Peter Zuk, our alt-ac fellow for the 2017-18 academic year, had an incredibly successful collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in which he contributed directly as a medical ethicist to two important initiatives. His work in the alt-ac program helped him to think about a broad range of possible applications for his philosophy PhD, which he will defend in September.
In Peter's words, "The HRC’s generous support has enabled me to embark on new research trajectories in data ethics and neuroethics at Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. I am applying my theoretical training in philosophical ethics and social-political theory as a member of two project teams: Building the Medical Information Commons and Neuroethics of aDBS Systems Targeting Neuropsychiatric and Movement Disorders. The first of these projects investigates empirical and ethical dimensions of large-scale medical data-sharing. The second investigates ethical aspects of next-generation deep brain stimulation treatments for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and other disorders. These opportunities have allowed me to contribute to collaborative, interdisciplinary work on medical humanities topics of public concern with a focus on stakeholder attitudes, as well as to develop my own independent lines of normative inquiry on these topics.