Dean Stanley Korenman and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas Discuss Ethics at LA BioMed Gala
Last week Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas joined government and medical leaders in honoring three leading physicians who have made significant contributions to healthcare, research, and academic medicine in the United States and to the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed).
The three honorees were Michael M. Kaback, M.D., William H. Swanson, M.D., and Stanley Korenman, M.D. (seen at left in discussion with Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, Ph.D.) Similar to Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, who earned his Ph.D. in Social Ethics and Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California, Dr. Korenman is a trained ethicist. In addition to being one of the country’s foremost experts on ethics for human research, Dr. Korenman is the Associate Dean for Ethics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Despite their allegiance to rival Los Angeles universities, Dr. Ridley-Thomas and Dr. Korenman found common ground in the field of ethics and held a lively discussion about the role of ethical discourse in public policy.
“Talking with Dr. Korenman reminded me of the provocative and often complex matters of ethical dilemmas in medicine, business, the environment, and the workplace,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said.
The successful event was held in Rancho Palos Verdes and will benefit LA BioMed, one of the nation’s leading independent biomedical research institutes. The nonprofit employs more than 150 researchers who conduct studies on improving treatments and cures for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, and illnesses caused by environmental factors.
The Supervisor took advantage of the gathering of many of the region’s most respected medical experts to discuss new strategies and ideas for new health care “mega” projects in the Second District. These include the February ground-breaking of the $322.6 million Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s Surgery/Emergency Replacement Project and the $350 million Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital scheduled to open in 2012, both of which are expected to greatly fortify the public health infrastructure of the Second District.
