by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations

Medical professionals, students and others in health-related fields attended the Fifth Annual Pitts Memorial Lectureship on Issues in Medical Ethics at the Sheraton Charleston Hotel Jan. 9.

The theme, “Revisiting the First Four Years...Where Are We Today?” was reminiscent of challenging topics from the past four years. The lecture series was sponsored by the Department of Health Administration and Policy and supported by the Health Sciences Foundation.

“The conferences were planned to discuss issues that are current,” said Kenneth Whittemore, Ph.D., director of the Division of Health Ethics, Department of Health Administration and Policy. “We were so far ahead of the curve that I felt we needed some closure on past topics and direction on where we are now with those critical ethical areas.”

Whittemore acknowledged that he received more favorable comments on this conference than ever before. He believes that coordinating different topics with talented speakers makes the lecture series more timely.

Previous Pitts Memorial Lectureship Presenters Stuart J. Younger, M.D., William J. Windslade, Ph.D., J.D. and E. Haavi Morreim, Ph.D., spoke on current topics including futile care, physician assisted suicide and the ethics of managed care. Guest faculty presenter Rosemarie Tong, Ph. D., focused on women’s health issues and the problems of gender bias in science and medicine.

The Pitts Memorial Lectureship is made possible by the late Thomas Antley Pitts, M.D., a long-time MUSC board member and former chairman, and the Health Sciences Foundation.

Behavioral Health Care conference to be held Feb. 7-9

Forthcoming programs sponsored by the Department of Health Administration and Policy will be the Fifth Annual Conference on Behavioral Health Care and the department’s policy program on “Telemedicine and Managed Behavioral Health Care in a Rural State” Feb. 7-9, at the Riviera Theater, Charleston Place.

Changing technology has brought telemedicine into the forefront of modern communications between patient and healthcare provider in rural areas. Successful telemedicine applications featuring improved medical consultations and distance education are currently being utilized in Georgia and North and South Carolina. The session will encourage participants to examine and discuss benefits from ongoing programs.

“It’s very difficult for technical innovations like telemedicine to be accepted,” Whittemore said. “The more managed healthcare gets established, there is the possibility that rural populations will become even more disadvantaged.”

Whittemore, a champion for telemedicine for years, cites convenience as a key benefit to telemedicine applications in specialities like psychiatry. A primary medical specialist can provide specialty consultations with patients in rural areas located many miles from a tertiary care center.

In a separate session, insurance parity legislation and the issue of managed behavioral health care will be addressed. The conference will feature Gov. Howard Dean, M.D. of Vermont and National Mental Health Association vice president, Al Guida, as keynote speakers. Vermont is the first state to pass parity legislation for behavioral health care which covers mental illness, alcoholism and substance abuse. Presenters from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina will discuss the current status of managed behavioral health care in their respective states.

For more information regarding the conferences or registration, contact the Office of Continuing Professional Development at 792-3777.