IU School of Medicine Mini Medical School Bioethics, Brain Function and Repairing Spinal Cords

INDIANAPOLIS - How does society develop ethics standards and policies for stem cell and other research? Will new imaging technology provide answers to how our brains work? Do new surgical and technical therapies being researched for spinal cord injuries show promise for injured patients like actor Christopher Reeve.

These are among the topical issues raised at the Indiana University School of Medicine Mini Medical School, Oct. 9 through Nov. 13. Each Tuesday evening session, conducted by IU School of Medicine physicians, faculty and other experts, begins at 7 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer period.

"One of the main goals of Mini Medical School is to introduce and explain to the public the latest issues in medicine and research," says Bette G. Maybury, M.D., clinical professor of neurology, who co-moderates the program with Stephen G. Lalka, M.D., professor of surgery.

Speakers and subjects for the fall series of Mini Medical School:

Oct. 9: Indeed, the opening session of the six-week series will kick off one of the hot-button issues of the day. Eric M. Meslin, Ph.D., director of the IU Center for Bioethics, will discuss the bioethics surrounding public and private funding of human stem cell research and the expanding ethical responsibilities of clinicians and investigators. Dr. Meslin served as executive director of the U.S. National Bioethics Advisory Commission from 1998 to 2001 before assuming leadership of the recently established IU Center of Bioethics, a major component of the IU-based Indiana Genomics Initiative, funded by a $105 million grant from the Lilly Endowment.

Oct. 16: The discussion about human research continues the second week of Mini Medical School when Robert Levine, M.D., professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and a leader with the Yale Bioethics Project, discusses recent controversies such as human cloning and the emergence of new international standards in research ethics. This is a joint lecture with the IU School of Law at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, which is co-hosting the McDonald-Merrill-Ketcham Memorial Lecturer with the IU School of Medicine.

Oct. 23: What can we learn when watch the brain at work? Gary D. Hutchins, Ph.D., the John W. Beeler Professor of Radiology at the IU School of Medicine, will explain how brain function is measured and evaluated by imaging technology, such as positron emission tomography, which is used to study cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurological systems.

Oct. 30: Micheal Phillips, M.D., assistant professor of radiology, will discuss how magnetic resonance imaging is used in clinical and research applications to map brain function. His specialty areas include neurology and multiple sclerosis.

Nov. 6: Surgery is only part of a comprehensive treatment plan to help people with back pain. Michael Groff, M.D., assistant professor of neurosurgery and co-director of the IU School of Medicine Spinal Cord Center, will discuss treatment of complex spinal disorders, including degenerative diseases and spinal cord tumors. Nov. 13: Some neurosurgeons, including those at the IU School of Medicine, are using experimental surgical procedures that might one day help people with spinal cord injuries regain mobility. Scott A. Shapiro, M.D., professor of neurosurgery, will discuss emerging spinal cord surgeries and treatments. Dr. Shapiro is principal investigator of a trial at the School using an electrical stimulator to treat spinal injuries.

Each session of Mini Medical School is held at the Riley Outpatient Center, 575 West Drive, on the IU Medical Center campus, with the exception of the Oct. 16 presentation, which will be at the IU School of Law, 530 W. New York Street on the IUPUI campus. Registration for all six sessions is $35 and includes parking and hand-out material. To register, call 317-278-7600 and refer to course number N01A00.

Mini Medical School is partly funded with an educational grant from Pfizer. IU Medical Group and Indianapolis radio station WIBC sponsor Mini Medical School, which is offered by the Indiana University School of Medicine Faculty Community Relations Committee through the IUPUI Division of Continuing Studies. For registration information, call 317-278-7600.

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Note to editors: Micheal Phillips' first name (Oct. 30 presentation) is spelled correctly).

Media Contact: Joe Stuteville
Tel: (317)274-7722
Email: jstutevi@iupui.edu

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