A patient’s reporting of symptoms or telling of their story to a physician, however compassionate that physician may be, is not the same thing as the patient’s full and valued participation in not only identifying and framing their own health issues, but also problem-solving and goal-setting. Continue Reading
This essay (lightly edited) was submitted as an assignment for my Medicine and Social Justice class, taught by Rosamond Rhodes, as part of the MSc Bioethics degree requirements for Clarkson University/Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (NYC). The assignment… Continue Reading
I was asked to speak in a national forum to oppose proposed Senate amendments to Bill C-14, which outlines legislation for Medical Aid In Dying (MAID) in Canada. I presented the text below as one of nine speakers on the panel,… Continue Reading
In my last post about Patient and Family-Centred Care, I made a passing reference to ‘fake work’ – a term I use to describe the administrative busywork required by parents and families in order to access and maintain services. I’ve… Continue Reading
This post contains the text for my presentation as the 9th Annual Sue MacRae Lecturer, at the Joint Centre for Bioethics in May 2016. Continue Reading
My thesis is done! I’m not going to post it anywhere until I’ve graduated in a few weeks, but in the meantime, here is a summary (which I adapted from the abstract). Physician-Assisted Suicide: Slippery Slopes and Safeguards Although physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is legal… Continue Reading
On this sunny Saturday, I am working on my speech as the Sue MacRae lecturer for 2016. Hope to see you there! 9th Annual Sue MacRae Lecture on Ethics and Patient-Centred Care May 18 2016, 4:10-5:30 University of Toronto Health… Continue Reading
In pursuit of a child’s potential: a parent’s reflections on hope and futility by Jennifer Johannesen (reprinted with permission from Brainstorm: A newsletter about ethics, neuroscience, and society. Prepared by the Neuroethics research unit at the IRCM. Vol 8 No… Continue Reading
Discussion of advance directives has popped up on my radar a lot lately. Could be my age (almost 45, which I optimistically consider the half-way mark) or my field of study (bioethics). Or, it could be that the need is… Continue Reading
I’m saddened by the recent Supreme Court ruling wherein the judges unanimously voted to remove restrictions on physician aid-in-dying. Many of my peers and friends are in support of this ruling and would perhaps be surprised I feel differently. I… Continue Reading
