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Health Ethics Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Bryan Pilkington
The Health Ethics Podcast (formerly The COVID Ethics Series Podcast) relies on the idea that challenging ethical issues are best addressed by many folks, from diverse backgrounds, practically reasoning together. Each week Professor Bryan Pilkington is joined by leading experts from medicine, nursing, and the health sciences, as well as political theorists, economists, ethicists, philosophers and lawyers for a conversation about ethical issues.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago23 min
Of Scapegoats & Monday Morning Quarterbacks: Art Caplan on Science, Politics and Dr. Anthony Fauci
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Arthur Caplan about the controversy surrounding Dr. Anthony Fauci and argues that political scapegoating should not replace evidence-based investigation. The episode explores public distrust of science, the ethical challenges of communicating uncertainty, and the tension between nuanced guidance and enforceable public health policies.Guest: Arthur L. Caplan, PhDProfessor Emeritus of Population Health, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of MedicineHost:Bryan Pilkington, PhDProfessor of Bioethics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
- 2 weeks ago29 min
When AI and Doctors Disagree: Rethinking Medical Decision-Making
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Giorgia Pozzi about the ethical and epistemological challenges that arise when AI systems and human clinicians disagree in medical decision-making. The central argument is that disagreement should not be treated as a problem that must always be resolved by automatically trusting either the AI or the physician. Instead, disagreement can be valuable because it can expose uncertainty, encourage critical thinking, and lead clinicians to consider options that neither party initially recognized.Guest:Dr. Giorgia PozziPostdoctoral Researcher, Delft University of TechnologyHost:Dr. Bryan PilkingtonProfessor of Bioethics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
- Aug 17, 202644 min
Against AI Exceptionalism: Healthcare for the Common Good
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with philosopher, Dr. Alex John London, focusing on research ethics, the common good, and the ethical evaluation of artificial intelligence in medicine. The discussion centers on London's book, For the Common Good: Philosophical Foundations of Research Ethics, and explores how its ideas apply to today's rapidly evolving healthcare technologies.Guest:Alex John London, PhDK&L Gates Professor of Ethics and Computational TechnologiesCarnegie Mellon UniversityHost:Bryan Pilkington, PhDProfessor of BioethicsHackensack Meridian School of Medicine
- Jul 7, 202645 min
First, Organize: Physicians, Public Health, and the Power of Collective Action
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Jonathan Shaffer, who argues that physicians’ responsibilities extend beyond individual patient care to confronting harmful misinformation, inequitable systems, and political forces that shape health outcomes. Drawing on sociology, social movement theory, and a materialist critique of bioethics, Shaffer contends that medical professionals cannot effectively address these challenges alone and should instead engage in collective organizing to protect public health and influence policy.Guest:Jonathan Shaffer, PhDAssistant Professor of Sociology University of VermontHost:Bryan Pilkington, PhDProfessor of Bioethics Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
- Jun 29, 202643 min
Beyond “Checkbox” Ethics: What Really Matters in Global Research
Link to Show NotesGuest: Joseph Ali, JDAssociate Director for Global Programs, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics & Associate Professor, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthHost: Bryan Pilkington, PhDProfessor of Bioethics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
- Jun 10, 202641 min
Beyond Snapshots: Studying Medical Training Through Time
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Dorene Balmer about her book, The Long Arc of Training: Six Stories of Aspiring Doctors, which emerged from a 12-year longitudinal qualitative study that followed medical students into residency and practice. Balmer reflects on how repeated, relationship-based interviews allow participants to reflect on their evolving identities as physicians and surgeons, their career options and their personal values in ways that traditional “snapshot” research cannot capture.Guest: Dorene Balmer, PhDProfessor of PediatricsPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania&Education ScientistEducation Collaboratory, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- May 8, 202639 min
Artificial Intelligence & the Social Role of Medicine Redefined
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. John Lantos about how artificial intelligence is reshaping medicine, particularly the doctor–patient relationship. He situates current concerns within a broader historical pattern of technological disruption in medicine, emphasizing that the true value of physicians lies not just in knowledge, but in navigating uncertainty and building trust with patients. He argues that AI will not make doctors obsolete but will redefine their role toward being interpreters of technology and stewards of patient-centered care.Guest: John D. Lantos, MDJDL Bioethics ConsultingArticle discussed:Lantos JD. The Lost Aura of the Physician in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. JAMA. 2026 Apr 7;335(13):1119-1121. doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.0946. PMID: 41770545.
- Apr 13, 202615 min
Asking for Aid: ICE, Advocacy, and Bioethics
In this episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington speaks with Dr. Arthur Caplan on his effort to urge the American and International Red Cross to investigate alleged human rights and healthcare abuses in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. Caplan describes reports of unsafe, prison-like conditions, arguing that these conditions warrant independent inspection under international humanitarian norms. He emphasizes that bioethicists have a special responsibility to speak out because many of the violations directly involve health, basic care, and the rights of vulnerable populations, especially children.Read the open letter here:Caplan, Arthur L. “An Open Letter to the American Red Cross and the International Red Cross: Calling for Immediate Humanitarian Visits to ICE Internment Facilities in Texas,” published March 16, 2026 in Bioethics Today, the website for the American Journal of Bioethics. https://tinyurl.com/openletterRedCrossGuest:Dr. Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
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About Health Ethics Podcast
The Health Ethics Podcast (formerly The COVID Ethics Series Podcast) relies on the idea that challenging ethical issues are best addressed by many folks, from diverse backgrounds, practically reasoning together. Each week Professor Bryan Pilkington is joined by leading experts from medicine, nursing, and the health sciences, as well as political theorists, economists, ethicists, philosophers and lawyers for a conversation about ethical issues.
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