Bioethics on Air: Episode 21: Catholic Identity in Health Care Education—with University President Tony Aretz

Tony Aretz, the president of the University of Providence, in Great Falls, Montana, discusses the challenges and unique benefits of implementing Catholic mission formation in health care education.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistJuly 2, 2018Catholic Health Care, Professional Guidance

Bioethics on Air: Episode 20: Ethics and Brain Injury in Sports—with Physician Bennet Omalu

Dr. Bennet Omalu, the first physician to observe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), discusses how faith has influenced his understanding of the ethical implications of traumatic brain.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistJune 4, 2018Catholic Health Care, Professional Guidance, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 19: Deactivating a Pacemaker—with Rev. Benedict Guevin, OSB

Fr. Benedict Guevin examines whether it is permissible to deactivate a pacemaker, which differs from other medical devices in some crucial, ethically relevant aspects.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistMay 17, 2018End-of-Life Issues, Brain Death, Determination of Death, Catholic Health Care, Professional Guidance, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

Bioethics on Air: Episode 18: Sister Nurses of the Civil War—with Sr. Dolores Liptak, RSM

Sr. Dolores Liptak, RSM, shares the stories of Catholic nuns who volunteered as nurses in both the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistMarch 15, 2018Catholic Health Care

Bioethics on Air: Episode 17: Tutorial on the HHS Mandate—with Attorney Hillary Byrnes

Hillary Byrnes, an attorney for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, provides insight into the controversial HHS Contraception and Sterilization Coverage Mandate as well as the religious liberty concerns with the original mandate and the subsequent accommodation. She also describes the recent exemption granted by the Trump administration.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistMarch 2, 2018Sterilization, Birth Control and Contraception, Conscience and Civil Liberties, Government Mandates (ACA and HHS)

Bioethics on Air: Episode 16: Legal Challenges of POLST—with Attorney Cameo Anders

Attorney Cameo Anders explains the issues that POLST (physician orders for life-sustaining treatment) is meant to solve and those it raises.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistFebruary 1, 2018End-of-Life Issues, Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), Brain Death, Determination of Death, Advance Directives and POLST, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

Bioethics on Air: Episode 15: Legal Aspects of Advance Care Planning—with Attorney Cameo Anders

Attorney Cameo Anders discusses how to properly identify a surrogate and use advance directives like living wills and health care powers of attorney to ensure ethical health care decision making after injury or at the end of life.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistJanuary 16, 2018End-of-Life Issues, Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), Determination of Death, Brain Death, Advance Directives and POLST, Nutrition and Hydration, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

Bioethics on Air: Episode 14: The Principle of Double Effect—with Ethicist John Di Camillo

Bioethicist John Di Camillo explains the principle of double effect and illustrates its application through a number of case studies.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistDecember 15, 2017Professional Guidance, Beginning-of-Life Issues, End-of-Life Issues, Cooperation and Double Effect, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 13: A Culture of Encounter—with Mary Shivanandan

Dr. Mary Shivanandan discusses the profound effect of postmodernism on our understanding of the human person. She then presents an alternative, after-modernism, which is grounded in the personalism of Pope St. John Paul II.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistNovember 28, 2017Beginning-of-Life Issues, End-of-Life Issues, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 12: The Problem with Gender Dysphoria, Part 2—with Ethicist Edward Furton

Ethicist Edward Furton discusses the Catholic response to transgender ideology as well as the clinical challenges associated with transgender patients.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistNovember 9, 2017Catholic Health Care, Gender Identity and Being Transgender

Bioethics on Air: Episode 11: The Problem with Gender Dysphoria, Part 1—with Ethicist Edward Furton

Ethicist Edward Furton discusses the significance of replacing the diagnosis of gender identity disorder with gender dysphoria, the ideological motivations for this change, and the numerous moral challenges it creates.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistOctober 26, 2017Gender Identity and Being Transgender

Bioethics on Air: Episode 10: New Forms of Discrimination Against the Disabled—with Mary Forr

Guest Mary Forr discusses the institutionalized discrimination faced by persons with disabilities and shares ways to promote their dignity and recognize the unique gifts they give to society.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistSeptember 25, 2017Persons with Disabilities, Pregnancy Complications, End-of-Life Issues, Beginning-of-Life Issues, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

Bioethics on Air: Episode 9: The Decline of Scientific Credibility—with Scientist Carr J. Smith

Dr. Carr J. Smith traces the roots of what he describes as a decline in scientific credibility to the loss of abstract reasoning skills. He then examines the long-term effects of this trend on the scientific community, education, and the culture at large.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistAugust 30, 2017Catholic Health Care, Research, Beginning-of-Life Issues, End-of-Life Issues, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 8: Remnants of Life—with Ethicist Edward Furton

Ethicist Edward Furton probes of the subtleties of brain death and the difficulties that arise from the linguistic difference between metaphysics and science as well as from dissenting opinions within Catholic philosophy.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistDecember 2, 2016Brain Death, Determination of Death, End-of-Life Issues, Professional Guidance, Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

Bioethics on Air: Episode 7: Vaccines and the Common Good—with Pediatrician Gwyneth Spaeder

Dr. Gwyneth Spaeder, a pediatrician in Wake Forest, NC, discusses the moral imperative for Catholics to vaccinate themselves and their children.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistNovember 14, 2016Catholic Health Care, Vaccines and Vaccination, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 6: Reasonable Hope of Benefit—with Ethicist John Di Camillo

Ethicist John Di Camillo discusses the difference between ordinary and extraordinary care in end-of-life decision making.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistNovember 3, 2016End-of-Life Issues, Determination of Death, Brain Death, Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), Nutrition and Hydration

Bioethics on Air: Episode 5: Dignity at the Margins—with Psychologist James Beauregard

Psychologist James Beauregard talks about the challenge of defining human dignity and the divergent approaches proposed by Christian and postmodern thinkers.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistOctober 17, 2016Research, Beginning-of-Life Issues, End-of-Life Issues, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 4: Pathways to Knowledge—with Physicist Thomas Sheahen

Physicist Thomas Sheahen probes the limit of science’s ability to interpret unobservable phenomena like the multiverse, suggesting techniques for reconciling empirical inquiry with qualitative aspects of reality.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistSeptember 30, 2016Research, Conscience and Civil Liberties

Bioethics on Air: Episode 3: The Money in Your Genes—with Tech Entrepreneur Joe Chiarella

In our second episode about CRISPR gene editing technology, tech entrepreneur Joe Chiarella asks who is guiding these new multi-billion-dollar companies and balancing the goals of researchers and product makers against the best interests of society.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistSeptember 15, 2016Research, Genetics and Genome Editing

Bioethics on Air: Episode 2: Paying People as If They Matter—with Hospital CFO Paul Babcock

Hospital CFO Paul Babcock explains why health care economics are not structured to serve either patients or health care employees. He challenges this status quo with the possibility of a more ethical system.

ArchivedJoe Zalot, PhD—Staff EthicistAugust 31, 2016Catholic Health Care, Professional Guidance

“Bioethics on Air” Podcast Archive