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BIOETHICS

Contact Information

  • Leemon McHenry
  • Philosophy
  • leemon.mchenry@csun.edu
  • Office Phone 818-677-5806
  • Fax Number
  • Office Hours--
  • ST 534

Instructional Materials

Syllabus

Study Questions Exam 1

Required Texts

Pence, G. Medical Ethics: Accounts of Ground-Breaking Cases, McGraw Hill, 2015.

Rachels, J. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, McGraw Hill, 2010.

Journal Articles

Healy, D., and Thase, M., "Is Academic Psychiatry For Sale? British Journal of Psychiatry, 2003.

Jureidini, J., McHenry, L., and Mansfield, P., "Clinical Trials and Drug Promotion: Selective Reporting of Study 329," International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, 2008.

McHenry, L., and Jureidini, J., "Industry-Sponsored Ghostwriting in Clinical Trials: A Case Study," Accountability in Research, 2008.

McHenry, L. and Khoshnood, M. “Blood Money: Bayer’s Inventory of HIV Contaminated Blood Products and 3rd World Hemophiliacs,” Accountability in Research,  2014. 

McHenry, L. “Of Sophists and Spin-Doctors: Industry-Sponsored Ghostwriting and the Crisis of Academic Medicine," Mens Sana Monographs, 2010.

McHenry, L. “Biomedical Research and Corporate Interests: A Question of Academic Freedom,” Mens Sana Monographs, 2008.

McHenry, L. “Ethical Issues in Psychopharmacology,” Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006.

McHenry, L. "On the Origin of Great Ideas: Science in the Age of Big Pharma," Hastings Center Report, 2005.

 

Important Notices

Exam I -- Oct 23

Exam II --

Policies

Student Conduct Code

Academic Policy

Class Accommodations

 

Course Information Overview

Course Description

This course is designed for students who are considering a career in medicine. It focuses attention on complex situations in biology and medicine that require moral reflection, sound judgment and decision on the best outcomes. As such the course is divided into two parts. The first focuses on moral problems in bioethics such as abortion, euthanasia, informed consent, and just distribution of scarce medical resources. The second focuses on professional ethics of medical researchers such as conflicts of interest, interface with industry, and research and publication ethics. Particular attention will be given to departures from the ethics of responsible patient care and the corruption of evidence-based medicine by the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.