On March 8–13, key speakers in the national discussion on ethical issues involved in biomedical research and medical practice will participate in a series of conference workshops, seminars and public lectures to be held in Grand Forks, ND, Crookston, MN, and Mentor, MN. The conference title is "Critical Issues in Bioethics."

Among the guest speakers for the conference are:

• Tom L. Beauchamp, senior research scholar and professor of philosophy, Kennedy Center for Bioethics, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
• Ann Cook, MPA, project director, Exemplary Services, The Rural Institute on Disabilities, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
• Ruth R. Faden, Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD
• Jeffrey P. Kahn, director, Center for Bioethics, associate professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
• David M. Robinson, director, Vascular Research Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
• James W. Thomasson (Conference Convener), associate professor of philosophy, University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC), and executive director, The Woodside Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Mentor, MN

The conference is a collaborative venture of The Woodside Center for Interdisciplinary Studies; Altru Health Foundation; Riverview Healthcare Association; University of Minnesota, Crookston; University of North Dakota Medical School and School of Nursing; and the Offices of Instructional Development and Research and Program Development at UND.

Sunday, March 8

The opening event of the series will be a workshop/reception at The Woodside Center on Sunday, March 8, from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. In the workshop Robinson and Thomasson will address the topic: "When Does Life Begin, How Should It End, and What Does it Matter?"

Tuesday, March 10

UMC will host the first full day of the conference on Tuesday, March 10. A 3:00 p.m. roundtable discussion will introduce the conference speakers, who will discuss the broad agenda of the week: "The Range of Ethical Issues Emerging from Biomedical Research and Medical Practice: A Conference Preview."

At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday Faden will speak on "Between Hope and Exploitation: Ethical Issues in Clinical Research." Responses to her talk will be given by Beauchamp and Robinson, with audience participation invited.

Wednesday, March 11

Wednesday’s schedule begins with a closed presentation to the Medical Staff at Altru Hospital, simulcast by the Medstar Network. Robinson will discuss "Gene Therapy: Impact of the Human Genome Project on Clinical Practice."

A public lecture follows at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, with Beauchamp lecturing on "Last Acts: Ethical Issues at the End of Life," with a response by Thomasson.

At 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Kahn and Robinson will discuss "Withholding and Withdrawing Treatment: Implications for Organizational Management."

Thursday, March 12

The first session on Thursday, March 12, will be a noon presentation at the "Dean’s Hour" of the UND Medical School. Beauchamp will speak on the topic "From Refusal of Care to Assisted Suicide: The Ethics of Decisions at the End of Life." A response will be given by Allan Ingenito, MD, JD, a Twin Cities are physician.

Thursday, March 12, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., there will be two lectures in the Lecture Bowl of the UND Memorial Student Union. Kahn’s talk is entitled "From Protection to Access: Evolving Issues in the Ethics of Research in Human Subjects." The second presentation will feature Robinson: "We Can, But Should We? A Biologist’s View of the Ethics of Cloning."

The conference speakers and principals from supporting universities and healthcare associations will have a dinner Thursday evening at The Inn at Maple Crossing at Maple Lake. After dinner conversation will center on an earlier topic that is central to healthcare delivery: "Withholding and Withdrawing Treatment: Implications for Organizational Management."

Friday, March 13

Friday, March 13, the concluding day of the conference, begins at noon with all events in the Clifford Hall Auditorium of the John D. Odegaard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND. Kahn and Cook, will discuss "Individual Rights and the Public Good: Ethical Issues in Public Health."

At 1:45 on Friday, "Changing Paradigms in Biomedical Research and Ethical Judgment" will be the topic engaged by Robinson and Thomasson.

The last event of the conference will be a Public Forum from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, hosted by the conference speakers. They will give their individual perspectives on the theme: "Demystifying or Unraveling the Universe: The Social Implications of the New Biology." An open-ended conversation between speakers and audience will conclude the series.

Along with the conference sessions, the speakers will participate in an on-going seminar with each other and invited guests. Anyone interested in participating in this closed seminar should contact the conference convener about times, fees and expectations. Phone 218-637-6600 or e-mail at: jthomass@mail.crk.umn.edu.