Ethical Considerations for Conducting Health Research During Armed Conflict

Speaker: Emily E. Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Professor of Bioethics in the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Abstract: Worldwide, wars continue, significantly impacting public health. Continuing health research is ethically imperative and critically needed to document and understand the health effects of war and to develop and test effective interventions to promote health and treat illness under extreme conditions. Yet conducting research in settings of armed conflict is both logistically and ethically challenging. This presentation will review the unique risks to and vulnerabilities of potential research participants, methodological challenges that will threaten data integrity, risks to researchers, and challenges for research ethics review. Analysis of ethical issues will be informed by in-depth interviews with researchers working in conflict settings worldwide. Gaps in guidance for research in conflict settings will also be discussed as well as recommendations for supporting researchers and protecting participants. Importantly, considering the ethics of health during war yields lessons for all research in limited resource settings.

CME

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ (including medical ethics and/or professional responsibility).

NCPD

UT Southwestern Medical Center is accredited as a provider of nursing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

This activity is awarded 1.0 credit hour.

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Claudia Bruguera Torres, M.D.
Pediatric Anesthesiologist
Golisano Children's Hospital
Buffalo, New York

"Pharmacogenetic susceptibility in the Venezuelan population: Navigating anesthetic risk with a new mitochondrial DNA variant"

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM

Please contact Brian Frasure if you have questions or concerns

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presented by

Mona A. Robbins, PhD, ABPP

Board Certified in Clinical Health Psychology
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

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Speaker:

Lauren Sankary, M.A., J.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurological Surgery
UT Southwestern Medical Center

About Lauren Sankary:

Professor Sankary holds a master's degree from Case Western Reserve, where she also earned her law degree. Her research applies legal, qualitative, and empirical bioethics research methods to investigate ethical issues in clinical research involving vulnerable patient populations, drawing upon her direct experience supporting informed consent as a clinical ethicist and research consent monitor for participants enrolling in neurological research.

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Presented by:

Rakesh Karmacharya, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School

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Speaker:

John Alexander Horton, D.O.
Infectious Diseases Fellow
Wake Forest University School of Medicine

About John Alexander Horton:

Dr. Horton holds a bachelor's degree in physiology from Seattle Pacific University. He earned his medical degree from the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed internal medicine residency training at the University of Minnesota.

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Title: The Challenges and Opportunities of Functional MRI

Speaker:

Peter Bandettini

Chief, Section on Functional Imaging Methods

Director, Functional MRI Facility

National Institutes of Mental Health

Bethesda, MD

Join via Zoom - Joint Radiology and AIRC Research Grand Rounds 2026-2027

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Speaker:

Hani Suleiman, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Nephrology
UT Southwestern Medical Center

About Hani Suleiman:

Originally from Syria, Dr. Suleiman earned his medical degree from Damascus University Faculty of Medicine. He completed his doctoral degree at the University of Regensburg in Germany and received postdoctoral training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Dr. Suleiman develops and adapts new research tools to better understand how cells work. His research focuses on podocytes, specialized cells in the kidney that play a critical role in filtering waste from the blood. Because podocytes have a complex structure, they provide a valuable model for studying how cells maintain their shape, remain stable, and communicate with their surroundings. His work explores the proteins that support cell structure and movement, as well as how cells interact with the surrounding tissues that help anchor and support them.

He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2024 after serving as an Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Lecture Title: The Many Faces of Ocular Herpes: Cornea, Uvea, Retina, and Beyond

Learning Objectives:
1. To describe the spectrum of ocular diseases caused by herpes viruses
2. To differentiate herpetic ocular disease from common mimichers

The UTSW Medical Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM.

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Speaker:

Elena Hsieh, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine
Division Chief, Allergy & Immunology
UT Southwestern Medical Center

About Elena Hsieh:

Dr. Hsieh received her medical degree from the University of California San Francisco and completed pediatrics residency training at the University of California Los Angeles. She then received fellowship training in pediatric allergy and immunology at Stanford University.

