic screening have made the possibility of choosing our children’s traits ever more possible. Many parents-to-be already screen human embryos derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF) to...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will be the featured speaker at the twenty-seventh annual Joseph N. Muschel Memorial Medical House Staff Award Lecture to be held at the Columbia University Medical Center at Medical Grand Rounds. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://columbiacuimc.zoom.us/j/91728498129One tap mobile : +16465588656,,91728498129# Telephone:  +1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID:...

Existential Threats and Other Disasters: How Should We Address Them? Conference organized in collaboration with The Center for the Study of Bioethics, The Hastings Center, and The Oxford Uehiro Center for Practical Ethics. May 30 at 1:15 UTC +1: Addressing Existential Risks and DisastersNancy S. Jecker, Vardit Ravitsky, Anita Ho, Caesar Atuire, Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon present...

Hastings Center senior research scholar Josephine Johnston will deliver keynote 6 "Reframing Low Birthrates as an Existential Opportunity" at the international conference "Existential Threats and Other Disasters: How Should We Address Them?" Cosponsored by The Center for the Study of Bioethics, The Hastings Center, and The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will present at the 17th World Congress of Bioethics (WCB). The 2024 theme is “Religion, Culture, and Global Bioethics.” A central aim will be exploring the intricate relationship between these fundamental elements. Although WCB 2024 will address the interplay of religion, culture, and bioethics, we emphasize that everyone is welcome,...

Hastings Center's Presidential Scholar Lucas Matthews will present “Geneticization of Education: on Consumer Interpretation of DTC Genetic Reports for Educational Outcomes” in a session with Anya Prince, Kristine Kuczynski, and Daphne Martschenko titled “Identifying and Combating the Threat and Enhancing the Promise of Social and Behavioral Genomics” at the Sixth ELSI Congress (ELSICon) at Columbia...

Hastings Center senior research scholar Josephine Johnston will present at the 6th annual ELSI conference in New York. In New Zealand, like many countries, genetic testing for adult-onset conditions is not performed in children. This rule rests on the "right to an open future’’--the idea that testing children for conditions that will not affect them...

ELSIcon2024: The 6th ELSI Congress will take place at Columbia University in New York City from June 10-12, 2024. Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will be a plenary speaker. She will discuss “What Can AI-Ethics Learn from Gen-Ethics: ELSI Lessons for the Coming Wave.” This talk will explore possible lessons from decades of ELSI research in...

Join us on our campus overlooking the Hudson River for a conversation about AI, Health, and Bioethics, an open house event cosponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of the Hudson Valley. Leigh Hafrey, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management, in conversation with Vardit Ravitsky, President & CEO, The Hastings Center. Wine and hors d'oeuvres reception...

How can bioethics researchers get their findings into the hands of those who shape policy? What gaps separate research and policy, and how can stakeholders navigate them? How can researchers and policymakers better communicate with and relate to each other? This Greenwall Foundation webinar will explore these questions and more as we discuss approaches to...

Hastings Center Presidential Scholar Lucas Matthews organized a symposium entitled: “Harmful Mutation: Addressing Misuse, Misapplication, Misinterpretation of Genetics” for the 2024 BGA Annual Meeting, taking place in London. The title of his presentation is “The Moralistic Fallacy Fallacy.” Other presenters include: Daphne Martschenko, Arbel Harpak, Jedidiah Carlson, Eric Turkheimer, and Aaron Panofsky.

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will speak about A Model Policy for The Ethics of International Bioethics Conferencing at the Oxford Conference on Global Health and Bioethics With Nancy S. Jecker, Mohammed Ghaly, Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon, Caesar Atuire The aim of this workshop is to operationalize proposed principles by proposing and soliciting feedback on a model...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will deliver the 2024 Marguerite Lederberg Lecture at Rockefeller University, in the Carson Family Auditorium. To learn more, visit https://www.rockefeller.edu/events-and-lectures/57462-title-tba-15/.

A Moderated Discussion on DISINFORMATION, TRUST, AND THE ROLE OF AI: Threats to Health & Democracy, The Daniel Callahan Annual Lecture Panelists: Reed Tuckson, MD, FACP, Chair & Co-Founder of the Black Coalition Against Covid, Chair and Co-Founder of the Coalition For Trust In Health & ScienceTimothy Caulfield, LB, LLM, FCAHS, Professor, Faculty of Law...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will give the Keynote at the University of Bonn's conference entitled "The Rediscovery of Bioethics."

