Practical Discussion

The doctor who supposedly established a link between vaccination and autism has his research de-published on grounds of fraud. New York State decides to pay women for research eggs. President Obama’s NIH expands funding of embryonic stem-cell research – but won’t fund some Bush-funded research on ethics grounds. The Roman Catholic Church reasserts its controversial positions against assisted reproduction and against withdrawal of medically-delivered nutrition and hydration at the end of life. Breast-cancer exam standards change – sort of. A new healthcare reform bill addresses not only insurance but also fast-food calories and patient-centered medical care. The US announces a record-breaking 31.8% c-section rate. Stephen Latham, Deputy Director, Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics; Senior Lecturer, Political Science; Senior Research Fellow, Ethics, Politics and Economics and Lecturer in Economics, will explain these and a few others of this year’s top stories in biomedical ethics.

Tomas Philipson, Professor in the Harris School and Faculty Member in the Department of Economics and Law School at the University of Chicago, talks to Kelly Brownell, Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, about the economics of obesity.

Tamas Horvath, Chair of Comparative Medicine at Yale University and Professor of Comparative Medicine, Neurobiology, and Obstetrics & Gynecology, talks with Rudd Center Director Kelly Brownell about the role of metabolic hormones in brain functioning.

Linda Degutis,associate professor of surgery and emergency medicine and director of the Yale Center for Public Health Preparedness at Yale School of Public Health, talks about what Yale is doing to help prepare the state for a disaster and its aftermath.

Haifan Lin, Director of the Stem Cell Program, explains how understanding the fundamental working principles of stem cells is the basis for the research conducted at Yale.