Columbia Presentations at ASBH 26th Annual Conference

Title: The Moralistic Fallacy Fallacy
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM CT, Location: TBD

Abstract: The "moralistic fallacy" has been wielded as a rebuttal against critics of race science, asserting that calls to censor such research stem from an illogical attempt to derive an "is" from an "ought" (Davis, 1978). Frequently championed by proponents advocating unrestricted academic inquiry, this notion is particularly prevalent in contentious discussions surrounding race science (Rushton & Jensen, 2005, 2008). Originating as a philosophical concept and intended as an inversion of G.E. Moore's ‘naturalistic fallacy’ (1903), the moralistic fallacy was conceived by a microbiologist and has not undergone rigorous analytical scrutiny. With the recent resurgence of debates on race and IQ, propelled in part by advancements in genomics and data, the validity of the moralistic fallacy demands examination: is it truly a logical fallacy? This paper undertakes a systematic, analytical evaluation of the moralistic fallacy, delineating three plausible interpretations of the argument. However, each interpretation presents its own set of challenges, ultimately leading to the conclusion that the moralistic fallacy itself is inherently fallacious.

Title: ELSI Challenges in the AI Era: A Case Study of a Large Interdisciplinary Project - Presentation at the ELSI Affinity Group Meeting

5:45 PM – 6:45 PM CT, Location: TBD

Abstract: The ASBH ELSI Affinity group will be hosting presentations from early career scholars and trainees. As part of this session, Dr. Zheng will present on the challenges facing ELSI research with regards to AI.

Title: An Important Seat at the Table: The Unique Role of the Genetic counselor in Health Care Ethics Consultation, Committee work and Ethics Education

8:45 AM – 9:45 AM CT, Location: TBD

Abstract: Genetic counselors can be incredibly valuable members of a healthcare ethics consultation service, multidisciplinary clinical ethics committee, and ethics education service. An understanding of their training and professional roles may illuminate how hospitals and academic centers can better utilize them as a resource for promoting ethics discussion and education. Genetic counselors are masters trained healthcare professionals who practice in clinical, research, academic and industry settings. Genetic counseling master’s program curriculum includes clinical, research, cancer and reproductive genetics education along with clinical ethics/ELSI and community identity and engagement coursework, and extensive rotation experience in counseling skills and clinical encounters.

The counseling and clinical skills of a genetic counselor position them to be uniquely qualified to be health care ethics consultants (HEC) and those who are part of a clinical ethics committee are well equipped to become HEC-C certified. Many genetic counselors have faculty appointments at their academic institutions and have extensive teaching, mentoring and clinical rotation supervision experience. There are numerous opportunities for them to provide ethics education to physicians, nurses, fellows and residents among other students and professionals.

This interprofessional collaboration with genetic counselors benefits the bioethics community as a whole, by diversifying the voices who promote and contribute to bioethics work. Current examples of how genetic counselors have contributed to bioethics consultation, committee, policy and education in both academic and community hospitals as well as in ethics education in master’s training programs will be discussed.

Title: Big Little Lies: Confronting Everyday Academic Misconduct

3:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT, Location: TBD

Abstract: Recently, the media has publicized major research misconduct of physicians and scientists, including insufficient conflicts of interest disclosure, data fabrication, and sexual misconduct. While these represent the most egregious infractions and erode public trust, many forms of research misconduct happen in pervasive, subtle ways, including authorship erasure/misappropriation and misuse of data. When these occur, there are no standardized ways to identify and report these instances, or consensus about consequences, resulting in patterns of unchecked bad behavior. In this workshop, we will present real-world cases including the following:

1. Authorship Erasure: A researcher has done substantial work on a project and without their knowledge, is excluded from attribution in subsequent work.

2. Authorship Misappropriation: A researcher did not verify the participation, edits, or final approval on a manuscript prior to submission.

3. Behavioral Misconduct: A collaborator or PI routinely lies to or mistreats their colleagues and trainees without crossing obvious lines of harassment.

4. Retractions: A researcher submits work for which retraction is later suggested by subsequent work, but they do not retract.

5. Data Misuse: A researcher has IRB and/or a data-use agreement for one scope of work, but then uses the data outside of the initial scope.

We will engage a diverse interdisciplinary audience with real-life cases to generate strategies to better identify, report, and enforce consequences of insidious research misconduct. Audience members will participate in a collaborative dialogue examining the role of individuals, academic institutions, and other regulatory bodies in addressing, preventing, and penalizing academic misconduct.

Title: Forming Humans in Health Care: Virtue Formation for Trainees in Diverse Settings

8:45 AM – 9:45 AM CT, Location: TBD

Abstract: What does it mean to form humans well for the work of health care? There has been an increased interest in the formation of character in medical education, and this panel explores that work beyond the education of medical students.

This work, of course, raises a whole host of other questions (e.g., ‘whose humanity?’ and ‘which virtues?’). This panel seeks to answer those questions through three case studies, with each describing the work of virtue formation within a particular setting and student population. In other words, this panel seeks answers to these major formational and philosophical questions by induction.

The bioethicist moderator will begin by introducing the panelists and the questions pursued through these case studies. Next, an ethics professor will discuss a cohort-based model of character education that introduces pre-med and nursing students to virtues such as attention, compassion, and courage. The program considers these virtues in the light of healthcare settings and in dialogue with clinical mentors. A bioethics and humanities professor in PA education then will discuss a 24-month course focused on love as the primary work of patient care, and attention as the primary act of love. This course stretches students across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains to explore the ethical praxis of medical humanities at the bedside and beyond. Finally, a physician and medical educator will describe a program for medical residents that cultivates practices of attention so that residents can pursue healing and flourishing for healers and patients alike, despite malformative healthcare ecosystems.

Title: Equity and Engagement Through Innovative Research Frameworks: Results from human genomic studies

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT, Location: TBD

Abstract: Despite progress in articulating goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion in precision medicine and genomics research, a systematic method for assessing equity, justice, and benefit for the communities targeted for these studies remains elusive. There is a need for more research on how researchers in genomic studies, many of which involve multiple institutions, nations, and regulatory regimes, seek to establish fair and transparent partnerships with groups and communities. The panel will present an array of perspectives on what constitutes equitable community partnerships. It will draw on panelists’ research methods and expertise in various fields, including law, political science, sociology, history, bioethics, and ELSI, highlight gaps in existing work, identify challenges in implementation efforts, and illuminate innovative approaches for engaging communities of people with disabilities, research participants from the global south, and marginalized racial and ethnic groups. This multidisciplinary, multi-career stage panel will enhance attendees’ knowledge of the regulatory spaces, ethics frameworks, and complex dynamics that shape interactions between communities and institutions and present real-world examples of equity-driven research approaches designed to elevate community interests. Taken collectively, these varied presentations will highlight the potential for genomic research to recognize marginalized communities’ humanity and rights to self-determination by innovating within and intervening on the power relations that typically characterize the research ecosystems in which they exist.