The Hastings Center will present the Bioethics Founders' Award to two bioethicists at an awards reception at the 26th annual ASBH conference in St. Louis, MO.

Hastings Center Project Manager and Research Assistant Briana Lopez-Patino will present "The Influence of the Universal Patient: Performativity in Healthcare" at the ASBH conference Flash Presentation Session: Diverse Identities.

This panel discussion is moderated by Hastings Center Report editor Laura Haupt, and features Hastings Center Report editor Gregory Kaebnick with colleagues Mohammad Hoisseini (associate editor of the journal of Accountability in Research) and David Magnus (editor in chief of the American Journal of Bioethics).

Hastings Center Project Manager and Research Assistant Briana Lopez-Patino will present "Shared Identity & Its Role in Moral Injury" at the Flash Presentation Session: Diverse Identities. 

The RACE Affinity Group will present "Bioethics and Social Justice: A Survey of Attitudes Toward Social Justice Obligations in the Field of Bioethics" at the 26th Annual ASBH Conference. With Danielle M. Pacia, Research Associate at The Hastings Center, and colleagues Sana Baban, Faith Fletcher, Zamina Mithani Aziz, Jane Fallis Cooper, Sophie Schott, Savitri Fedson,...

Hastings Center senior research scholar Nancy Berlinger will moderate a panel entitled "Responding to People Facing Dementia: Improving Interprofessional Learning and Practice in Aging Societies." Speakers include: Mara Buchbinder; Emily Largent; and Matt Wynia.

The Hastings Center invites all attendees of the 26th Annual ASBH Conference to a reception to meet colleagues and peers.

Hastings Center research scholar Virginia Brown will present "Mental Health Crisis Plans and Psychiatric Advance Directives: Creating a Collaboratively Designed How-To Guide for Autonomous Decision Making" at the Flash Presentation Session: Psychiatric Ethics.

Authors will present their paper, "Kidney Transplant Candidates’ Information Needs for Informed Decision-Making about Participating in a First-in-Human Pig Xenotransplant Clinical Trial" at the 26th Annual ASBH Conference. Authors are E.J. Gordon, K.J. Maschke (of The Hastings Center), J. Gacki-Smith, M. Matthews, K. Traboulsi, D. Manning, and M.K. Gusmano.

Hastings Center Project Manager Research Assistant Ian Stevens will present "An Exploratory Review of the 'Treatment Resistant' Phenomenon in Neuropsychiatric Disorders as a Normative Criterion for Surgical Intervention" as part of the Neuroethics Affinity Group at the 26th annual ASBH conference. 

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will present "Bioethics: A Path Forward" for the annual Thomas P. Duffy Memorial Lecture in Medical Ethics, sponsored by the Program for Biomedical Ethics at the Yale School of Medicine  Reception: 4:30 – 5:30, Medical Historical Library Duffy Lecture: 5:30 – 7:00 PM, SHML Room 115 LOCATION: Harvey Cushing/John Hay...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will be a keynote speaker for the FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) Symposium. What are the ethical issues surrounding genetic modification? How do we define – and regulate – the line between benefit and harm?  In what ways do these possibilities force us to make...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will present a lecture entitled "Ethics at the Very Core of Research and Clinical Practice" at the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine Conference. See conference booklet.

In this webinar at the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky and colleagues argue that war is a public health crisis that bioethics has dealt with in too limited a manner. They propose several principles for addressing war as a public health crisis and suggest ways in which these principles can...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will participate in a roundtable discussion on Islamic medical tradition with Aasim Padela at the 10th International Bioethics, Multiculturalism, and Religion Workshop sponsored by the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights.

Caribbean basin countries are experiencing some of the most destabilizing impacts of climate change—entire villages destroyed, increases in diseases and other health harms. These countries contributed little to global climate change and yet they must build resilience to survive, much less flourish.  What are the tradeoffs of adapting to warmer environments versus abandoning low-lying locales?...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will present "Current and Emerging Prenatal Testing Technologies: Bioethical Implications" at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Centre for Bioethics' 10th Anniversary Celebration. Prenatal genetic testing technologies can provide individuals and families with valuable information about their potential prospective children. Such technologies, including pre-implantation genetic testing of in-vitro embryos and...

