Dr. Joseph Fins, Dr. Gotto and Dr. Jack Barchas
How do we cope with the realities of medical ethics? How do physicians and patients consider the problem of suffering and end-of-life issues? These questions and others were raised at a seminar held on February 4 at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church that featured Dean Antonio Gotto and Dr. Joseph Fins, chief of Weill Cornell's Division of Medical Ethics, as speakers.
Drs. Gotto, Fins, Barchas and the administrative team from Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church who helped to organize the seminar
As Dean Gotto and Dr. Fins pointed out to the audience, sometimes an ethical dilemma, as in the case of Terri Schiavo, compels us to confront the most fundamental of human questions: what is the meaning of life and death? This is just one of many ethical issues that have profound implications for the future of medicine and for society as a whole.
Issues raised by the audience included the nature of the physician-patient relationship, the effect of managed care on medical practices, the responsible conduct of clinical trials, and the need for compassionate care in an increasingly technological world.