In September, an inauguration ceremony will mark the establishment of the new WMed Unit of the International Network of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics.
The International Network of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics was established in 2001 in Haifa, Israel, in order to disseminate, improve and monitor education in ethics in medical schools around the world. The Chair develops an updated and modern curriculum, reflecting the need for integration of ethics in daily practice, and develops novel and sophisticated educational tools and materials that facilitate attractive teaching.
In all, there are more than 230 units of the International Network of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics across the globe and the unit at WMed is one of seven in the U.S.
The inauguration ceremony for the new unit at WMed will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, in the Auditorium at the medical school’s W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus in downtown Kalamazoo. The event is free and open to the public and light hors d’oeuvres, dessert and refreshments will be served. If you plan to attend, please RSVP at http://bit.ly/349OR65.
At the inauguration, Dr. Russell D’Souza, director of the Department of Education and head of the Asia-Pacific Division of the International Program of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics, will present WMed’s founding dean, Dr. Hal B. Jenson, with a writ of establishment. Additionally, Dr. Michael Redinger, co-chief of the medical school’s Program in Bioethics, Humanities, and Law, will receive a writ of appointment as head of the new unit. The ceremony will also recognize Dr. Rajiv Tandon, chair of the WMed Department of Psychiatry, as chair of the new unit’s steering committee, and Dr. Tyler Gibb, co-chief of the WMed Program in Bioethics, Humanities, and Law, as the steering committee secretary. Other members of the steering committee at WMed include Dr. D’Souza, Dr. Michael Trexler, chair of the Ascension Borgess Ethics Integration Committee; Dr. Matthew Dommer, chair of the Bronson Health Ethics Committee; Dr. Fritz Allhoff, professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University, and Dr. Parker Crutchfield, associate professor in the WMed Program in Bioethics, Humanities, and Law.
The event will also honor the support and memory of Dr. Shirley Bach, WMU professor emerita of philosophy, internationally recognized authority on biomedical ethics, and a founding faculty member of the WMed Program in Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law.
The inauguration ceremony in September will include a special Grand Rounds presentation by Dr. Tom Tomlinson, professor emeritus and former director of the Michigan State University Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences. Dr. Tomlinson will be speaking on the ethics of informed consent in biospecimen research with a talk entitled “Feeding Big Data: Is Your Tissue Like Your Trash?”
CE and MEDU credit will be available.
The formation of the WMed Unit of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics would not have been possible without Dr. Tandon who was instrumental in the formation of the Unit during his time at the University of Florida where he served as professor of Psychiatry and executive vice-chair at the University of Florida College of Medicine, and chief of psychiatry at the North Florida/South Georgia (NF/SG) Veterans’ Healthcare System.
“We are very honored and excited to achieve this recognition from UNESCO,” Dr. Redinger said. “We believe it will open up a number of opportunities for international collaboration. We share with UNESCO a deep belief in the importance of education in bioethics in shaping a bright future for medicine and healthcare professionals.”
The International Network of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics hosts the annual World Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics and Health Law which will be attended by Drs. Jenson and Redinger in May in Porto, Portugal. Future activities for the WMed Unit in collaboration with UNESCO will include recognition of World Bioethics Day with an activity organized by the WMed Bioethics Student Interest Group and development of an ethics webinar for use by the UNESCO Chair for education at other units worldwide. More information about the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics can be found at http://www.unesco-chair-bioethics.org/.
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine and Bronson Healthcare Group. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit amount subject to change.
Interprofessional Continuing Education
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 1.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Physicians
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine designates this activity for 1.0 contact hours for nurses. Nurses should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Social Workers
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 continuing education credits.