It's nearly October, and time for another update from the Women's Bioethics Project.
This month, I'm pleased to announce that the think tank has hired its
first staff member. Sue Trinidad came on board at the beginning of this
month as WBP program director. In this role, she will be performing
research; coordinating the efforts of our committees and volunteers;
developing administrative and organizational tools and processes; and
assisting in the development of our overall strategy.
Sue's professional experience includes marketing and
communications, technical writing, sales support, and eight years in
healthcare product development and marketing. She was the project
manager for the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research's Patient
Outcomes Research Teams and the lead technical writer of the Exxon
Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Plan. Sue has taught literature and
medicine classes to second- and third-year medical students. Most
recently, she served as the executive director of products for a
company specializing in telephone nurse triage and disease management
counseling. She holds a BA in English from the College of William and
Mary, and a master's degree in bioethics from Michigan State
University. You can reach Sue at
strinidad@womensbioethics.org.
At the end of this month, Kelly Fryer-Edwards, PhD, and I will be
meeting with the staff of the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York.
This is the first in a series of trips we will be making to other
research institutes and think tanks across the country, both to learn
from their experience and to consider ways in which we might work
together. The Hastings Center was founded in 1969 as an independent
bioethics research institute and is generally recognized as the first
institution in the world dedicated to the study of ethical issues in
medicine. As we formulate our own strategic vision and organizational
structure, we thought it made sense to start where bioethics began— at
Hastings.
In preparation for our visit, we held a planning meeting with
members of the WBP advisory board—Eleanor Hamilton, Patricia Kuszler,
Sally Poliak, Vanessa Power, Robin Shapiro, and Moya Vazquez—to
formulate questions and areas for exploration. The meeting was also
attended by business reporter Luke Timmerman, who is following the
think tank for the Seattle Times, as part of his research for an
article about WBP. Thanks to all who attended, and a special thank-you
to Vanessa and to Stoel Rives for hosting the meeting.
WBP's debut within the academic bioethics community is
slated for the annual meeting of the American Society for Bioethics and
Humanities (ASBH) in Philadelphia at the end of October.
ASBH is a professional society with 1,500 member individuals,
organizations, and institutions with an interest in interdisciplinary
approaches to bioethical issues. The annual conference draws bioethics
professionals from across the country. Featured topics include
healthcare reform; issues in neuroscience, cognitive science, and
neurotechnology; developments in end-of-life policy; and the state of
the field. Our own Kelly Fryer-Edwards will be of the presenters of a
teachers' workshop, "Teaching Ethics through Effective Communication."
As always, thank you for your interest. WBP welcomes your
contribution of time, talent, and financial support.
