Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #119828

Ruth Gaare, JD, MPH, University of Virginia, PO Box 400800, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4800, (434) 924-3487, rg3r@cms.mail.virginia.edu, Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239, and Clayton Williams, MPH, Louisiana Public Health Institute, 1600 Canal Street, Suite 1028, New Orleans, LA 70112.

Just as controversies in patient care and research have led to ethical guidelines and review by formally established committees in medical care, i.e., hospital ethics committees and institutional review boards (IRBs), so too are public health challenges like infectious disease threats and vaccine shortages leading to the adoption of the new Code of Public Health Ethics and interest in public health ethics advisory boards (PHEABs).

How can the new Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health (the new Code) help state and local health officials make difficult decisions that involve complex tradeoffs in emergencies? What would a public health ethics board or committee look like in a state or local health department? How might it function and incorporate the Code in its deliberations? What cases or issues would it consider? To whom would it be accountable or liable? How would it be evaluated? What would be the criteria for success?

These questions will be addressed by members of the Public Health Leadership Society Committee on Public Health Ethics. Drawing on the new Code of Public Health Ethics (Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health), they will simulate the workings of a state health department ethics advisory board -- addressing two or three "timely" cases that have arisen this year in a real health department. Given that many health departments have IRBs, they also will explore ways to distinguish and clarify the perplexing differences between human subjects research (which would be reviewed in IRBs) and public health practice (which would be addressed in PHEABs). In the last 30 minutes of the session, audience and panel members will explore the opportunities and challenges of creating PHEABs, and discuss whether and how such boards would achieve their goal of promoting professional integrity and leadership, as well as community trust.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how the new Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health (the new Code) can help state and local health officials make difficult decisions that involve complex tradeoffs in emergencies.
• Understand what a public health ethics board or committee could look like in a state or local health department.
• Gain insight into how such a board would function and incorporate the Code in its deliberations.
• Understand the types of cases or issues it would consider.
• Discuss other issues such as membership, liability and evaluation for public health ethics boards or committees.

Keywords: Ethics, Health Departments

Related Web page: www.phls.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation