The Bioethics Project
At Kent Place School
2017 – 2018 Scholars
Meet the 2017 – 2018 Upper School Bioethics Scholars from The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School.
Eleanor Alix, Class of 2019
Eleanor Alix is currently a junior in her third year at Kent Place. She joined the Bioethics project, “Medical Innovations and Healthcare Technology: Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine” to explore her interest in medicine and technology while also challenging her way of thinking. In her research, Eleanor evaluates the ethics of an emerging technology, the digital pill, specifically the potential conflict between the safety and autonomy of the patient. She is grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program which has helped her to engage with the world in a new capacity. Eleanor enjoys the sciences and hopes to pursue a career in medicine. She is excited to see how her new skills enlighten her future studies and life beyond the classroom.
Julia Anderson, Class of 2020
Julia Anderson is currently a sophomore at Kent Place School and has been here since nursery in 2005. Her interest in bioethics first stemmed after taking two elective courses in middle school, and she decided to continue to pursue her passion by participating in this year’s bioethics project. Julia was particularly interested in this year’s theme, Medical Innovation and Healthcare Technology, and has decided to research the Total Artificial Heart. Specifically, she has been diving into the ethical dilemmas surrounding whether or not it is ethically permissible to deactivate an artificial heart. Julia is extremely grateful for this opportunity at Kent Place to participate in this incredible project. The Bioethics project has allowed Julia to expand on her writing and presentation skills, as well as discover her true values. In her spare time, Julia enjoys playing tennis and playing the piano.
Eileen Cohn, Class of 2020
Eileen Cohn is currently a sophomore at Kent Place, and has been at Kent Place since she started Nursery. She chose to participate in the Bioethics Project because of her interest in medical research. While learning about medical innovations and technologies, Eileen became interested in HIV positive organ transplants. These transplants currently take place between HIV patients and were legalized five years ago. Eileen delved into the ethical values, such as fairness, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice, that make this particular medical process so ethically complex. In her free time, Eileen enjoys writing and reading. She is very grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the Bioethics Project, and plans to continue to use the valuable skills she has learned over the past year.
Skyler Ford, Class of 2019
Skyler Ford is currently a junior at Kent Place and has been in the community since ninth grade. She joined the Bioethics program this year interested in the theme of Medical Innovations in Modern Medicine. Skyler has done much already on her own to become involved in anything even remotely related to medicine and by having exposure to the caregiver and patient relationship through EMS training, she became interested in pursuing this in her Bioethics project. Skyler has been fortunate to have the opportunity to explore the effects of medical innovation on refusal of care due to religious reasons. She is so thankful to have been able to be apart of this project and hopes to continue to grow as a scholar even after the course.
Vivienne Germain, Class of 2020
Vivienne Germain is currently a sophomore in her second year at Kent Place. She joined the Bioethics Project in 2017 to learn more about ethical issues in medicine and to expand her way of thinking. She was especially excited about this year’s theme, “Medical Innovation and Healthcare Technology: Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine,” which inspired her to research the application of virtual reality technology into surgical training and how it changes what it means to be a good doctor. Vivienne loved being a part of this thought-provoking and exciting course, and she will carry the skills she has learned with her for the rest of her life.
Madison Goodwin, Class of 2020
Madison Goodwin is a current sophomore at Kent Place and has been there since sixth grade. After attending several Bioethics symposiums throughout her years at Kent Place, she decided that she would love to participate in the Bioethics project herself. When presented with the theme of medical innovations for this year’s Bioethics Project, Madison decided to research whether or not it is ethically permissible to use neural implants for non-therapeutic enhancement of cognitive and physical functions. Madison has really enjoyed learning about ethics throughout the course and is very grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in such a unique program. Throughout the year, Madison has gained a sense of what her true values are, which she hopes will help guide her when challenged with ethical dilemmas outside of the classroom. In her spare time, Madison loves to read and play sports.
Grace Holt, Class of 2020
Grace Holt is currently a sophomore at Kent Place, a school she began to attend in Freshman year. Grace has always had a love for learning new things and debating controversial topics. She saw the Bioethics Project as an opportunity to challenge her thinking and expand her perspective. Overall the course has exceeded her expectations, exposing her to exciting new innovations and testing her values. In her research, Grace tackles the question of whether doctors should perform elective amputation surgery on patients with Body Integrity Identity Disorder. Grace is very grateful to be a participant in this unique program and hopes to apply what she’s learned outside the classroom. In her spare time, Grace enjoys to play soccer and golf.
Adithi Jayaraman, Class of 2020
Adithi Jayaraman is a current Sophomore at Kent Place School and she has been there since her Freshman year. As a member of the Bioethics Project, Adithi is researching the ethical implications of the usage of memory removal technologies for PTSD patients. She is particularly interested in analyzing the difficult question of truth or happiness. With the advent of memory removal technologies, patients will soon have to choose between these two ideals, as nothing is guaranteed. Adithi is grateful for the opportunity to participate in this mind- opening course, as she has truly grown as an individual, a student, and a citizen of the world through her experiences in this class. The Bioethics Project has also guided her to think on a much deeper and complex level. A part from being invested in the field of Bioethics, Adithi enjoys travelling and being immersed in new cultures. She can’t wait to see where this course will take her in the future!
Nyakerario Ogora, Class of 2020
Nyakerario Ogora is currently a sophomore at Kent Place and was new to the school in Freshman year. She has an interest in the intersection of ethics and public policy and working in accordance to this year’s theme, Medical Innovation and Healthcare Technology, has decided to focus her project on the artificial womb and its potential effects on the ethicality and regulation of abortion. Throughout this process she has learned the potential medical innovation has to change the way we previously perceived ethics and has assessed ethical issues with different ethical values and theories that provide several unexplored outlooks. Coming in with little to no background on ethics, she has accomplished much in learning about ethics in general as well as its medical applications and will continue to apply her skills and knowledge as a member of the Kent Place ethics bowl team.
Maggie Stanton, Class of 2020
Maggie Stanton came to Kent Place School two years ago as a freshman. At Kent Place, she has enhanced her interest in science and gained a new passion for the study of ethics by joining the Bioethics Project. The theme of “Medical Innovation and Healthcare Technology: Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine,”inspired her to join due to her curiosity to pursue a medical profession in the future. With this theme, Maggie researched about synthetic biology and the ethical implications that the creation of artificial life may have. Maggie is extremely thankful and grateful for being apart of this mind opening course.
Ava Zaleck, Class of 2020
Ava Zaleck is a current sophomore at Kent Place, where she started in ninth grade. Ava began Bioethics this year with a strong interest in ethics and ethical dilemmas in medicine. As she came across various medical innovations, Ava became very interested in head transplantation and the effects of such a procedure on personhood and quality of life. Ava is thankful to have been given the amazing opportunity to be a participant in the Bioethics project. Bioethics has helped her gain a knowledge of ethics as well as critical thinking skills and presentation tools. Ava is excited to continue her study of ethics as a member of the Kent Place Ethics Bowl team.
Jessie Zietsman, Class of 2020
Jessie Zietsman in currently a sophomore at Kent Place. She came to Kent Place in 2006 as a Preschooler. She joined this year’s project, Medical Innovation and Healthcare Technology: Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine, due to her combined interest in the field of medicine and new scientific innovations. She is specifically interested in genetic engineering which drove her to her project of using CRISPR for xenotransplantation. She has loved studying and learning about new innovations through her research, mentors, peers, teachers, and guest speakers and she is excited to see how these innovations transform our future.