Bioethics Past and Present

Rafa Escandon

Rafa Escandon

11 a.m., November 19, 2023

Hear Rafa Escandon in Mountain View, where he will discuss and answer questions online, OR join us on Zoom yourself.

Bioethics (or Medical Ethics) has emerged and developed rapidly as an independent (but interdependent) discipline from standard ethics since WWII. While the Nazi doctors trial and atrocities brought to light many previously unthinkable transgressions, a developing discipline actually pre-dated the Nazi regime with respect to protections of human subjects in research. The late 20th and 21st centuries have brought rapid and significant development in the understanding of biology, genetic engineering and therapeutics. Each of these areas (and many others) if not carefully considered, can impact our functioning as a civil society. Some examples of past, present and potential future cases will be presented for a (hopefully) robust and interactive discussion.

Rafael (Rafa) Escandon is currently a consultant for research ethics and clinical research and development to the biotechnology industry. Most recently he was the senior vice president of medical affairs, policy, and patient engagement at BridgeBio Gene Therapy and has worked in global clinical research and development and patient advocacy for nearly 30 years. Rafa’s approach is to be highly considerate of the ethical implications of conducting and participating in clinical research, especially in rare diseases and in vulnerable and developing-world populations. He serves as adjunct faculty in the Department of Medical Ethics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, as well as at the Children’s Mercy Kansas City/UMKC School of Medicine Pediatric Bioethics Center. He was also previously adjunct faculty at the University of California Berkeley’s Clinical Research Management Program and as an educator in human rights and justice.


11/19/23 Rafa Escandon from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center at 266 Escuela Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Share to your Linkedin account here.
Check out the Humanist Community web site here.
Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar
Add this event to other calendars:
Add to Calendar