The IU Center for Bioethics (IUCB) is pleased to announce the first two IU Bioethics Grand Rounds talks for Academic Year 2024-25. IU Bioethics Grand Rounds occur 5-6 times per year, led by faculty from IU and elsewhere discussing their work and important topics in bioethics and related fields. The sessions are hybrid (in-person on IUSM campus and over Zoom) and include time for Q and A and discussion. The sessions are recorded and archived on the IUCB website here. The first two IU Bioethics Grand Rounds for Fall 2024 are:
Jane Hartsock, JD, Faculty Investigator at IUCB and System Director of Clinical and Organizational Ethics at IU Health, will present, “The Sky is Falling: The Ethical Implications of Large Language Models,” on Thursday, October 24, at noon, in Emerson Hall 304 and via Zoom (register here). This lecture will address the ethical implications of the increasingly prevalent use of large language models such as ChatGPT for research and authorship. Although most discussion of LLMs seems to view LLMs as a kind of "cheating," the actual consequences of reliance on LLMs extend far beyond questions of academic integrity.
Peter H. Schwartz, MD, PhD, Director of the IUCB, will present “Evaluating Patient Decisions: How, When, and Why?” on Wednesday, November 13 at noon in Emerson Hall 304 and via Zoom (register here). Decision science’s studies of ways to improve “decision quality” and “shared decision making” are clearly relevant to bioethics’ goal of advancing patient autonomy. Interpreting the scientific findings, though, and applying them to bioethics requires close examination and some skepticism regarding measures of decision quality and the meaning of this concept.
The IUCB and the Bioethics and Subject Advocacy Program (BSAP) of the Indiana CTSI also offer regular Translational Research Ethics Applied Topics (TREATs) seminars, providing introductions and discussion of key ethical issues for researchers. The sessions are presented as webinars and archived with related materials for future viewing (see previous TREATs here).
Nicolas Oliver, MA, Program Manager for the IUCB and BSAP will present Data Safety Monitoring Plans: Ethical and Practical Issues, on Wednesday, Oct 10, at 2 PM. This talk will provide an introduction to key issues in planning and implementing a data safety monitoring plan, including a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) when needed, and how BSAP can help investigators navigate them.
Andrew Brightman, PhD, Faculty member of BSAP and Professor of Engineering Practice at Purdue University, will present “Students as Subjects” on Thursday, Dec. 5 at noon (register here). Dr. Brightman will describe key ethical issues for translational researchers considering using students as subjects in their research.
IUCB will announce additional IU Bioethics Grand Rounds and TREATs talks soon, including for Spring term 2025. For more Bioethics events on campus and online, check out our events page. To stay up to date on the latest activities of the IUCB, follow us on X and LinkedIn.