Wednesday, August 5
8:30 am Welcome and Introductions
8:40 am Informed Consent and Decision-Making Capacity:
A Clinical Ethics Perspective
Joseph Bertino. PhD, HEC-C
Director of Clinical Ethics
Wellstar Health System
Abstract: Questions about informed consent and decision-making capacity are common in healthcare, yet these concepts are often misunderstood. This session explores the ethical and practical foundations of informed consent, the functional criteria used to assess decision-making capacity, and challenges that arise when patients or surrogates struggle to participate in healthcare decisions. Through case-based discussion, participants will gain practical tools to identify ethical concerns, support effective communication, and promote ethically sound, patient-centered decision-making.
9:45 am Guardianship in Practice: A Guide to When, Why and How to Navigate
Guardianship in Patient Care
Libby Moore, PhD
Federated Guardians
Abstract: Providing quality ethics consultation services requires that the consultant be able to identify his or her own relevant moral values and intuitions including how these might influence the process or analysis of an ethics consultation. This interactive session will provide participants an opportunity to explore, reflect thoughtfully, and gain an understanding of their personal moral values, intuitions, and biases. Participants will be guided through various images, works of art, and literary passages to elicit underlying moral instincts which may have bearing on ethics consultation services.
10:50 am Forensic Patients: Healthcare Ethics, Law, and Policy
Greg Dober, MA
Healthcare Ethics Advocate
Private Practice
Abstract: Incarcerated and detained individuals retain fundamental rights to adequate healthcare, yet misconceptions about these rights remain common. This session examines the ethical, legal, and policy frameworks governing healthcare in correctional and detention settings, including constitutional protections and professional standards of care. Participants will explore demographic realities of the carceral population, challenge common assumptions, and gain practical insights into their responsibilities for promoting equitable, ethical, and evidence-based care for this vulnerable population.
12:00 pm Adjournment