Bioethics Project Visits Kennedy Institute of Ethics

Students participating in Kent Place’s Bioethics Project visited the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University this week. Every year, all 12 of the Bioethics students have the chance to use the Bioethics Research Library, meet the leadership of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, and connect with their mentors, who are helping them conduct research and write a scholarly piece on a topic of their choice. 

The Bioethics Project is a signature program of the Ethics Institute in which students delve into a topic in bioethics, then make a presentation at the annual Bioethics Project Symposium. They also publish their papers on the Bioethics Project website. The theme this year is “Bioethics for Everyone: Issues in Public Health.” 

On Sunday, the group departed for Washington, D.C., and on Monday morning they headed to Georgetown’s campus. Their sessions began with introductions and welcoming remarks from Laura Bishop, the Academic Program Director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. Dr. Bishop offered a brief history of the institute; students then attended a lecture by Myriam Vuckovic titled “Maternal Health in the United States.” 

At Georgetown, students have the unique opportunity to use the Bioethics Research Library to kick-start their investigations. Later on Monday, they learned about the history of the library from Doris Goldstein, its founding director, and met Gabrielle Sanchez, the archivist, as well as Patty Marin and Roxie France-Nuriddin, two information specialists who would be supporting them in their research. 

The group then went to a Georgetown staple and student favorite — The Tombs restaurant — for lunch. Upon returning, they visited a special exhibition, Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality, which centered on Black men and women who fought back against racial discrimination in the nation’s capital through sports and music. Afterward, they met Daniel P. Sulmasy, Director of the Kennedy School of Ethics, before pairing off with their mentors to discuss their projects. 

On day two, students spent several hours in the Bioethics Research Library to gather the resources that will inform their work for the rest of the course. Then, they headed back to Union Station for the return to New Jersey.  

“There really are no words to describe the Bioethics Project experience at Georgetown,” says Karen Rezach, Director of the Ethics Institute at Kent Place. “Our students engaged in high-level conversations about the most emergent bioethical issues of today with Dr. Sulmasy and other scholars from around the world represents a very proud moment for us. Our students are simply incredible.”