Effective health policy isn’t an oxymoron
It’s hard to read the news or open a computer without encountering something about the U.S. healthcare system. Perhaps it’s
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Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Beyond directives: Advance care plans must consider patient’s story
Planning for end-of-life medical treatment has received national attention as a “hot topic” recently. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) called
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Adequate nutrition should be priority for whole family
Earlier this year, JAMA Pediatrics published an essay about processed food and its impact on health. The author, Dr. Robert
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Texas headwinds: The danger of anti-vaccination policies
In “Texas and its Measles Epidemics,” published in Public Library of Science Medicine (PLOS), I sounded an alarm about the
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Alternative science: The importance of informed policymaking
You’ve probably heard the phrase “alternative facts” by now. Suddenly, “alternative” is part of our vocabulary as a popular characterization
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Addressing the problem of physician shortages
In the past month, my immediate family has had three situations requiring urgent but not emergent medical care. In all
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Organ donation: Opt-out or opt-in?
Many people need critical organs like hearts and lungs, yet a worldwide shortage of available organs leaves many to die
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The importance of case-based study in ethics consultation
Ethics consultation is tough stuff. Ethics consultants seek to identify and address value-laden conflicts or ethical uncertainties in cases involving
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Intelligence and genetic essentialism
In 1869, Francis Galton reasoned that if human intellect was determined to be hereditary, then it “would be quite practicable
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How narrative medicine closes gap between physicians and patients
According to Columbia University, narrative medicine “fortifies clinical practice with the narrative competence to recognize, absorb, metabolize, interpret, and be
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