Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium
The Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium (OBHC) is an academic lecture series for the state of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The goal of OBHC is to foster substantive inquiry, discussion, and education in bioethics and medical humanism by bringing together scholars, professionals, and students from diverse disciplines, including:
- medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and social work.
- philosophy.
- literature.
- sociology.
- religion.
- public health.
- law.
- and policy.
OBHC aims to create an inclusive environment where critical examination of the human experience is the norm. We want to provoke thought, deepen moral imagination, and help generate new insights into our health care experiences that both challenge and edify all who attend.
Please join us for the 2026-2027 lecture series!
2026-2027 OBHC Lecture Series
Upcoming Speaker: Samuel Reis-Dennis, Ph.D.
My primary philosophical fields are normative ethics, moral psychology, and bioethics. I am interested in the ways in which our social positions inform the way we feel and express moral emotions and shape our interpersonal relationships, including doctor-patient interactions. Some of my current projects focus on the significance of dignity in social and political life (and in healthcare), and on the psychology and ethics of emotions. My writing, on these topics and others, has appeared in leading philosophy and bioethics journals, including Mind, Noûs, The Journal of Medical Ethics, and The Hastings Center Report. Before coming to Rice, I was Assistant Professor at Albany Medical College in the Department of Bioethics Education and Research. There, I was also a Clinical Ethics Consultant at Albany Medical Center.
Meeting Link: HERE
Password: C6NnPJaGX82
*All talks are from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM PT
OBHC Survey: HERE
Accreditation: The School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credit: Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Series Schedule
Monday, October 5th, 2026 | OHSU Auditorium In Person
"Bioethical Challenges of AI"
David Magnus, Ph.D.
Thomas A. Raffin Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Ethics
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Associate Dean for Research
Stanford University
Friday, November 13th, 2026 | WebEx
"Enthusiasm Over the Night"
Samuel Reis-Dennis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
Associate Professor, Medical Humanities Program
Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Philosophy
Friday, December 11th, 2026 | WebEx
"Environmental Injustice: The Clinical and Ethical Implications of Our Unhealthy Environments"
Keisha Ray, Ph.D.
John P McGovern MD Professor of Oslerian Medicine
Associate Professor with Tenure
Director, Medical Humanities Scholarly Concentration
Director, Longitudinal Themes
McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics
McGovern Medical School
UTHealth Houston
Friday, January 15th, 2027 | WebEx
"First of All Our Own Hearts: William James and the Healing of the Healer’s Soul"
Mark Lazenby, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor of Nursing and Philosophy
University of California, Irvine
Friday, February 12th, 2027 | WebEx
"Narrative Ethics and Narrative Medicine"
Danielle Spencer, Ph.D.
Columbia University Narrative Medicine Program
Friday, April 16th, 2027 | WebEx
"Radical Acts of Professionalism: Healthcare in a Time of Mass Deportation"
Mark Kuczewski, Ph.D.
The Fr. Michael I. English, SJ, Professor of Medical Ethics
Director, Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics
Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago
Friday, June 18th, 2027 | WebEx
"Art, Imagination, and Healthcare"
Gretchen A. Case, Ph.D., M.A.
