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700.641.01
Germs, Genes, Patients, and Populations

Location
East Baltimore
Term
3rd Term
Department
Berman Institute (Bioethics)
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2018 - 2019
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
Wednesday, 1:30 - 4:20pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite
Description
What are the ethical, legal, social, and policy issues at the intersection of infectious disease and genomics? How are individualistic conceptions of autonomy, privacy and liberty being challenged in an “omic” era of microbial multiplicity? Can tensions between precision medicine and population health be reconciled?
Explores past, present, and future ethical, legal, social and policy issues at the intersection of infectious disease and genomics. Because of the inherently social nature of contagion, infectious disease challenges individualistic assumptions in bioethical models with public health dilemmas requiring attention to the relationships and interactions between hosts, vectors, pathogens, and environments. Focuses on the potential ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging genomic science and technology for infectious disease control, including cutting-edge scientific topics like personalized vaccines, gene editing, and HIV phylogenetics. Addresses enduring bioethical concerns about social responsibility, stigma, and the challenge of balancing individual interests and protections against risks of harms to others and to public health.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Examine ethical, legal, social, and policy issues at the intersection of genomics and infectious disease
  2. Evaluate how emerging and future genomic science and technology may change existing approaches to infectious disease management and identify potential risks and benefits
  3. Discuss and form persuasive arguments about how the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging genomic technologies in infectious disease should be addressed
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 15% Participation
  • 40% Final Presentation
  • 30% Discussion Board
  • 15% Consensus Conference Statement (2-3) pages
Enrollment Restriction
Enrollment priority given to MBE students. Students who have taken 700.624 BIOETHICS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES, may not take this course for credit.
Special Comments

Course meets in Deering Hall; LLC Room