Consider the Professional Responsibilities of Your Role

1
Consider the Professional Responsibilities of
Your Role

• Gretchen A. Winter, J.D.
• Executive Director, Center for Professional
  Responsibility in Business and Society
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• February 22, 2008
• Chicagoland Stem Cell Science Education Symposium

2
Corporations

• Establish and communicate policies and standards
• Consider existing stem cell lines, cord blood,
  embryonic, fetal, cord blood,and adult stem cells
• Consider all areas where policy could apply
• Consider profitability in context of corporate
  responsibility
• Adhere to accepted ethical and professional
  standards
• Align reporting relationships to permit exercise
  of employee's professional responsibilities
  without interference

3
Physician Researcher

• First, do no harm
• Patient safety is paramount
• Use generally accepted standards in clinical
  research
• Obtain informed consent
• Recognize and address personal pressure(s)
• Avoid and/or disclose conflicts of interest
• Respect confidential information
• Keep accurate records

4
Journalist

• Learn your biases and remember them when
  reporting
• Choose sources carefully and quote them
  accurately
• Disclose the biases of your sources
• Share the whole story
• Truthfulness and transparency are the core of a
  journalists professional mission

5
Educators

• You are a role model model the behavior you
  would like to see
• You are considered a definitive source of
  information and answers
• Use methods to manage a culturally and
  religiously diverse classroom when examining
  controversial ideas

6
Teach Elements of Critical Thinking

• Use primary sources
• Be skeptical
• Ask questions
• Be collaborative
• Provide and apply decision-making frameworks

7
A Decision-making Framework Includes

• Factual Analysis
• Identification of alternatives
• Evaluation of options in the context of values
  using a variety of tests
• Selection

8
Common Tests

• What are the risks and benefits, both short and
  long term?
• What are the positive/negative consequences of
  each option?
• What if this were being done to or for me?
• What if everyone did it this way?
• Does this violate the law, policy, or standards
  of conduct?
• What would my co-workers think?
• Would my grandmother understand my action?
• Would I be able to look at myself in the mirror?
• How would this look on YouTube?

9
Final Thought

• Just think of the tragedy of teaching children
  not to doubt.
• --Clarence Darrow