Hastings Center senior research scholar Erik Parens will be presenting a talk entitled "Binocular Vision: A Metaphor to Help Comprehend Persons" at McShain Large Lounge, in McCarthy Hall on Georgetown's Main Campus (the main gates at 37th and O Streets NW). Address is 1350 Tondorf Road NW

Hastings Center senior research scholar Nancy Berlinger will present “What Do We Have in Common?: Thinking Together About Good Lives for Older Adults and Caregivers in Ageing Societies” in Seminar II of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Centre for Bioethics’ 10th Anniversary Celebration. Population ageing—a rise in the average age of a population—results from the...

Informed Consent – When does use of AI constitute research with human subjects? Do researchers have duties to secure participant consent to the use of AI in a research protocol? Should informed consent address potential uses of AI in secondary research on the data collected? Join Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky in this panel on...

In celebration of International Women's Day, join Stem Cell Network for an inspiring virtual panel discussion featuring five trailblazing women (including Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky) who are shaping the future of regenerative medicine. This event will spotlight their groundbreaking contributions, unique journeys, and innovative visions for the field. Attendees will also have the opportunity...

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will give an Ethics Grand Rounds lecture, "Polygenic Embryo Screening: Ethical Challenges," via Zoom for the The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Open to the public.

How do cultural values shape bioethical dilemmas?This talk will explore how Israel, as a Jewish-democratic state, has addressed several bioethical challenges through its policy-making, taking into account historical, cultural, and religious perspectives. Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will examine three key examples: fertility care, end-of-life decision-making, and posthumous reproduction, including the impact of the events...

This panel discussion will explore the purpose(s) of Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST); how to utilize this tool to facilitate optimal end-of-life care; and considerations specific to end-of-life decision-making in emergency situations. Speakers: Patricia Bomba, M.D., MACP, MOLST Statewide Implementation Program Chair, MOLST/eMOLST Program Director Virginia Brown, M.A., Ph.D., Research Scholar, The Hastings Center Maia Dorsett,...

Tom Beauchamp III, a towering figure in the field of bioethics, passed away on February 19th. Tom, a Hastings Center Fellow, was professor of philosophy at Georgetown University and a senior research scholar (retired) at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. The Celebration of Tom's Life will take place at Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb St....

Please join us as we launch our new Strategic Plan 2025-2029. Join us for our Daniel Callahan Annual Lecture entitled "The Hastings Center Vision: A Path Forward for Bioethics," with Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky; Joshua Boger, founder and CEO (former) of Vertex Pharmaceuticals; and Gina Kolata, New York Times health and science reporter. Reception:...

Hastings Center scholar Carolyn Neuhaus will moderate a panel for the Mullan Institute's Health Workforce Equity Summit: Rebuilding Health Workers' Trust in Healthcare Organizations. Studies show a steady decline in health workers' trust in organizations, and this decline is significantly associated with a reduction in patient trust in clinicians. To date, most approaches to rebuilding health...

A constructive, healing dialogue about building and enhancing public confidence in modern medicine and science. What role can such approaches play in restoring public trust and healing societal discord?This event features introductory remarks by Dr. Avinoam Patt (NYU), a fireside chat with Dr. Vivek Murthy (19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States) and...

Cedars-Sinai and The Hastings Center are proud to jointly present this timely conference on AI in healthcare. Through discussions with leading experts in the field, the event will address evolving ethical, societal, and legal issues raised by artificial intelligence in medicine and biomedical research. For more information, see the Agenda page. This is an in-person...

Join the Global Observatory for Genome Editing's International Summit, a 3-day live and virtual event. On Thursday, May 22 at 3:30pm, Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky will present with colleagues on a keynote panel. Keynote Panel: Cosmopolitan Bioethics Modern biotechnologies are poised to alter what it means to be human. In deliberating on how to...

AI is revolutionizing epidemiological tracking, prevention, treatment, and research of HIV and many other diseases, but also raises profound ethical, legal and policy questions. Join the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University for a panel of experts, including Hastings Center for Bioethics president Vardit...

This release webinar will discuss key findings from a new NAM special publication, An Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct for Health and Medicine: Essential Guidance for Aligned Action, drawing attention to the Code of Conduct Framework, translating and applying the Code, and an overview of key priorities. An Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct for Health and...

Recent neuroimaging research reveals that many patients formerly thought to be unresponsive in coma and vegetative states are in fact conscious, raising many ethical and clinical questions. Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Fins about these fascinating and important challenges. Join Hastings Center for Bioethics Board Chair Joseph J. Fins for this talk...

