Research Ethics & Compliance — Film Discussions

This discussion series examines research ethics issues raised in popular films and documentaries.  We welcome multidisciplinary perspectives.  Anyone from any University department is welcome to attend any or all of these events.

 

Please stay tuned for future events in this series!

Please direct any questions to the series' organizer, Shawna Benston, at [email protected].

 

Past events:
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2PM to 3:30PM.
This event was held online via Zoom.
Discussion of the documentary, "The Eugenics Crusade," and the ethical issues it raises with expert panelists, Dr. Robert Klitzman and Ms. Erica Spiegel.
Where to watch the film: Columbia affiliates can view the full film for free here.
Thursday, December 16th, 1PM to 3:00PM.  
This event was held online via Zoom.  Please note that this event was not recorded.
Discussion of the documentary "Remembering Anarcha," about Dr. James Marion Sims' controversial legacy as the "father of modern gynecology" who conducted experiments on enslaved women.
This event welcomed:
Speaker Bios
Where to view the film: See options here.  To watch for free, click here or here.
Sample Bibliography for this Topic
  1. Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, by Harriet Washington
  2. A medical hell recounted by its victims, by Harriet Washington
  3. Statues that perpetuate lies should not stand: Monuments to the 'father of gynaecology' cannot be defended as historical documents because they hide grave injustices, by Harriet Washington
  4. Apology Shines Light on Racial Schism in Medicine, by Harriet Washington
  5. Monumental Error: Will New York City finally tear down a statue? by J.C. Hallman
  6. Anarcha, by J.C. Hallman (forthcoming book; see here for more information)
  7. The Cry of Alice, by J.C. Hallman
  8. J. Marion Sims statue: a questionable monument in a questionable place, by J.C. Hallman
  9. The statue of a doctor who experimented on enslaved women still stands in Alabama. But now there’s also a monument to his victims. [about Michelle Browder’s monument of Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, called “The Mothers of Gynecology”]
  10. Memory and Medicine: A Historian’s Perspective on Commemorating J. Marion Sims, by Susan M. Reverby [includes the image of Robert Thom’s painting of Sims]
  11. An Antebellum Hero, but to Whom? by David Gonzalez
  12. Sculpture of Paradox: Doctor as Hero and Villain, by David Gonzalez
Wednesday, June 9th, 2PM to 3:30PM.  
This event was held online via Zoom.  Please note that this event was not recorded.
Discussion of "Miss Evers' Boys."  View the full film here (available to only Columbia affiliates).

This event featured Harriet Washington and Robert Fullilove in a discussion moderated by Hilda Hutcherson and involving audience participation.

Monday, March 8th, 2pm to 3:30pm.
This event was held online via Zoom.  Please note that this event was not recorded.
Discussion of "Gattaca."

This event featured NYU's Arthur Caplan and Columbia's Maya Sabatello in a discussion involving audience participation and moderated by Shawna Benston.

Thursday, December 10th, 3pm - 4:30pm.
This event was held online via Zoom.  Please note that this event was not recorded.
Discussion of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."  View the full film here (available to only Columbia affiliates).

This event featured a full Columbia panel including Dr. Robert Fullilove and Dr. Jacquelyn Taylor in a discussion involving audience participation and moderated by Dr. Sandra Soo-Jin Lee.

Wednesday, June 24th, 3:30pm – 5pm.

This event was held online via Zoom.  Please note that this event was not recorded.
Discussion of "Charly"

The third session focused on the 1968 film, "Charly."  Featuring Columbia’s Paul Appelbaum and the University of British Columbia's Judy Illes in a discussion involving audience participation and moderated by Shawna Benston.

Monday, February 24th: 2-4pm with light reception to follow, Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall in Columbia Journalism School (2950 Broadway)
Discussion of "Voices from the Grave"

The second session of this series focused on the 2010 documentary, "Voices from the Grave" and the research leading to the film and book that inspired it.  Co-hosted by the Office of Research Compliance and Training and the Human Research Protection Office/IRBs.  Featuring Columbia’s Mary Marshall Clark and the documentary’s producer Ed Moloney in a discussion involving audience participation and moderated by Columbia’s Geraldine Downey.

Monday, October 21st, 3-5pm, Vagelos Education Center Room 201
Discussion of "Three Identical Strangers"

The first session focused on the 2018 documentary, "Three Identical Strangers."  Triplets who had been adopted in infancy by three different families in infancy accidentally reconnect as young adults and ultimately discover nefarious reasons for their initial separation.  Audience members came prepared to experience and investigate a riveting narrative of a NYC-based family who were unknowing subjects of an intense research study with wide-ranging implications.  Co-hosted by the Office of Research Compliance and Training and the Human Research Protection Office/IRBs.  Featuring Columbia's Robert Klitzman and Neil Schluger in a discussion moderated by Shawna Benston and Challace Pahlevan-Ibrekic.