By Holly Fernandez Lynch
One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic has been seeing communities come together to offer support in ways big and small. Individuals are organizing drives to collect personal protective equipment for health care workers, media outlets are making pandemic content available for free, and children’s book authors are hosting online story times to offer a brief respite for parents suddenly thrust into homeschooling.
In that same spirit, the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania is hoping to ease the burden for bioethics faculty and bioethics and health professions students who may be in search of online content as their learning experiences have moved out of the brick-and-mortar classroom. We’re offering a variety of recorded video content in clinical and research ethics at no charge through at least June 30 – with lectures from two Petrie-Flom alums, Holly Fernandez Lynch and Emily A. Largent, as well as other faculty experts.
Currently available content includes a course in clinical ethics for medical students, with lectures on surrogate decision-making, advance directives, and advanced care planning discussions, all particularly relevant amid current clinical realities.
There is also a full course in research ethics, a short course in ethics and trial design, and conflicts of interest in biomedical research. Research ethics lectures on observational vs. interventional designs, randomization, and placebos can provide helpful context for the current rush to move investigational products for COVID-19 through the development pathway at breakneck speed.
Content can be viewed lecture-by-lecture or as a complete course. Faculty may share the content with their students and learners looking for content may register for free.
We’re also pleased to share guidance on best practices for remote teaching, gleaned from our experience offering Penn’s first online master’s degree, the Master of Health Care Innovation.
As it feels like the entire world has moved online and with bioethics stories taking over the news, we offer these resources in the spirit of community and recognition that we’re all in this together.