As an active physician-scientist specializing in inborn errors of immunity, with a focus on defining the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive immune dysregulation. Her research leverages high-dimensional single-cell and multi-omic approaches to identify pathogenic pathways and translate these discoveries into precision, pathway-targeted therapies. Her work has led to the identification and mechanistic characterization of novel immune dysregulation disorders, including defining the role of IL2RB, LCK, and other T-cell receptor signaling defects in human disease, providing key insights into immune homeostasis and autoimmunity and informing the development of targeted immunotherapies. 

By bridging rare genetic disorders to more common conditions, her research has advanced understanding of diseases such as lupus and inflammatory bowel disease and informed the development of targeted therapeutic strategies. Her program is continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health and major foundations, including the Lupus Research Alliance and Arthritis Foundation.  

Prior to joining UT Southwestern, Dr. Hsieh was an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, where she directed the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies and led a Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) Center of Excellence.

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The New PE Playbook: Updated Guidelines, PERT, and the Future of Pulmonary Embolism Care

Speakers:

Sonja Bartolome, M.D.
Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Director, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program

Brandon Jakubowski, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Associate Director, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program

Rafael Cires-Drouet, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Vascular Medicine

Patrick Sutphin, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Radiology; Division Chief, Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Join us for this multidisciplinary Critical Care Ground Rounds lecture at UT Southwestern Medical Center and learn from esteemed experts in the field. Sponsored by the Critical Care QAPI.

Friday, September 11

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-Noon

Lecture: Noon-1 p.m.

William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital
Lecture Hall – 02.138

Lunch will be provided.

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Speaker:

Pano Theodoropoulos, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor of Radiation Oncology
UT Southwestern Medical Center

About Pano Theodoropoulos:

Dr. Theodoropoulos earned a bachelor’s degree in biological chemistry from the University of Chicago and completed both his medical degree and doctorate in biochemistry at UT Southwestern, where he also trained through the Physician-Scientist Training Program. His research focuses on understanding how small bioactive molecules work in cells and using that knowledge to develop new approaches to cancer treatment.

A major theme of his work is uncovering how experimental cancer-fighting compounds exert their effects. He has helped define how a glioblastoma toxin becomes activated inside cells and disables a key metabolic pathway required for tumor growth. He is currently studying another small molecule that acts on a previously unrecognized cancer target.

During his doctoral training, Dr. Theodoropoulos developed laboratory strategies to identify the cellular targets of promising drug candidates discovered through screening. This work clarified how certain compounds interfere with cholesterol-related pathways and helped enable further drug development efforts in both cancer and multiple sclerosis. He has also contributed to the discovery of tumor-activated inhibitors that block fatty acid synthesis, showing strong anti-cancer activity in animal models.

His broader research experience includes work on immune system disorders caused by disrupted cell signaling, early studies that advanced understanding of how proteins organize themselves inside cells, and investigations into how organisms regulate glucose metabolism.

Dr. Theodoropoulos is an inventor on multiple patents involving cholesterol‑pathway inhibitors, stearoyl‑CoA desaturase inhibitors, and thiophenyl nicotinamide derivatives. His broader research goal is to define new druggable targets in cancer and translate those discoveries into therapeutic approaches.

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Presented by:

Tran Le, M.D.
Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center

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Speaker:

Alan Hutchison, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor of Medicine
Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Associate Program Director, Advanced and Transplant Hepatology Fellowship
F. Widjaja Inflammatory Bowel Disease Institute
The University of Chicago

About Alan Hutchison:

Dr. Hutchison holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Yale Univeristy and earned both his medical degree and his doctoral degree in computational biology and biophysics from the University of Chicago. He completed internal medicine residency training, as well as fellowships in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology, and advanced hepatology at the University of Chicago.

As an active physician-scientist, he focuses his research on diabetes and metabolic complications in patients with cirrhosis and liver transplantation, bridging clinical hepatology with endocrinology and translational science.

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Topic: Implementation Mapping

This series will provide participants with foundational knowledge in implementation science through a combination of didactic lectures and interactive discussions. Join to learn how the program can help you successfully apply evidence-based and evidence-informed practices into healthcare, public health, and policy settings.

