Neuroethics NewsShare neuroethics articles, podcasts, and other media with INS members. Email a link to staff ([email protected]) with a quick explanation of your contribution and tag us in your Twitter posts (@neuroethicsinfo). Become a member to receive our bi-weekly email newsletter. Updated Code of ConductFebruary 16, 2022 The International Neuroethics Society (INS) has updated its Code of Conduct. The code is intended to ensure event participants fully understand expectations regarding professional behavior for all meetings and activities organized by the Society. The code prohibits all forms of harassment, discrimination, and professionally inappropriate behavior. Event participants are expected to treat others with respect and consideration at all times, and the Society reserves the right to take any appropriate action regarding unacceptable behavior or activity. The code’s Guidance section provides examples of inappropriate behavior. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. These are offered to illustrate what constitutes a professional environment committed to principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The INS Board of Directors approved the code in January 2023. Moving forward, everyone registering to participate in an in-person or virtual event organized by the Society will be required to confirm they have read and understand the Code of Conduct. The INS is committed to providing safe and productive spaces that foster the free exchange of scholarly ideas. If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct, contact INS Executive Director Karen Graham <[email protected]>. Joseph J. Fins is the new president of the International Neuroethics SocietyNovember 12, 2021 The Board of Directors of the International Neuroethics Society (INS) appointed Dr. Joseph J. Fins to serve as president for a 2-year term beginning at the conclusion of the 2021 INS Annual Meeting on November 5. The president serves as chair of the 15-member Board and guides efforts to achieve the mission of the Society to encourage and inspire research and dialogue on the responsible use of advances in brain science. A physician, medical ethicist, and renowned bioethicist, Dr. Fins is currently Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College and Chair of the Ethics Committee at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell. He has been a member of the INS Board since 2014 and is the sixth president of the Society since its founding in 2008. At a welcome address at this year's annual meeting, Dr. Fins outlined several priorities for the Society that he aims to institute during his presidency. His areas of focus are to:
"It's a good time to be in neuroethics," said Dr. Fins. "It's never been more important, because neuroscience is on the march." Detailing the changing dynamics in medicine, mental health care, and the increased burden of neuropsychiatric disorders during the pandemic, he stressed that "neuroethics is at the center of all this, and we have the responsibility to be responsive." He continued, "I would urge us to think about how the Society could uniquely respond to these pressing concerns. The pandemic and its sequel will be with us for a very long time and [the] INS needs to be part of that conversation." (A video of his full address is included below.) Additional appointees are Ilina Singh, Martha Farah and Debra JH Mathews, who will remain on the INS Board and along with new appointees Veljko Dubljevic and Laura Specker Sullivan are beginning 3-year terms. Ending her term on the Board this year is Karen S. Rommelfanger. Dr. Fins takes over the presidency from Dr. Nita Farahany, who had been president since October 2019 and will continue for 1 year in the role of Immediate Past President. Former presidents of the Society are: Nita Farahany (2019-2021), Hank Greely (2017–2019); Judy Illes (2016–2017); Barbara Sahakian (2014–2016), and Steven E. Hyman (2008–2014). The International Neuroethics Society is a professional association of scientists, scholars, students, and practicing legal and health professionals leading the discussion on the complex ethical issues arising from brain research and an expanding understanding of the mind. Experts in the ethical, legal, and societal impacts of advances in neuroscience, Society members are uniquely equipped to communicate the value and implications that new knowledge, technologies, and potential applications bring to human health and wellbeing. Brief Bio for Dr. Fins  Joseph J. Fins, MD, MACP, FRCP is The E. William Davis, Jr. M.D. Professor of Medical Ethics, Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Chair of the Ethics Committee at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell where he is an Attending Physician and Director of Medical Ethics. A member of the Adjunct Faculty and Senior Attending Physician at Rockefeller University, he co-directs the Consortium for the Advanced Study of Brain Injury (CASBI) at Weill Cornell Medicine and Rockefeller. He is the Solomon Center Distinguished Scholar in Medicine, Bioethics and the Law and Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School where he directs CASBI@YLS. The author of over 400 publications, he is a co-author of the 2007 Nature paper describing the first use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the minimally conscious state. His research is supported by the NIH BRAIN Initiative. His most recent book is ‘Rights Come to Mind: Brain Injury, Ethics and The Struggle for Consciousness' (Cambridge University Press, 2015). A member of the NY State Task Force on Life and the Law, Dr. Fins is an elected Member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Sciences, a Fellow of the Hastings Center, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Academico de Honor (Honored Academic) of the Real Academia Nacional de Medicina de España (the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain) by Royal Appointment. He has served as president of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities. Dr. Fins Address at the Business Meeting
***  In memory of Elaine SnellWe are saddened to share news of the passing of Elaine Snell. Past president Judy Illes prepared a statement on behalf of the INS. (Pictured above: Elaine speaking at the 2017 INS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, USA.) StatementReleasesJoseph J. Fins is the new president of the International Neuroethics Society – November 12, 2021 In memory of Elaine Snell – September 29, 2021 ABC and INS Join the BIA: Reducing the Burden of Brain Disorders through Education, Outreach, and Ethical Practices – June 7, 2021 Calls released for abstracts and essays for 2021 annual meeting – March 4, 2021 Top student essays on ethical issues in brain science selected in the Neuroethics Essay Contest – September 10, 2020 ScholarshipPromoting diversity and inclusion in neuroscience and neuroethicsOlivia P. Matshabane. EBioMedicine, 67 (2021) 103359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103359 Media2021 Meeting Session RecordingsRecordings of most sessions from the online 2021 INS Annual Meeting will be available for meeting participants as well as INS members. |