With the incredible breadth of medical professions consisting of nurses, primary care physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, and even measly little medical students like me, it’s easy to get lost in the differences between each component of the healthcare system. But there’s one unifying responsibility that we all honor – that of patient confidentiality. It’s called HIPAA, and it’s a beautiful thing. Read more  

As part of this block’s genetics course, 4% of our grade was based on attending yesterday’s small group ethics session. We went over three cases, drew out pedigrees, identified the likely genetic disorder, and discussed ethical issues related to the cases. Read more  

This past Wednesday, I had the privilege of going to Ben Taub with several classmates as part of our mandatory “clinical ethics rounds.” Though I can’t discuss the patient and/or symptoms (HIPAA), it’s fair to say that what I saw spurred something inside of me. Read more  

Will there be an “end” to discovery? Are humans reaching a point in their existence where they know almost too much? I’d venture to say “yes” on the grounds that human perceptions on what is morally right (which we collectively refer to as ethics) continue to stand in the way of ingenuity. I’d venture to say “no” based on the insatiable curiosity inherent to the human race.

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