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

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Department of Radiology: The Office of Continuing Medical Education

Speaker:
Dr. Suresh Vedantham
Professor of Radiology & Surgery, Assistant Dean for Clinical Research
Founder-Director - Trial-CARE Center
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO

How to Join:
Join in-person in D1.602 or join via Zoom using this link.
Department of Radiology Clinical Grand Rounds

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"The Ethical Challenges of Telling Dr. Douglas M. Kelley's Story at Nuremberg"

Jack El-Hai, M.F.A.

Journalist and author of nonfiction books, articles, and essays about medicine, science, history, and crime

Abstract: This lecture explores the ethical terrain surrounding Jack El-Hai's book, The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, which focuses on the work of Dr. Douglas M. Kelley before, during, and after the first Nuremberg trial in 1945-1946. As a psychiatrist tasked with evaluating leading Nazi defendants, Kelley confronted questions of professional duty, empathy, and moral responsibility when evaluating and treating defendants implicated in unprecedented crimes. This talk examines these dilemmas, including dual loyalty, boundary setting, and psychological effect on the physician. It also addresses the ethical difficulties of reconstructing such a story for a contemporary audience: balancing historical accuracy with narrative clarity, respecting the victims while probing perpetrators' minds, and avoiding sensationalism. Finally, this lecture considers the obstacles to adapting this material for the screen in the movie, Nuremberg, where visual storytelling can both illuminate and distort psychiatric and historical truth.

CME

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ (including medical ethics and/or professional responsibility).

NCPD

UT Southwestern is accredited as a provider of nursing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

This acitivity has been awarded 1.0 contact hour.

Contact

Ruth Vinciguerra | Email

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Title: From Prediction to Action: The role of neuro symbolic and agentic AI in promoting behavioral intelligence

When: Thursday October 22, noon to 1 p.m.

Where: Hybrid event, Zoom and Hoblitzelle Building (G9.102)

CME credit is available for all attendees, and complimentary lunch will be provided for those joining us in person.

Bio: Patrick Dunn, Ph.D, M.S., M.B.A., is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the O’Donnell School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He also is the Director of Digital Solutions for the American Heart Association Center for Health Technology and Innovation and is a Fellow of the American Heart Association. Patrick has a unique blend of knowledge and experience in healthcare, data and behavioral science, software engineering, quality, and research. Dr. Dunn is a clinical exercise physiologist and health educator with 40 years of experience in cardiac rehabilitation, preventive cardiology, and wellness with specific expertise in digital health literacy and digital coaching methods. He has experience teaching research and statistics and has mentored graduate students in public health.

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Talk Title: Will AI Be the Death of Clinical Reasoning? Promoting cognitive excellence in the Age of AI

When: Thursday November 5, noon to 1 p.m.

Where: Hybrid event, Zoom and Richardson Lecture Hall (D1.502, South Campus)

CME credit is available for all attendees, and complimentary lunch will be provided for those joining us in person.

Speaker Bio: Laura Hopson, M.D., M.Ed., is Clinical Professor and Associate Chair of Education in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. She graduated from Yale University with a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and obtained her MD from Duke University. She completed residency training at the University of Michigan, and a MEd through Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hopson has been extensively involved in medical education at the undergraduate and graduate level and currently serves as residency program director and associate chair for education.

She co-directs the institutional GME Innovations program. Dr. Hopson has a long-standing interest in the transition between UME and GME and her scholarly work focuses on the residency selection process, optimizing learning outcomes through the development of expertise, and understanding the learner interface with the clinical environment.

