Time.com, 01/03/14

--Brain death really is death
This piece co-written by David Magnus discusses the definition of brain death. Magnus is the Thomas A. Raffin Professor in Medicine and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

KTVU-TV, 01/30/14

--Who makes life altering decisions about organ transplants?

This segment looked at how decisions are made about who does and does not get onto the wait list for a life-saving organ transplant. David Magnus, the Thomas A. Raffin Professor and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, was interviewed.

Boston Globe, 02/26/14

--New study suggests prenatal genetic tests could be offered to all pregnant women
A new blood test offers pregnant women a safe and much more accurate way to screen for Down syndrome. Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, provides comment here and in a piece on Shots (NPR.org).

NBCNews.com, 02/05/14

--To catch a killer gene: Sisters race to stop mystery disease
This piece focuses on two sisters suffering from an unidentified, incurable genetic disorder, which also claimed several generations of family members. Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics (SCBE), provides comment. 

Inside Stanford Medicine (online), 02/05/14

--5 Questions: David Magnus on understanding brain death
In this Q&A, David Magnus explains why he believes that the laws and ethics governing brain death should not be changed. Magnus is the Thomas A. Raffin Professor and director of the SCBE.

Scope, 04/30/14

--“Drastic, unnecessary and irreversible medical interventions” imposed upon some female athletes
Four female athletes were coerced into “partial clitorectomies” and gonadectomies (removal of gonads) as a result of the current gender-policing polices of major sports governing bodies, according to an article published this week in the British Medical Journal. The article was co-written by Katrina Karkazis, senior research scholar at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

Scope, 04/24/14

--Medical students and author Khaled Hosseini share their muse with Stanford community
This blog entry provides a recap of Stanford’s annual Medicine and the Muse symposium, which brought together medical student art, music, photography and literature in a series of performances and exhibits, and featured a talk with bestselling author Khaled Hosseini.

Inside Stanford Medicine, 05/19/14

--Network launched to connect musicians, music lovers
The new Stanford Music Network will connect faculty, staff and student musicians for group practices, and organize chamber music and string quartet groups. Dean Lloyd Minor; Steve Goodman, associate dean for research and translational science; Audrey Shafer, professor of anesthesiology and director of the Medicine and Muse Program, and Ben Robison, a medical student and professional violinist; are featured in this story.

Inside Stanford Medicine, 05/19/14

--Employee recognition award winners announced
The Stanford School of Medicine recently announced this year's winners of the Spirit Award and the Inspiring Change Leadership Award. The Spirit Award, given to staff members who show outstanding performance, dedication and positive attitude, went to Christopher Dolph, the Willed Body Program coordinator and lab coordinator in the Division of Clinical Anatomy, and to Anne Crowe, assistant director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

Mendelspod.com, 05/21/14

--Stanford's Big Data in Biomedicine conference turns two
This blog piece highlights the Big Data in Biomedicine Conference, held on campus May 21-23. Stephen Quake, the Lee Otterson Professor in the School of Engineering and a professor of bioengineering; Julia Salzman, assistant professor of biochemistry; Michael Snyder, the Stanford W. Ascherman, MD, FACS, Professor and chair of the Department of Genetics; and Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, are mentioned here. 

MIT Technology Review, May/June 2014

--10 breakthrough technologies
This issue highlights the 10 most important technology milestones of the past year; brain mapping is included. Karl Deisseroth, the D.H Chen Professor, professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is featured for pioneering the technique CLARITY, which can convert biological systems into a fully transparent form, allowing researchers to visualize and study the brain's 3-D structure and circuitry using standard molecular probes. The piece also lists genome editing as one of the top breakthroughs; Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, provides comment.

Slate, 06/10/14

--Politics in your DNA

This piece discusses how chimerism and genetic mosaicism complicate the "personhood movement." Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, provides comment.

All Tech Considered (NPR.org), 06/23/14

--Using a 3D version of Rodin's hands to understand anatomy
Experts in medicine and art collaborated on a unique Stanford exhibit that explains the anatomy behind hand sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Inside Rodin's Hands: Art, Technology and Surgery runs through Aug. 3 at the Cantor Arts Center. James Chang, professor and chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery; Chris Crowe, a medical student who works in Chang's lab; and Matt Hasel, the project manager at the division of anatomy, are quoted in this piece.

Scope, 06/04/14

--SMS Unplugged series

Medical student Natalia Birgisson writes about a key moment in her education: helping her young cousin understand his sister's diabetes.

Time.com, 07/28/14

--Google seeks human guinea pigs for health project
Most biomedical research is focused on disease and specific treatments for illness, rather than on understanding what it means to be healthy. Now researchers at Stanford, in collaboration with Duke University and Google X, are planning a comprehensive initiative to understand the molecular markers that are key to health and the changes in those biomarkers that may lead to disease. This article mentions the work, as do a Newsweek.com article and a PasteMagazine.com piece that quotes Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, professor and chair of radiology and director of the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection. Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, also provides comment in an opinion piece on the project from Re/code.

