September 05, 2019

Media Advisory – Interdisciplinary Professionalism Day

Southern Illinois University Carbondale first-year professional and graduate students will confront and discuss current ethical legal and medical issues together this Saturday. 

The 215 students will be part of the 24th annual Interdisciplinary Professional Responsibility Day from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday in French Auditorium in the School of Medicine’s Lindegren Hall on the Carbondale campus. 

Participating students are from the SIU School of Law, the SIU School of Medicine’s medical degree program, the medical school’s Physician Assistant Program, and the Department of Public Health and Recreation master of public health and doctoral program. 

The students will gather for a faculty panel and group discussion on interdisciplinary relationships and ethical concerns surrounding a hypothetical problem involving an adolescent's right to receive measles vaccinations against their parents' will, said Jennifer Brobst, associate professor of law. 

“The problem was inspired by the Brooklyn measles outbreak a year ago, which New York City health officials reported ended only this week,” according to Brobst.  “Many critical health concerns involve competing legal interests, and this year’s problem was able to tap into current events to show how a diversity of professions can work well together to navigate the conflicts better.”           

Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to the professional panel and large group discussion that will start at 10:15 a.m. in Lindegren Hall’s French Auditorium. Students and faculty will be available for interviews at noon. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Brobst, associate professor, SIU School of Law, at 618/453-8702, or Cris Anderson, assistant professor, SIU School of Medicine. 

The panelists include:

  • Cris Anderson, moderator, and director of the School of Medicine’s Year One Doctoring program.
  • Jennifer Brobst, associate professor, SIU School of Law.
  • James Daniels, SIU School of Medicine and Adams County Health Department medical director.
  • Sarah Patrick, assistant professor, SIU Carbondale Department of Public Health.
  • Sidney Smith, assistant professor, SIU School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. 

The School of Law and School of Medicine each require the program, and the event is part of the law school’s first-year Professionalism and the Law class. Over the years, cases have involved bioethics, challenging social dilemmas, and life-and-death decision-making. The event is one of the university’s largest, longstanding interdisciplinary events.