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Title: The Learning Health System of 2035: Designing Healthcare That Learns

When: Wednesday November 11, 2026

11:30a-12:00p: Registration check-in and lunch

12:00-1:00p: Expert Panel

Where: Hybrid event, Zoom and UTSW South Campus (Y2.206 & Y2.214)

Welcome Remarks

Wendy Chapman, PhD

Director of the Clinical Informatics Center, UT Southwestern

Associate Dean of Health Informatics, Chief Learning Health Officer

Moderator

Adela Grando, PhD, MCS, FAMIA, FACMI

Associate Director of Research, UT Southwestern

Panelists

Daniel Capurro, MD, PhD, FRACP, FAMIA, FACMI, FAIDH

Full Professor, School of Computing and Information Systems

University of Melbourne

Ferdinand Velasco, MD

Senior Vice President, Chief Health Informatics Officer

Texas Health Resources

Krystle K. Campbell, D.H.A., M.S.M.S., CHSE, FACHDM

Assistant Vice President of Education Operations, Office of Provost - Academic Affairs

Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, UT Southwestern

Jessica Ancker, PhD, MPH, FACMI

Professor, Departments of Biomedical Informatics and of Health Policy Vice Chair for Educational Affairs, Department of Biomedical Informatics

Vanderbilt University

Eric Peterson, MD, MPH

Vice Provost & Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research

Professor of Medicine, UT Southwestern

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Target Audience

PhysiciansAdvanced Practice ProvidersNursesResidentsStudentsLearning Objectives

Describe recent advances in the treatment of breast, lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, head and neck cancers, melanoma, and hematologic malignancies.Interpret key clinical trial results presented at major oncology meetings and discuss their relevance to clinical practice today.Integrate multimodality treatment strategies including systemic therapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy into patient management.The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

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presented by

Qi Fu, M.D., PhD

Professor and Director of the Women’s Heart Health Lab/Internal Medicine, Cardiology

Lecture Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:
1. Describe the role of sympathetic activity in blood pressure regulation during normotensive and hypertensive pregnancy.
2. Explain sex differences in sympathetic neural mechanisms contributing to hypertension in older adults.
3. Describe sex-specific associations between obesity, sympathetic activity, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Educational Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:
1. Identify problems common to general Ob/Gyn practice; order appropriate diagnostic tests when indicated; improve patient outcomes.
2. Identify conditions relevant to Ob/Gyn subspecialties and evaluate these conditions within the scope of general practice; place appropriate referrals; improve patient outcomes.
3. Have a better understanding of the health care system and be able to function more efficiently within it.

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The 2026 conference emphasizes steatotic liver disease care, including MASH, MetALD, alcohol-use assessment, and referral pathways; portal hypertension, CSPH, prevention of first decompensation, management of ascites, varices, and hepatic encephalopathy, and referral for liver transplant evaluation; HCC surveillance and diagnostic pitfalls; safe clinical use of AI tools, including chatbots and ambient documentation; autoimmune and cholestatic liver disease, including PBC after obeticholic acid withdrawal and updates in AIH/PSC; renal dysfunction and anticoagulation in cirrhosis; and lifestyle, weight wellness, and nutrition counseling for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.

The course, beneficial for physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, dieticians, allied health professionals and other clinicians caring for patients with liver disease, will include didactic presentations, case-based sessions, a formal debate, poster session, and panel Q&A to make the content interactive, practical, and applicable to community practice.

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Title: From Real-World Data to Age-Friendly Care: A Team Science Approach to Build a Learning Health Ecosystem

When: Thursday February 25, noon to 1 p.m.

Where: Hybrid event, Zoom and Hoblitzelle Building (G9.102)

CME credit is available for all attendees, and complimentary lunch will be provided for those joining us in person.

Bio: Dr. Sunyang Fu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Quantitative and Systems Health Sciences at Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin. He previously held a faculty appointment at the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, UTHealth Houston. His research focuses on clinical natural language processing, computational phenotyping, and EHR data quality to support aging research. He is an awardee of an NIA K01 career development award, the national AITC for Aging Research competition, and the NIA IMPACT Scholar program. Beyond his own research program, Dr. Fu is an active leader in collaborative, team-based science across the national research community. He co-leads the American Medical Informatics Association NLP Working Group, leads the AI in Delirium Working Group with the Evolve to Next-Gen Accrual to Clinical Trials Network and the Network for Investigation of Delirium: Unifying Scientists, and is founder of the Age-Friendly Health System NLP Working Group.

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