Twenty-six college students from Touro’s Lander School for Girls (LCW) and Lander School of Arts & Sciences (LAS) debated these and different questions throughout a midwinter break journey to Bangkok, as a part of a two-week course in bioethics. The three-credit course, Biomedical Cross-cultural Instructional Program (BioCEP) supplied the scholars with a first-hand take a look at all kinds of hospitals and establishments to learn the way tradition can affect moral selections in drugs, dentistry and biology. 

Accompanied by Dr. John Loike, a professor of biology and bioethics and the founding father of BioCEP, the scholars had been launched to numerous compelling moral questions, together with when life begins; the character and limits of knowledgeable consent; the remedy of so-called “orphan” illnesses; and the usage of deception in analysis. Having the scholars confront these points in particular person, slightly than in concept, was one among Dr. Loike’s many aims for the course.

“A part of the expertise is for the scholars to understand and respect the varied cultural values in drugs and science,” he mentioned. “Gaining an appreciation for this worldwide variety is important for pre-med, pre-dent and pre-health college students, and I wished to instill within the college students an appreciation and respect for the varied cultural values folks have in drugs and science.”

Studying new views

Over the course of the 2 weeks, the group visited a number of hospitals and met with healthcare workers to realize a greater understanding of individuals with whom they shared {many professional} pursuits, however have very completely different backgrounds, and who face challenges the American college students hadn’t encountered beforehand. Amongst these had been the Yanhee Hospital for Well being and Magnificence, to witness a number of the surgical improvements to reinforce sufferers’ look and wonder, and the Hospital for Tropical Drugs, to study in regards to the moral challenges in treating Dengue fever and malaria.

Naomi Might, a senior at LCW, mentioned she was fascinated by a lecture they heard on the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital about twine blood, which is the blood left over within the placenta that accommodates hematopoietic stem cells.

“These stem cells are so necessary, as they can be utilized to deal with many critical illnesses, even most cancers,” mentioned Might, who hopes to be a nurse in a supply and labor unit.

College students additionally had the chance to listen to from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Well being in regards to the moral challenges in creating common healthcare and in regards to the difficulties in establishing clinics in rural areas of Thailand.

“My ideas earlier than the journey had been that affected person autonomy was a very powerful tenet of medical ethics, and any resolution made AMA [Against Medical Advice] have to be because of their private beliefs,” mentioned Shira Davis, a psychology main who’s a senior at Touro’s Lander School for Girls. “Now I perceive the pervasiveness of misinformation and lack of medical care that may result in sufferers making such selections.”

Collaboration throughout cultures

Dr. Loike based BioCEP to allow college students to debate, assess and replicate on the moral questions they encountered in Thailand. This system was facilitated along with the Data Alternate Institute, a corporation that permits college students overseas to “acquire sensible expertise and improve their understanding of the world via cultural and social immersion.” The Institute supplied the group with a Thai consultant, Marisa Chung Vinitketkumnuan, a former Buddhist monk, who joined the scholars on area journeys and taught them about Thai tradition.

College students stayed at lodges subsequent to the five-story Chabad-Lubavitch of Bangkok Middle, which supplied meals for his or her two Shabbatot in Thailand and the place they davened, joined by greater than 500 Israeli vacationers. Dr. Loike lectured the scholars every night time on Chabad’s sky roof lounge overlooking the Bangkok panorama they usually additionally heard significant shiurim  about halachic challenges of dwelling in Thailand from the Director of the Chabad Home, Rabbi and Rebetzin Wilhelm.

Though the academic elements of this system is its major objective, they nonetheless managed to squeeze a bit of enjoyable into their time overseas. The highlights included the attractive underground aquarium that housed a salt water lake containing sharks and sting rays, and an elephant reserve the place they bathed elephants by hand. In addition they visited a Pink Cross snake farm, the place the pinnacle veterinarian confirmed them how king cobras are milked to develop anti-venom serum.

Earlier than coming house, they met with 30 undergraduate college students at Mahidol College to find out about revolutionary on-line science schooling, and to construct cultural bridges with a few of their Thai counterparts.

“By no means earlier than had I felt the worldwide connection of physicians and researchers as strongly as I did in Thailand,” mentioned sophomore Chana Birnbaum. “Spending time in Bangkok broadened my understanding of each Thai tradition and healthcare. Furthermore, it demonstrated how insights and breakthroughs are shared the world over, for the sake of humanity.”