Both the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) are meeting next week. The Bioethics Commission will meet in New York on May 18 and 19, continuing their work on a human subjects protection study requested by the President. PCAST will have its regular every other month session in Washington on May 19. Both meetings are open to the public, and will be webcast (check the respective websites on the 18th and 19th for further details.
The PCAST meeting is relatively short, currently scheduled to start at 9 and end by lunchtime. As of May 3, the agenda will include an update on the in-progress study on advanced manufacturing, a presentation from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, and a report on science education from the Chair of the National Academies’ Board on Science Education. As is usually the case, there will be a period for public comment.
As mentioned above, the Bioethics Commission is continuing its work on the President’s request for a study of human subjects protection, and has appointed a study team that is working on the project. As the study was prompted, at least in part, by disclosures about past abuses of human subjects research in Guatemala, the Guatemalan government is conducting its own investigation. The country’s vice-president, also a medical doctor, will present on that study’s work to date on the morning of May 18. The rest of the meeting will focus on various implementation challenges of human subjects research guidelines. Besides the live webcast, the Commission will also be blogging from the meeting.
Pasco Phronesis 