Kate Santini ‘27
Chief News Editor
Last week, the College of the Holy Cross was delighted to host Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘62 and his wife, Dr. Christine Grady, for a brief residency. As a nurse and distinguished bioethicist, Dr. Grady has dedicated much of her life to reconciling patient needs with scientific objectives. Throughout her career, she contributed to the growing genre of bioethics literature, publishing articles featured in The Oxford Textbook, and has conducted an extensive amount of research on modern health crises and practices. She also served as a commissioner on the President’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues from 2010 to 2017.
Grady was joined by religious studies professors, Professor Jacques Linder and Professor Mary Roche, for a roundtable discussion on bioethics. After introducing the panelists, Elliot Visconsi ‘95, Provost and Dean of the College, opened up the conversation by asking the panelists what they felt is the most pressing issue in bioethics today. Grady responded that her field deals with “how we treat one another in [medical] domains.” Currently, a pressing concern for her is the widespread “disbelief in public health measures” and “mistreatment of scientists and healthcare providers” which stalls medical advancement.
Professor Linder discerned between the “dilemma-based realm” of bioethics, which deals with the morality of procedures such as assisted suicide and abortion, and the “justice-based” realm which refers to inequities in medicine. Focusing on the latter realm, Linder emphasized the prevalence of “barriers to access” in healthcare in the United States, explaining that people of color are disproportionately uninsured in comparison to white Americans. Professor Roche also lamented “the social structures that facilitate” inequities in the healthcare field and explained how bioethicists can aim to protect historically “vulnerable populations.”
Dr. Grady added that cutting-edge scientific innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are “pushing the envelope” toward public mistrust of scientists. Although it is a “very interesting time to be involved in bioethics” with the rise of new technology, she stressed that “guardrails” must be put in place in order to “engender trust” among the public. Considering historical grievances against the healthcare system, Dr. Grady and Linder concurred that “tradeoffs” between patients and scientists must not target marginalized communities. Roche added that “scientific literacy” should be required of all participants in clinical studies. All three panelists stressed the importance of informed consent which cultivates transparency and trust between clinicians, scientists, and patients.
When asked about her educational background at Georgetown University and Boston College, Dr. Grady responded that these institutions instilled important values in her that have guided her for much of her career. Roche agreed that a liberal arts education fosters the ability to “care for the whole person in all of their dimensions.” Indeed, Grady feels that bioethics indulges her love of science while forcing her to think critically about its implications on human life.
While the panelists debated whether equal access to healthcare is a right, they concurred that the field of bioethics can help to restore the public’s faith in the medical field. Grady concluded that “in order to be a good scientist, you need to understand ethics” and that the values ingrained in us from an early age should translate into our vocational endeavors.
Featured image courtesy of NIH Clinical Center
Copy Edited by Annamaria DeCamp
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