News

• Founding Director of Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program (SHBPP) visits the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman (March 19, 2012)
  During her visit to Amman, Jordan, Dr. Thalia Arawi, Founding Director of SHBPP was invited to the King Hussin Cancer Center and met with Dr. Fadwa Attiga, the Chief Scientific Officer and discussed several issues related to research and ethics and talked about possibilities of future collaborations between KHCC and SHBPP. She also visited Dr. Maysa Al Hussaini, the IRB Chairperson. Dr. Arawi toured with Dr. Amid Abu Hmaidan, the Director of the Cancer Registry and visited the Nuclear Medicine section, the Medical Library, the Game Area for pediatrics, the Telesynergy Unit and the Royal Suites.

  
  

• SHBPP Founding Director visits the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children - UK
  During her visit to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Dr. Arawi met with the Director of the Council and with staff members and talked about the running of the Council and of possible future collaborations. During her visit to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, she toured the NICU with Consultant Intensivist and vice chair of the Clinical Ethics Committee Dr. Joe Brierley, met with Clinical Ethics Committee chair, Dr. Mary MacLeod and attended a Clinical Ethics Committee meeting.
  
   

• SHBPP goes to Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FAFS)
  The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FAFS) hosted clinical bioethicist and founding director of the SHBPP at AUB’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Thalia Arawi, to give a presentation in connection to medical ethics, the physician patient-relationship and the nutritionist-patient relationship. The presentation addressed senior nutrition students who will soon be holding their internship in hospitals. The lecture took place on January 4, 2012 at 5:00 pm in AGR102 at the FAFS. The Lecture was facilitated by Dr. Farah Naja (FAFS), Assistant professor at the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences. According to Dr. Naja, “ I believe that lectures and workshops such as this one are of great interest to students as they provide guidance to dietetics practitioners and their professional practice”. In her lecture entitled” Clinical Ethics”, Dr. Arawi talked about what it means to be a patient and highlighted ethical issues that arise when dealing with patients. She also discussed the intricacies of the relationship between patients and healthcare workers and tackled the notions of medical ethics and how to deal with moral quandaries. Many questions were raised such as conflict of interests, the relationship between physicians and dietitians, professional conscience, etc. Dr. Arawi commented that this was a great opportunity and that she is looking forward to further collaborations between the SHBPP and the FAFS. According to her, nutritionists are an integral part of the healthcare team and ethics is an important part of their education.

  
   

• Ethics in the Face of Temptation: When Should Craniofacial Surgery for Children be Okayed?
  Ethics in the Face of Temptation: When Should Craniofacial Surgery for Children be Okayed? (November 17, 2011)
  The ethical implications of cosmetic surgery on minors were recently discussed in a presentation hosted by the SHBPP at AUB’s Faculty of Medicine (AUB FM).
  Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, craniofacial, plastic and reconstructive surgeon from the AUB FM, recently gave a presentation entitled, “Changing Faces: Ethical Challenges in the Correction of Facial Differences in Children.”
  According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 160,283 children aged 18 and below underwent cosmetic interventions in 2008. Such procedures were not only to correct birth marks or cleft lip palate, but also to reshape “Asian eyes” and undergo breast enlargements.
  Many parents and cosmetic surgeons think that if the technology is available and if the child will most probably benefit emotionally, there is no harm done.
  But is this really how things ought to be? Is there no line between what a physician can do and what a physician should do?
  As part of the Ethics Matters lecture series organized by the bioethics program, the presentation attempted to address these issues.
  “Surgery that is done to alter a child's face results in a change in that person's identity and cannot be entered into lightly,” said Dr. Abu-Sittah. “By taking more time to consider the tremendous meaning and the ethical implications that our work has outside the operating room and in the context of who the patient is becoming, we will have a greater chance of not just enhancing someone's appearance, but also improving his/her quality of life.”
  Dr. Thalia Arawi, clinical bioethicist and founding director of the SHBPP argued that several questions need to be raised when dealing with this issue: “Is the surgery really needed to reduce physical or psychosocial risk and if it is necessary, when (and to what extent) should it be performed?”
  Dr. Arawi also highlighed that the risks-benefit ratio cannot be overestimated and noted the important role played by the parent/surrogate who is making the decision on behalf of the minor and the future repercussions of this decision. However, she added, “Sometimes the question that arises is whether it is ethical not to operate on the patient?”