Health policy issues take center stage November 18 & 19 at two Fall Library Showcase events.
Wednesday’s forum, “End of Life Care in the Real World,” (12 – 1 p.m. in the St. Paul Auditorium) had its origin in a quote this past summer from Senator Charles Grassley. Speaking on “Face the Nation,” August 23, Grassley said, “We’re not going to have any of this end of life stuff because it scares people.” John Fullinwider, the Library’s manager of research support, remembers thinking, “How did a proposal to provide for doctor/patient conferences on advance care planning, which once enjoyed bi-partisan support, become so controversial that it couldn’t even be discussed?” Fullinwider took the idea for the forum to Dr. Raul Caetano, Dean of the UT School of Public Health/Dallas Regional Campus and of UT Southwestern’s School of Health Professions, who agreed that the issues deserved a scholarly discussion. They invited Robert Fine, Director of Clinical Ethics and Palliative Care for Baylor Health Care Systems and a nationally recognized expert on end-of-life care, to be the keynote speaker. At the suggestion of Simon Lee, of UT Southwestern’s Department of Clinical Sciences/Division of Ethics and Health Policy, they asked Ramona Rhodes to appear as well. Dr. Rhodes, who recently joined the UT Southwestern faculty from Brown University, is a specialist in health disparities, particularly surrounding end of life care for African-Americans.
Arrive a bit before noon if you want a free lunch (served to the first 100 attendees). St. Paul’s Auditorium is on the first floor of UT Southwestern University Hospital/St. Paul (building SP or 8 on campus maps). Registration for the forum is not necessary – just come!
Thursday’s workshop, “Perspectives on Health and Human Rights,” (11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Library) grew out of the ongoing work of an informal health justice group of UT Southwestern faculty. Patti Pagels, with the Department of Family Medicine/Division of Community Medicine, will lead the discussion. She has been active with local clinics caring for homeless and other underserved people, and has done work in Nicaragua. Host David Markham, a cardiologist with the Department of Internal Medicine, has worked in Haiti for the past several years. The workshop will be in the South Campus (main) Library Administrative Conference Room, E3.314E. Bring your lunch; drinks will be provided. Space is limited! Registration is required.
For more information, contact John Fullinwider by email or phone at 214-648-3801.