An interesting honors course that satisfies CORE Behavioral and Social Science (SB) requirements, possibly of special interest to comp bio or pre-med students. — JMP
HONR288L Medical Devices: Applied Ethics and Public Policy
Fall 2008, Mondays, 2:00pm- 4:30pm
• What is ethics? Why is it important?
• An ethical engineer has obligations not only to his/her employer, but also to the public. What are these obligations?
• How can I make ethical decisions? If someone disagrees with me, are they being unethical? Is there only one ethical solution to a problem?
• What does it mean to be a professional?
• What does the code of ethics for engineers require of me?

Ethics tells us how to act. Some ethical theories require us to do what provides the best, long-term consequences for the most people; others tell us to meet specific obligations to each individual, regardless of the overall consequences.

In this course you will learn basic ethical theories, how to apply these theories, and what obligations you have as a professional.

We will study professionalism, codes of ethics, and the role of professionals in society. We will also discuss real ethical dilemmas, including some from my experience as a regulatory consultant and former Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Devices at the FDA. Case studies include controversies concerning breast implants, artificial hearts, deaths due to faulty mechanical heart valves, and allegations of scientific misconduct.

I am a biomedical engineer, with over 30 years experience in government and private industry. I have been teaching applied ethics for university students and for the medical devices industry since 1998.

If you have any questions, you may contact me at rahmoeller@verizon.net or on my cell phone at 301-466-6160.

Glenn Rahmoeller, MSEE, MS (Physiology)
Lecturer, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland
Senior Lecturer, Honors Program, University of Maryland
website – http://www.glennrahmoeller.com/