In the early days of 2020, as news of a strange virus in Wuhan, China spread, it was The Hastings Center 

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A Year Like No Other
December 29, 2020
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** A Test for Ethics, Health, and Society
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2020
In the early days of 2020, as news of a strange virus in Wuhan, China spread, it was The Hastings Center that provided an early preview of the challenges to come in a Bioethics Forum post by two Chinese physicians ([link removed]) . As the virus swept throughout the world, the Center launched early ethics guidance for hospitals, doctors, and officials confronting what became known as COVID-19 ([link removed]) , and followed with two additional resources for health care workers and officials ([link removed]) .

As the pandemic grew, the Center led a petition, signed by early 1,400 ethicists and health leaders, to Congress and the White House ([link removed]) , calling for the use of expanded federal powers against COVID-19 ([link removed]) . The next day, the Defense Production Act was invoked, although the federal government never fully used the powers it afforded.

The Center website became a critical resource ([link removed]) for both guidance ([link removed]) and discussion ([link removed]) on the ethical questions facing the world in crisis, with three times the typical number of posts – and audience.
The Hastings Center Report ([link removed]) published a special issue devoted to the pandemic ([link removed]) , by far the longest we ever published, with the editors noting, “We did not set out to create a theme issue on the pandemic. The responses to our call, in April, for brief, exploratory papers on the ethical and social issues raised by Covid‐19, and particularly on the long‐term implications concerning health and for the field of bioethics itself, turned this May‐June 2020 issue into one.” And Ethics & Human Research ([link removed]) weighed in on the ethics of Covid-19 vaccine trials ([link removed]) . The Center also produced a unique animation, “Stop the Spread.” ([link removed]) And Hastings scholars spoke out
([link removed]) and were quoted in hundreds of media outlets ([link removed]) .

As questions grew about reviving the economy, the Center launched a series of virtual discussions on “Re-opening the Nation” with national leaders, including Zeke Emmanuel and Danielle Allen ([link removed]) . A special “fireside chat” on public trust with Dr. Anthony Fauci ([link removed]) bookended the series. The events were attended by thousands, expanding the reach of the Center in ways never seen previously.

Then as protests erupted across the nation this summer, the Center’s president issued a statement ([link removed]) for the institution – and the field, and launched a series of virtual discussions on Health Equity, Racism, and This Moment in Time ([link removed]) with the first one featuring the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Richard Besser and the Guttmacher Institute’s Herminia Palacio ([link removed]) .
The core work of the Center continued, with the publication of the special report, “For ’All of Us‘? On the Weight of Genomic Knowledge ([link removed]) ,” a new bioethics briefing that explains social and behavioral genomics ([link removed]) , and the expansion of a unique exploration of meaningful lives: The Art of Flourishing: Conversations on Disability ([link removed]) . The pandemic forced this landmark public series to become virtual, yet more accessible, allowing thousands of people around the country – and the world – to participate.

In the midst of all of this, the Center managed to grow its research team with the addition of Dr. Diane M. Korngiebel, who is exploring the ethics of using artificial intelligence in health care delivery and research, Dr. Liz Bowen as the Rice Family Fellow in Bioethics and the Humanities, and Danielle Pacia as a new Project Manager and Research Assistant. The Center also added Dr. Faith Fletcher, Dr. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Dr. Joel Reynolds, and Gretchen Greene as senior advisors and brought aboard Ryan Sauder to lead advancement.

Much more is on the way in 2021.
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Help Chart the Best Path Forward
This has been a year like no other. Challenges raised by the pandemic, including tragic reminders of the health inequities deeply embedded in our culture, underscore the significant extent to which society needs bioethics—now more than ever—to help chart the best path forward. With all its ups and downs, 2020 challenged The Hastings Center to elevate our research, public engagement, and societal impact. As today’s newsletter shows, we seized the opportunity, influencing health care and science policy worldwide . . . but we can’t continue to do it without our donors! Please support our efforts to promote just and compassionate health care for all people and the wise use of emerging technology in health care. Here’s how to contribute ([link removed]) .


**
Events
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Immigrant Health and Christian Ethics ([link removed]) Hastings Center Scholar Nancy Berlinger will address the Society of Christian Ethics on January 6, 2021

Biobanking in the Era of Covid ([link removed]) Cosponsored by The Hastings Center, the Personal Genetics Education Project, and Stanford and Columbia Universities. January 8, 2021, 12pm. Register here for the Zoom event.

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The Hastings Center seeks to ensure responsible health and science policy and practice. We work to secure the wisest possible use of emerging technologies and fair, compassionate, and just health care for people across their lifespan.

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