This grant provides travel and expenses for several invited scientists and scholars to present papers at the First World Congress of Biomechanics, in San Diego, Friday, August 31. These papers will form the core of a mini-symposium on "Ethical Issues in Bioengineering," and cover topics such as: allocation of scarce resources, clinical trials of new devices and implants, conflict of interest, and human and animal experimentation. Bioengineers face medical ethics problems, but they are not often exposed to training in the principles and issues of biomedical ethics. Nor is much of the material in this area focused in a way that addresses their concerns directly. These speakers will provide an important initial resource to develop this field. The talks will be published in a special issue of the journal Annals of Biomedical Engineering. The proposal focuses on an important area; the principal investigator and invited speakers are very well qualified; the modest funds that are requested should stimulate initial attention to ethical issues for bioengineering and, through publication, provide a long-term resource for the field. Support is highly recommended.
