Return to Main Menu

Pitts Lectureship tackles organ transplant issues Today’s technological advances make for an evolving medical environment, demanding constant moral and professional re-evaluation. How far is too far in the quest for medical knowledge, the attempt to save a life, or the fight for change?   The controversy surrounding organ transplantation only continues to grow as discoveries are made and new issues arise.   Lectures and discussions on the topic, “Reflections on the Emerging Technologies at the Centennial of Organ Transplantation,” will explore such issues at this year’s 12th annual Thomas A. Pitts Memorial Lectureship on Sept. 9 and 10. The lectures will begin with a historical review of organ transplantation, referring to the many scientists who propelled organ transplant development.   Of these, Robert M. Sade, M.D., chair of the Lectureship Planning Committee, will speak about the past 100 years of development and discovery since Alexis Carrel’s first published paper on successful organ transplantation in 1905.   Most of the lectureship will focus on several different ethical aspects of organ transplantation. These will include the debate over animal experimentation for research, the moral implications of distributive justice in society’s health care system, and the pressing bioethical concerns related to organ transplantation.   On Sept. 10, an audience and faculty discussion will allow for further explanation and clarification of the Sept. 9 lectures.   The visiting faculty for the lectureship is accomplished and distinguished.   Albert Jonsen, Ph.D., emeritus professor of ethics in medicine at the University of Washington, is “generally thought of as the ‘Father of Bioethics’,” Sade said. Jonsen was president of the University of California, San Francisco before becoming chairman of the department of medical history and ethics at the University of Washington. He will speak on the historical origins of transplantation ethics and policy to introduce the lectureship.   This lecture series has become known as the Pitts Memorial Lectureship, after Thomas Antley Pitts II, M.D., who served on the MUSC Board of Trustees  for 36 years and as its chairman for 25 of those years. He left a substantial bequest to the university to endow “a series of lectures on medical ethics,” and so the lectureship has been held annually since 1993. This year it will take place in the Gazes Auditorium, and while registration is required, there is no registration fee for MUSC, College of Charleston, or Charleston Law School students, staff, or faculty.   Individuals can register online at http://www.values.musc.edu or by calling Sharon Kest at 792-5278.    The list of nationally renowned presenters includes: Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., J.D., MPH, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and professor of health policy and management, Harvard School of Public Health. His research has emphasized quality assurance, malpractice litigation, and access to health care. Currently, he is working on several projects, including a new compensation system for medical injuries and stronger protections for human research subjects. H. Tristram Engelhardt, Ph.D., M.D., professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, professor of philosophy, Rice University, and member of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. He is the editor of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, and co-editor of two book series; of his hundreds of articles and books, the best known is his Foundations of Bioethics. Gary Francione, J.D., professor of law and Nicholas Katzenbach distinguished scholar of law and philosophy, Rutgers University. He has written about copyright, patent law, and intellectual property issues in science in addition to several books and articles on animals and the law. He also operated a litigation clinic that focused on animal protection issues. Albert Jonsen, Ph.D., emeritus professor of ethics in medicine, University of Washington. He taught in the philosophy and theology departments as president of the University of San Francisco before becoming the chairman of the department of medical history and ethics at the University of Washington. The historian and ethicist has served on many national councils, including the Institute of Medicine, National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, and the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine. Edwin A. Locke, Ph.D., emeritus dean’s professor of leadership and motivation, University of Maryland. His research on goal setting is internationally known, ranking as the most important among 73 management theories. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, of the American Psychological Society, and of the Academy of Management, and has won many awards for scholarship and for teaching excellence. Carlo Montemagno, Ph.D., Carol and Roy Doumani professor of biomedical engineering and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, University of California, Los Angeles. His research has focused on the application of nanotechnology to biological systems, including his internationally recognized work on biomolecular motor powered nanoelectromechanical devices. He has worked at the Argonne National Laboratory and with the Biological and Environmental Engineering Faculty of Cornell University before joining UCLA in 2001. Robert M. Sade, M.D., professor of surgery and director, Institute of Human Values in Health Care, MUSC. He is a pediatric cardiac surgeon whose main interests shifted toward biomedical ethics and health policy over the past decade. He is the chair of the Ethics Committee of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and is the vice-chair of the ethics councils, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and of the American Medical Association. He is the ethics editor of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery and is on the advisory editorial board of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy. Monique Spillman, M.D., Ph.D., fellow in gynecologic oncology, Duke University. She served on the American Medical Association’s Council on Sciernce and Public Health and now serves on the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. Her research focused on the molecular biology of breast and ovarian cancer, and on ethical issues in biomedical research such as genetics and cloning with embryonic stem cells. Robert Truog, M.D., professor of anesthesia in pediatrics and medical ethics, Harvard Medical School, and director of the multidisciplinary intensive care unit, Boston Children’s Hospital. He co-chairs the Ethics Advisory Committee and is the associate director of the office of ethics at Children’s Hospital. At Harvard Medical School, he is the director of clinical programs in the division of medical ethics. His work has focused on ethical issues in the areas of anesthesia and critical care. Friday, Aug. 26, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.