The Point of Medicine
The following articles fall under this category of content within The Point of Medicine.
The Bold Faith of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop with Biographer Dr. Nigel Cameron
In this episode, Dr. Nigel Cameron – theologian, bioethicist, and author of Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General – joins Faith in Healthcare host Dr. Mike Chupp to share the remarkable story of C. Everett Koop. From revolutionizing pediatric surgery and pioneering the NICU to serving as Surgeon General during the AIDS crisis, Koop united medical innovation with moral conviction, championing the value of every life. Drawing on years of research and interviews, Cameron highlights Koop’s bold leadership, deep faith, and lasting impact on American medicine, public health, and the pro-life movement.
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Vaccines, Science, and Conscience: A Conversation with Dr. Paul Offit on Public Health and Trust
In this compelling episode of Faith in Healthcare, host Dr. Mike Chupp and guest co-host Dr. Amy Givler sit down with Dr. Paul Offit—world-renowned vaccinologist, co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
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Lasting Lessons from a Toddler: How I Became a Vaccine Enthusiast
Since 1985, because of the vaccine, the incidence of Hib has plummeted by 99 percent. It’s a great success story. And that is just in the United States. Worldwide, since 1974, almost three million lives have been saved from this disease.
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CMDA Should (Re)-Assert Support for Childhood Vaccination
The current measles outbreak in Texas, the ascension of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services and broad societal trends have prompted widespread debate over the wisdom and future of vaccinating children for preventable infectious diseases with meaningful, even major, morbidity and mortality.
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CMDA Should (Re)-Assert Support for Childhood Vaccination
The current measles outbreak in Texas, the ascension of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services and broad societal trends have prompted widespread debate over the wisdom and future of vaccinating children for preventable infectious diseases with meaningful, even major, morbidity and mortality.
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In the Trenches: Why Bother?
The issues facing physicians are numerous, covering a broad spectrum. From the nuts and bolts of managing daily practice, providing great care as we stay up to date, dealing with the ethical dilemmas facing our patients and communities—it can be overwhelming.
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Transgender Identification Ethics Statement
A novel way of thinking about one’s body has entered into popular culture. “Transgender” individuals refer to their “gender” as a sexual identity that may be male or female, something in between, or neither. This self-identification differs from, and takes priority over, their biological sex as recognized in their chromosomal DNA and innate physical sexual characteristics.
Read ArticleETHICAL VACCINES: Ready for a shot in the arm?
With millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses already plunged into American arms and hundreds of million more doses on the way, can healthcare professionals confidently receive the vaccines themselves and also recommend them for patients?
While responses to this question often involve important emotional factors that need to be addressed, this article focuses on three rational considerations: safety, efficacy and ethics.
Read ArticleVaccines and Conscience Protection
It has been over a year since the first diagnosis of COVID-19 in the United States. Due to this pandemic’s effects, our society has experienced limitations in personal freedoms to a level we have never known. Social interactions and work environments have been changed by social distancing, masks, hospital and nursing home visitation restrictions and working from home. Freedom of movement about our communities and the nation has been limited by “stay-at-home orders” and mass travel restrictions. The availability of vaccines provides a sliver of hope but also raises many questions. Issues our society must address include prioritizing equitable vaccine distribution and the potential for coercive mandates on vaccine use.
Read ArticlePhysician Support for Ethical Vaccines
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our society has had to adapt to unprecedented restrictions and limitations. During this trying time, it has been difficult to find points of optimism. The rapid development of vaccine candidates utilizing varied techniques remains encouraging.
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