TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Distinguished bioethicist Dr. Glenn McGee will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Susan and Gaylon McCollough Medical Scholars Forum to be held Sept.13-14 at The University of Alabama. McGee will present his lecture, “Generation Genome” Friday, Sept.13 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of Morgan Hall on the UA campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.
McGee is the author of the widely read book, “The Perfect Baby: A Pragmatic Approach to Genetics,” which addresses ethical issues in reproductive genetics and is considered to offer one of the first “practical” theories of bioethics in reproductive genetics. A philosopher by training, McGee is a senior fellow at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he is also a professor of bioethics, philosophy and history, and sociology of science.
McGee has been widely quoted in the national media on such topics as the ethics of human cloning, hospital ethics including “right-to-die” issues, the use of human embryos in stem cell research, and the implications of the biotechnology industry creating synthetic forms of life. He has been featured in The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, Harpers, and has appeared on National Public Radio’s “News Hour” and “All Things Considered.”
In his UA lecture, “Generation Genome,” McGee will address the implications that new medical technologies will have in the practice of medicine and the new ethical issues this will raise.
“Twenty-first century biology has literally changed the meaning of life,” said McGee. “Scientists can now create synthetic life forms and manipulate things as vulnerable as the human embryo. Who is making decisions about what kind of science is OK? The coming generation of doctors are. They will have the opportunity to build careers in a new world, and the responsibility to clean up the biggest mess since the splitting of the atom,” he said.
The Forum is sponsored by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences and was established with a private gift from Alabama physician and University of Alabama alumnus Gaylon McCollough and his wife, Susan. Its purpose is to give students an understanding of the importance of both scientific and humanistic aspects of healthcare.
Twenty accomplished Alabama high school students and some 40 University of Alabama students have been selected to participate in the forum, which will also include health care professionals and UA faculty from a broad range of disciplines. The students were selected based on academic accomplishment, an application and their interest in a medical career.
“This forum will enable today’s students, who will be our future medical professionals, to gain insights into humanistic as well as scientific dimensions of medicine,” said Dr. Bob Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Science. “They will have conversations with national experts in medical research and outstanding professionals from medicine and the liberal arts about the challenging issues future health care professionals will face. We are exceedingly grateful to Dr. Gaylon McCollough and his wife, Susan, for providing students with this valuable experience,” said Olin.
Gaylon McCollough is currently the president of the McCollough Plastic Surgery Clinic and founder of the McCollough Institute for Appearances and Health, both in Gulf Shores. After graduating with honors in 1965 from UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, he continued his career at the University by obtaining a degree from the University of Alabama Medical School in 1969. McCollough also played for the Crimson Tide football team and was named an Academic All-American.
Susan McCollough has her own interior design company and is active in several leadership positions for community organizations in Gulf Shores. She graduated from the University in 1966.
McGee has been a member of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania since 1995, teaching classes in both bioethics and philosophy and was founder of the university’s undergraduate minor and honors program in bioethics. He has authored over 200 articles and essays, edited five books and has reviewed article manuscripts for nearly every major scientific and medical journal. His dossier can be found on the Web at www.med.upenn.edu/bioethic/faculty/mcgee.htm.
The College of Art and Sciences is the largest liberal arts college in Alabama and The University of Alabama’s largest division with 350 faculty and 6,000 students in over 25 departments and programs.
Contact
Rebecca Paul Florence or Ashli Chaffin, 205/348-8663