Virtual Mentor. December 2005, Volume 7, Number 12.

December 2005 Contents

Physicians in Public Roles

Ethics Poll

I believe that physicians have a binding ethical obligation not only to care for their individual patients but also to take public health advocacy roles.
Yes
No

There ought to be some way to restrict the publication of medical advice (strictly speaking, not health or life-style tips) written by nonphysicians.
Yes
No

Media attention to controversial end-of-life cases, on balance, does:
A. More good than harm by protecting patient interests and prompting people to discuss their end-of-life wishes with family members.
B. More harm than good by extending the patient's life beyond what he or she would have wanted and turning family tragedy into entertainment for a sensation-hungry public.

Because of their special knowledge and training, physicians should take a high-profile, public role in the current evolution versus intelligent design/creationism debates.
Yes
No

From the Editor

When Must Physicians Assume Public Advocacy Roles?
Robert E. Burke
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Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Media Attention to End-of-Life Cases
Commentary by Ware G. Kuschner and John J. Paris
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Lead Paint Dangers and Physician Advocacy
Commentary by Lisa J. Chamberlain and Timothy Hoff
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New York Super-AIDS Case: Physician as Public Health Officer
Commentary by LaVera M. Crawley
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Journal Discussion

Protecting the Vulnerable: A Call for Pediatrician Advocates
Philip Perry
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Clinical Pearl

Diagnosing Pediatric Lead Toxicity
Jennifer Reenan
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Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Kevorkian: When Physicians Take Controversial Public Stands
Sunil Nair
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Policy Forum

Physician Members of the President's Council on Bioethics
VM interviews with Daniel W. Foster, MD, and William B. Hurlbut, MD
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Physician-Advocate: Deciding What To Fight for and When
VM interview with Philip A. Pizzo, MD
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Medicine and Society

Physicians as Public Advocates: Setting Achievable Goals for Every Physician
Clarence Braddock
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Physicians as Reporters in the Media: Meeting the Challenge of Patients' Needs for Better Information
VM interview with Sanjay Gupta, MD
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On Being a Physician and a Member of Congress
Donna M. Christensen
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A Doctor in the House
Dave Weldon
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Assessing Physician Legislators
Allison Grady
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Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Citizen MD
Paul Costello
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