CBH Operations Manager Danielle Chaet and Clinical Ethics Director Chelsey Patten promote the Center and the Ice Cream Social at ASBH.
The Center for Bioethics and Humanities made a strong showing at the 27th Annual American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon on October 22-25. This year’s theme invited attendees to consider how the intersections of bioethics and humanities “may be greater than the sum of their parts.”
CBH faculty and staff presented on a wide range of topics, reflecting the Center’s breadth of scholarship and deep commitment to ethical practice, collaboration, and innovation. Director of Clinical Ethics, Chelsey Patten, DBe, discussed a systematic approach to integrating cultural and personal values in patient care, while faculty member and clinical ethicist Gianna Morales, MH, shared findings from a national study on documentation practices in electronic health records. Director of Education Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD, examined ethical dimensions of sport. Senior professional research assistants (PRAs) Ahmed Alasmar, Jessica Ellis, MS, and PRA Natalia Dellavalle explored emerging issues in artificial intelligence and medical technology; and faculty Christine Baugh, PhD and senior PRA Natalie Banacos, MSc, brought an engineering lens to bioethics. Hannah Scotch, former PRA and current Michigan State PhD student presented new empirical data on clinician mistrust and ethical reasoning in primary care. Faculty Rachel Topazian, PhD, examined moral distress in prehospital providers, and faculty Kristin Furfari, MD, and Center Director Matthew Wynia, MD, connected lessons from the Holocaust to contemporary bioethics.
The full conference agenda can be found here.
This year also marked CBH’s first-ever exhibit table, powered by Operations Manager Danielle Chaet, MS, and PRA Marisa DeBell, who brought enthusiasm—and person power—to sharing our programs and giveaways. The table drew steady crowds, helped along by more than 300 swag items distributed, including reusable cutlery sets, slim can koozies, dental floss, and what many agreed was “the world’s best lip balm.”
The highlight for many of our faculty and staff, however, was CBH’s first-ever Ice Cream Social, hosted Thursday night as a casual gathering for ASBH attendees to connect and build community. The event embodied the collaborative spirit of the Center—bringing together professionals across disciplines, institutions, and states over shared values (and sprinkles).
From cutting-edge research to community building, CBH’s presence at ASBH underscored how bioethics and humanities thrive at their intersection—where ideas, relationships, and yes, ice cream, all come together for the greater good.