Romanell Center Workshop Series
Painting by Jack Freer, MD (emeritus director of the Romanell Center), depicting a scene in Florence during a 1629–31 outbreak of Bubonic Plague.
Conversations at the heart of bioethics
What do we owe one another when decisions about health, life and well-being become complicated? Join the Romanell Center for Clinical Ethics and the Philosophy of Medicine for conversations that bring philosophers and scholars together to examine challenging questions in bioethics and health care.
Selected Saturdays | 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
141 Park Hall, Philosophy Seminar Room
October 10
Keynote: Timothy Murphy
University of Illinois College of Medicine
"The Meaning of the AMA Ethics Opinion on Abortion for the Ethics of Physician-Assisted Suicide"
Kurt Blankschaen, Daemen University
"Gifts, Conversion, and Corruption"
Alex Gillham, St. Bonaventure University and Romanell Fellow
"Rescue Cases: Embryos, Puppies, and Pregnancies"
James Cordeiro, SUNY Brockport and Romanell Fellow
"Ectogestation in the Developing World"
December 5
Keynote: Alex Gillham
St. Bonaventure University and Romanell Fellow
"Terminating the Impairment Argument"
Steve Kershnar, Romanell Fellow
"Meaningfulness and Well-Being"
Nell Felt, SUNY Fredonia emeritus and Romanell Fellow
"Against a Simple Account of Plural Harm"
Travis Timmerman, Seton Hall University and Romanell Fellow
"An Intermediary Solution to the Procreation Asymmetry"
Hosted by the Romanell Center for Clinical Ethics and the Philosophy of Medicine
Questions? Contact David Hershenov at dh25@buffalo.edu.
Explore speakers and topics from previous Romanell Center workshops.
August 1, 2026
Keynote speaker: Alex Byrne, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tomas Bogardus, Pepperdine University
Steve Kershnar, SUNY Fredonia and Romanell Fellow
Perry Hendricks, Romanell Fellow
June 20, 2026
Keynote speaker: Stephen Gilles, Quinnipiac University School of Law emeritus
Phil Reed, Canisius University and Romanell Fellow
David Hershenov, University at Buffalo and Romanell Fellow
Jaron Cheung, University at Buffalo philosophy graduate student
April 25, 2026
Keynote speaker: James Bernat, Dartmouth Medical School emeritus
John Lizza, Kutztown University
Ana Iltis, Wake Forest University
Christopher Riddle, Utica University
April 24, 2026
James Bernat, MD, Dartmouth Medical School emeritus
"Is This Patient Really Dead? And When Did They Die? An Analysis of Death Determination in Normothermic Regional Perfusion"
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Auditorium
February 28, 2026
Keynote speaker: Nick Colgrove, Augusta University
David Hershenov, University at Buffalo and Romanell Fellow
Phil Reed, Canisius University and Romanell Fellow
James Cordeiro, SUNY Brockport and Romanell Fellow