Scope, 07/10/14

--Man on a mission: Working to help veterans who have lost limbs
This blog entry written by Jacqueline Genovese, Assistant Director of the Arts, Humanities and Medicine, profiles former 1st Army Lt. Dan Berschinski, who was outfitted with artificial legs after a bomb nearly took his life in a Taliban-heavy region of Afghanistan. He's now at Stanford's business school, studying to grow his Army base supply manufacturing business so he can hire on fellow wounded veterans.

San Francisco Chronicle, 07/02/14

--Minna Life's kGoal device raises ethical questions
The kGoal device helps women exercise their pelvic muscles and links to a smartphone to give feedback on the effectiveness of their exercise regimen. The device has raised more than $32,000 on Kickstarter, even though the crowdfunding site prohibits raising money for medical projects. Hank Greely, with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, is quoted.

Washington Post, 07/01/14

--Fueled by social media, ‘thigh gap’ focus can lure young women to eating disorders
James Lock, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Eating Disorders Program for Children and Adolescents here, provides comment in this article on "thigh gap," a trend of discussion among adolescent girls linked with unhealthy body image and eating behaviors.

KevinMD.com, 07/01/14

--A 4-year-old taught me the most important lesson in medical school
In this entry, which originally appeared in Scope's SMS Unplugged series, medical student Natalia Birgisson writes about a key moment in her education: helping her young cousin understand his sister's diabetes.

August

ScientificAmerican.com, 08/26/14
--Multitasking gene may help drone operators control robotic swarms
Mildred Cho, professor of pediatrics and associate director at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, is quoted in this article describing how a genetic variant that elevates dopamaine levels could lead to better performance in complex multitasking scenarios.

Scope, 08/12/14
--Film documents rise and fall of a genome matching service – and poses tough ethical questions
This blog entry highlights “The Perfect 46," a film about a geneticist who creates a website that pairs an individual with their ideal genetic partner for children. The movie, which was recently screened at Stanford, included a panel discussion featuring Michael Snyder, the Stanford W. Ascherman, MD, FACS, Professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, and Sandra Lee, a senior researcher at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

California Healthline, 08/07/14
--More live organ donations needed to address gap in California.

This piece highlights the latest Stanford Health Policy Forum, which focused on ways to end our country’s organ-donor shortage. David Magnus, the Thomas A. Raffin Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Ethics, professor of pediatrics and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, is quoted here.

San Francisco Chronicle, 08/05/14
--Organ shortage prompts debate over compensating donors.

This piece highlights the latest Stanford Health Policy Forum, which focused on ways to end our country’s organ-donor shortage. David Magnus, the Thomas A. Raffin Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Ethics, professor of pediatrics and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, is quoted here. A video of the panel discussion is also now available online.

Inside Stanford Medicine, 09/22/14

--Videos explain concepts of clinical research
Bioethicists are releasing videos and policy guidelines that aim to promote more ethical comparative-effectiveness research within medical practices. David Magnus, the Thomas A. Raffin Professor and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics (SCBE), is leading a study that explores the ethical implications of this kind of research. Mildred Cho, professor of pediatrics and associate director of the SCBE; senior scholar Sandra Soo-Jin Lee; Philip Lavori, professor and chair of health research and policy; Steven Alexander, professor of pediatrics; David Rosenthal, professor of pediatrics; and Glenn Chertow, professor of medicine, are also mentioned in this piece. 

Slate.com, 09/12/14

--A new study supports female athletes unfairly excluded from sport
This piece discusses the ongoing debate over sex verification in sports. The work of Katrina Karkazis, senior research scholar at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, is referenced here. 

Aeon.co, 09/03/14

-- Precognitive police

Predictive policing could help prevent crime. But do we want a future where computer oracles and spies track us from birth? Colleen Berryessa and Hank Greely are quoted in this article.

Inside Stanford Magazine, 10/20/14

--Shaili Jain, M.D's research work and interview with Paul Costello were recently covered in Inside Stanford. 

New York Times, 10/06/14

--Sprinter Dutee Chand fights ban over her testosterone level
Dutee Chand, India’s 100-meter champion in the 18-and-under category, was barred from competing against women because of naturally elevated testosterone levels. Katrina Karkazis, senior research scholar at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, is quoted in this piece.

San Francisco Chronicle, 10/05/14

--Film explores struggles with rare diseases
"Rare" is a feature documentary that provides a closer look at the relationships between patients, advocacy groups and researchers involved in developing new treatments for rare diseases. The film was co-directed by award-winning filmmakers Maren Grainger-Monsen, director of the Program in Bioethics at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, and Nicole Newnham, a filmmaker and writer in the program, who are featured in this article.