This interactive webinar is for two groups of gerontology researchers: those who study lived experiences and depictions of aging and want to learn more about humanistic AI models, such as chatbots, designed for older adults, and those who are involved in developing, piloting, and evaluating innovations in aging and care that may include humanistic AI...

Join the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law in Washington, DC from September 11–13, 2025, for a powerful three-day symposium (co-sponsored by The Hastings Center for Bioethics) that brings together leading voices from law, public health, policy, and community advocacy. Hosted at Georgetown University’s Capitol Campus, this convening will explore the enduring legacy of...

Join Hastings Center for Bioethics' President and CEO Vardit Ravitsky at the Endpoints AI day, AI in Biopharma: Where Promise Meets Pressure. Panel discussion: The Ethics of AI in Science and Healthcare Silicon Valley is about moving fast, while the world of medicine starts with first, doing no harm. How does that tension play out...

Join Hastings Center for Bioethics' President and CEO Vardit Ravitsky and colleagues at the National Academy of Medicine's Annual Meeting 2025. Panel: Building Trust: AI Governance and Ethics in Medicine and HealthModerator: Kevin B. Johnson, MD, MS, FAAP, FACMI, FIAHSI, FAMIA,David L. Cohen, University Professor of Pediatrics, Informatics,Engineering and Communication, Perelman School of Medicine, School...

Panel Presentation: A Dialogue on the Works of Nancy Dubler, with Hastings Center Research Associate Julia Kolak. Panel:Autumn Fiester, PhDJoseph Fins, MDJulia Kolak, PhD, HEC-CJu Zhang, PhD Abstract: Bioethicist scholar Nancy Neveloff Dubler was a force of nature. As a lawyer turned bioethicist, she was a highly impactful scholar of clinical ethics, who pursued justice as...

This flash presentation by Hastings Center PMRA Faith Wershba at the annual ASBH Conference will consider using AI to predict a patient's suicide risk. Abstract for the presentation: Predicting a patient's suicide risk is a complex and high-stakes task. While there are a number of known risk factors that correlate with suicide attempts at the...

Hastings Center Research Associate Julia Kolak is the Co-Chair of the Reproductive Ethics Affinity Group hosting a panel presentation on the intersection of disability and reproductive justice in the post-Dobbs Era with Laura Guidry-Grimes.

Hastings Center Research Associate Julia Kolak will give a paper presentation titled Breaking Down the Blind: Balanced Placebo Designs and Expectancy Effects in Psychedelic Research.

This webinar features European and North American contributors to Living with Dementia: Learning from Cultural Narratives of Aging Societies, a new open-access collection from the Bioethics for Aging Societies research program of The Hastings Center for Bioethics.Participants will explore connections between ideas and values about dementia that are conveyed via cultural narratives - the common...

This year's PRIM&R25 conference keynote will challenge and inspire the way you think about the future of research, ethics, and policy. Dr. Vardit Ravitsky, president and CEO of The Hastings Center for Bioethics, is one of the world’s leading voices in bioethics. Her work focuses on: ·     The ethical and legal implications of...

During the Healthcare Leadership Symposium, Hastings Center for Bioethics President and CEO Vardit Ravitsky will participate in a Fireside Chat with Dr. Wayne J. Riley, President of SUNY Downstate.

Hastings Center senior research scholar Nancy Berlinger will present "Rethinking Our Cultural Narratives about Aging and Caregiving: Insights from Humanities Research" at Northwestern Medicine Medical Ethics Grand Rounds No registration required. Microsoft TeamsJoin the meeting nowMeeting ID: 283 856 955 454 44Passcode: Qa6rq62o

Join us for “Testing Embryos: How Far Should We Go?”, the first webinar in our new series, “Frontiers in the Ethics of Human Reproduction.” Embryo testing is advancing fast—but how far is too far? How and where do we draw the line between preventing disease and selecting for “desirable” traits? What are the ethical implications...

Hastings Center President and CEO Vardit Ravitsky will give a talk entitled "Whose Child Is She/He? The Genetic Gestation Divide," at the the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine Conference 2025. The FRM Conference is an annual 3 day CE & CME accredited event covering groundbreaking fertility & reproductive research.  This event will take place at the...

From the dire wolf to the screwworm, scientists are turning the tools of genetics to the elimination–and recreation–of entire nonhuman species. This webinar explores how and why genetic technologies might be used to eradicate some species and recreate others, with a focus on recent efforts and near future possibilities. The ethics of manipulating other species...