The Perelman School of Medicine and the Department of Medical Ethics at Penn recently launched the Penn Neurodegenerative Disease Ethics and Policy Program, the first of its kind in the United States.
The program aims to support research, education and training to tackle the ethics and policy questions concerning the progress of diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. It will address the challenges posed by the loss of function and decision-making capacity that go hand in hand with the development of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The program will be directed by professor of Medicine, Medical Ethics and Health Policy and Associate Director of the Penn Memory Center Jason Karlawish.
“What we’re doing is working on methods to find that research and conduct it so that it is valid research but also that it adheres to ethical standards to respect the safety and rights and interests of the people who participate in the research,” he said.
The program will support research that will determine the changes that should be made in the financial services industry as well as in the medical field to better assist older adults with cognitive problems. It will also explore the value of early diagnosis of a brain at risk for developing neurodegenerative disorders.
“I am very excited that Penn is supporting this,” he added. “I think it is a very new and important area and it’s a perfect program to be at Penn given the strength we have here in neurodegenerative diseases, bioethics and policy.”
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