“I don't think a bioethicist is normally who people have come to their elementary school career day. So, we are a novel breed to many people.” Alison Bateman-House, PhD

That is how our latest guest on Improbable Developments reflected on her chosen profession, bioethics. It is a field where scientists do not ask the questions about whether they can run an experiment or clinical study, but whether they should. Until recently, most people would not even know the field existed let alone give a good example of where it made a difference. 

But COVID has changed that. 

• Who should be vaccinated first?
• How do we ensure equity in distributing the vaccine?
• If we run low on oxygen or ICU beds, who do we treat?
• Should we expand access to experimental or repurposed drugs before they have been tested?

These are ethical questions that require considering multiple dimensions and perspectives. They are difficult questions. They are very human questions. 

Tune in to learn how Alison Bateman-House was led into this challenging field and the work she is doing today on policy, clinical trial design, and ethics consulting. Her career path is fascinating to say the least. 

https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/alison-bateman-house

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM8bTdBs-cw To see how MTV inspired Alison to think about bioethics as a career.

https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/population-health/divisions-sections-centers/medical-ethics/research/working-group-compassionate-use-preapproval-access

https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/population-health/divisions-sections-centers/medical-ethics/research/working-group-pediatric-gene-therapy-medical-ethics