This Artifact from my first semester of sophomore year was from the first bioethics class I ever took. I originally enrolled in the class to fill up space because I was unable to get into the public health class I wanted. I turned out to have a passion for bioethics, and for thinking about situations through the lens of ethical conduct. The Artifact I have attached is a few screen shots from my group project where was analyzed how ethical the FDA was in their drug review process. For this project, we developed a “ethical checklist” that we could use to analyze how the FDA handles situations ranging from Tobacco control and regulation, to the potential introduction of marijuana as a nationwide legal substance. We ultimately came to group consensus that although the FDA could act more ethically in an ideal world, they were doing a good job considering their limitations in either resources or funding.
This was not only the first group assignment of my college experience, but it was an assignment that felt applicable to the real world. Organizations that deal with living organisms (especially people) are constantly under the watchful eye of ethic committees. This assignment was very enjoyable, and opened my eyes to the fact that I might have an interest in a career related to ethics. Before taking this class, I had not ever really considered careers in bioethics, but after finishing this project I felt very satisfied with the work I had put in, and realized just how much fun I had thinking about the FDA through an ethical lens. Taking this class made me realize how important it is to keep an open mind, if I had not taken the risk by enrolling in a class outside fo my normal range, I would not have had my eyes opened to a future career path.