Ethics and Microbes (Via Zoom)

January 27, 6:30pm-8:00pm

$15 preregistered/prepaid.

Registration Deadline: January 25 (A link will be sent to you one day prior to the event)

COVID-19 has changed America’s understanding of microbes. Have you ever wondered about the genes of these tiny organisms that live inside you? What promise for the future of medicine might that knowledge provide? Right now new tests, new medicines, and vaccines are dependent on scientific understanding of these bacterial and viral genes. However, the patient’s values matter too! Your attitudes toward the microbes within us matter to the decisions we make in the pandemic. Your views matter to how society uses antibiotics as “super bugs,” generating big questions from the tiniest quarters. Come and discuss issues surrounding the future of genes, microbes, and ethics.

Dr. Karen M. Meagher, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Public Engagement in the Bioethical Ethics Research Program at Mayo Clinic. She moved to Rochester, MN three years ago, but grew up in Rochester, NY! Her research interests focus on public health ethics and social implications of advances in genomic science and technology.

Sara Watson is a Research Coordinator in the Biomedical Research Program at Mayo Clinic.  She also serves as the Community Coordinator for the Mayo Clinic Community Advisory Boards in Rochester, MN and Jacksonville, FL. She coordinates the Sangre Por Salud Biobank (which is an exclusive LatinX collection) Community Advisory Board in Phoenix, AZ. She is a Minnesota-native, raised in rural central Minnesota and joined the ethics team at Mayo Clinic in October 2019. Since joining, she has worked closely with Dr. Karen Meagher to explore social and ethical concerns of antimicrobial resistance, stewardship, and the implementation of new genomic tools.

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