Director, Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities
Associate Professor, Department of Theatre, College of Fine Arts
Associate Professor (Adjunct), Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, The University of Utah
Disclosures
Planning Committee
Heidi Funke, M.N., M.A., RN, CMSRN: Nothing to Disclose
Dave Hoyt: Nothing to Disclose
Daniel Kim, Ph.D., M.P.H.: Nothing to Disclose
Eran Klein, M.D., Ph.D.: Name of commercial interest: RagavenCare, Relationship: Scientific Advisory Board, Nothing received to date, but possible future stock
Elizabeth Lahti, M.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Laurie Morrison, M.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Speakers
David Magnus, Ph.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Samuel Reis-Dennis, Ph.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Keisha Ray, Ph.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Mark Lazenby, Ph.D, RN, FAAN.: Nothing to Disclose
Danielle Spencer, Ph.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Mark Kuczewski, Ph.D.: Nothing to Disclose
Gretchen Case, Ph.D., M.A.: Nothing to Disclose
Past OBHC Series Presentations
2025-2026
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Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | View Recording
"Organizational Health Literacy: The Foundation for Achieving Health and Well-Being"
Mary Ann Abrams, M.D., MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Ohio State University College of Medicine
GME Quality Improvement Medical Director, Nationwide Children’s Hospital -
Friday, November 7, 2025 | View Recording
“Confronting Bias, Power, and Oppression in Pediatric Ethics: Sharing A Novel Tool for Pediatric Ethics Consultation”
Sarah Porter, MSW
Social Work Manager
Legacy Health -
Friday, December 12, 2025 | View Recording | Flyer
“Medical Mistrust: Conceptual Insights and Empirical Challenges”
Alyssa Newman, PhD
Senior Research Scholar
Kennedy Institute of Ethics
Georgetown University -
Friday, January 9, 2026 | View Recording
"Building Resiliency in our Staff: A Debriefing Model for Addressing Moral Injury"
Drew Grabham, LCSW
Director of Outreach Clinical and Strategy
Central City Concern -
Friday, February 6, 2026 | View Recording
"Transparency Mandates and Ethical Obligations: Biopsy Result Disclosure in the Era of the CURES Act"
Clara Bosco, MD
General Surgery Resident
Northwestern University -
Friday, May 22, 2026 | View Recording
“Think in Systems, Act in Relationships: Building Relational Systems with Health Care and Communities.”
Brian Park, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
OHSU School of Medicine -
Friday, June 12, 2026 | View Recording
“A Life Worth Sustaining? Bestowed Worth and the Meaningfulness of Continuing Life-Sustaining Treatments in Pediatric Care.”
Daniel Kim, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Ethics Education
Madeline Brill Nelson Chair
OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care
2024-2025
-
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 | View the recording HERE
“Split Brains, Functional Disorders, and Postictal Violence: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Complex Brain Interventions”
Paul Ford, PhD
Program Director
Cleveland Clinic NeuroEthics -
November 8, 2024 | View Recording
“Fostering Collaborative Relationships between Patients, Families, and Care Teams”
Chris Feudtner, MD, PhD, MPH
Director of Research, Palliative Care
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia -
December 6, 2024 | View Recording
“Homelessness and Inclusion Health”
Josephine Ensign, DrPH, MPH, FNP
Professor, University of Washington School of Nursing
Department of Psychosocial and Community Health -
January 10, 2025 | View Recording
“OMG, What R They Thinking? Adolescent Brain Development and Implications for Decision-making, Injury Prevention, and Criminal Justice”
Doug Diekema, MD, MPH
Professor, Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care
Seattle Children’s Hospital -
May 16, 2025 | View Recording (password: AbhTmCt7)
“Malaria Eradication Attempts in Africa: Historical Lessons on Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences, and Unresolved Ethical Questions”
Melissa Graboyes, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, University of Oregon
Department of History & Global Health Program -
JUNE 6, 2025 | View Recording (password: GfNQeEE4)
"Designing for Wellness: State of our Health"
Barbara Sestak, FAIA
Professor, School of Architecture
Portland State University
2023-2024
-
Thursday, October 5, 2023
in partnership with the OHSU Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds
Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD, University of Rochester -
Friday, November 10, 2023 | View the recording HERE.
"The History of Medical Uncertainty"
Vera Keller, PhD, University of Oregon -
Friday, December 8, 2023 | View the recording HERE.
"Structures of Justice and Fairness in Complex Disposition"
Georgina Campelia, PhD, HEC-C, University of Washington -
Friday, January 12, 2024 | View the recording HERE.
"Taking Carework Seriously in Bioethics: The Case of US Nurses During the Pandemic"
LaTonya Trotter, MPH, PhD, University of Washington -
Friday, February 9, 2024 | View the recording HERE.
"Dementia Through a Lens of Relational Agency"
Eran Klein, MD, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University -
Friday, May 10, 2023
"Justice Rising: A Moral Imagination for a More Trustworthy Bioethics"
Kevin Dirksen, MDiv, MSc, Providence Center for Health Care Ethics -
Friday, June 14, 2024
"Outliers and Outlaws: Supporting LGBTQ Elders"
Judith Raiskin, PhD, University of Oregon