Are Physicians Morally Obligated to Prescribe Experimental Therapies?

Are Physicians Morally Obligated to Prescribe Experimental Therapies?

A doctor reassuring a patient.

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Zubin Master
Zubin Master, PhD is an Associate Consultant II in the Biomedical Ethics Research Program at Mayo Clinic. Previously, he was an Associate Professor at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College. He has also held appointments at the University of Alberta, University of Montreal, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Master also worked in public service as a Senior Policy Advisor at Health Canada in areas of assisted reproduction and scientific integrity. He holds an undergraduate degree in genetics from York University, a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Toronto, and completed post-doctoral fellowships in bioethics and health policy at Dalhousie University and the University of British Columbia. His research interests focus on the ethics and policy of research specializing in stem cell research, genetics, and research integrity. Dr. Master serves on several committees and journal editorial boards and has published over 70 articles. Dr. Master has not received any remuneration for writing for leapsmag.
A vaccine for ovarian cancer is now in development

The upcoming vaccine is changing the way we look at treating one of the country’s deadliest cancers.

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Last week, researchers at the University of Oxford announced that they have received funding to create a brand new way of preventing ovarian cancer: A vaccine. The vaccine, known as OvarianVax, will teach the immune system to recognize and destroy mutated cells—one of the earliest indicators of ovarian cancer.


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Sarah Watts

Sarah Watts is a health and science writer based in Chicago.

How sharing, hearing, and remembering positive stories can help shape our brains for the better

Across cultures and through millennia, human beings have always told stories. Whether it’s a group of boy scouts around a campfire sharing ghost stories or the paleolithic Cro-Magnons etching pictures of bison on cave walls, researchers believe that storytelling has been universal to human beings since the development of language.

But storytelling was more than just a way for our ancestors to pass the time. Researchers believe that storytelling served an important evolutionary purpose, helping humans learn empathy, share important information (such as where predators were or what berries were safe to eat), as well as strengthen social bonds. Quite literally, storytelling has made it possible for the human race to survive.

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Sarah Watts

Sarah Watts is a health and science writer based in Chicago.