sharpe.va@verizon.net

Education:

1991                 Ph.D. with distinction, Philosophy/Biomedical Ethics, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057

1986                 M.A. Philosophy, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057

1981                 B.A. Cum Laude, Philosophy and French Language, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01060

Professional Experience:

2004 —             Visiting Scholar, Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University Medical Center

9/2003-2/04     Consultant, Warner Brothers Television. Burbank, CA

2001 -2003        Project Director, Integrity in Science, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC

1999 - 2001       Deputy Director, The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY

1997 - 2001       Associate for Biomedical and Environmental Ethics, The Hastings Center, Garrison NY

1998 - 2001       Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Geology and Geography, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

1996-7              Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Georgetown University

1994 —            Faculty Affiliate, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University

1994 —            Affiliated Scholar, Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University Medical Center

1993- 6             Assistant Professor - Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center

1991-5              Professorial Lecturer - Philosophy Department, Georgetown University

1990                 Adjunct Faculty - Department of Community and Family Medicine (Health and Humanities) Georgetown University Medical Center

1989                 Adjunct Faculty - St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD

1986-7              Lecturer - Georgetown University School for Summer and Continuing Education in conjunction with the Friends of Lorton Reformatory

1985-91            Research Assistant - to Edmund D. Pellegrino, M.D., Director, Center for the Advanced Study of Ethics, Georgetown University

Scholarship and Research:

Publications:

            Books:

2004                 Virginia A. Sharpe, ed., Accountability for Patient Safety: Medical Error and Policy Reform. (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, in press).

2004                 Bruce Jennings, Bradford Gray, Virginia A. Sharpe, eds. The Ethics of Hospital Trustees. (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, in press).

2001                 Virginia A. Sharpe, Bryan Norton, Strachan Donnelley, eds. Wolves and Human Communities: Biology, Politics, and Ethics. (Washington, DC: Island Press, 2001).

1998                 Virginia A. Sharpe, Alan I. Faden. Medical Harm: Historical, Conceptual and Ethical Dimensions of Iatrogenic Illness. (New York: Cambridge U. Press, 1998).

1991                 Virginia A. Sharpe, Why the Liberal Ideal Fails as a Foundation for Medical Ethics or Medical Ethics “In a Different Voice” (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1991) (doctoral dissertation).

            Reports:

2003                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Promoting Patient Safety: An Ethical Basis for Policy Deliberation.” The Hastings Center Report 2003;33 (supp): S1-S20.

2002                 Jennings B, Gray BH, Sharpe, VA, Weiss L, Fleishman AR. “Ethics and Trusteeship for Health Care.” Hastings Center Report 2002;32(4):S1-28.

1997                 Weisman CS, Khoury AJ, Sharpe VA, Cassirer C, Morlock LL. “Affiliations Between Catholic and Non-Catholic Health Care Providers and the Availability of Reproductive Health Services.” Kaiser Family Foundation March 31, 1997.

Book Chapters:

2004                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Knowledge, Norms and the Politics of Risk: Ethical Issues in Policy-Relevant Science.” In Clinical and Developmental Neurotoxicology, ed. By David Bellinger. (New York: Marcel Dekker, forthcoming).

2003                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Oversight, Disclosure, and Integrity in Science.” In AAAS Science and Technology Policy Yearbook, 2003. Washington, DC: AAAS. Available at http://www.aaas.org/spp/yearbook/2003/yrbk03.htm.

2003                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Environmental Justice and the Social Determinants of Health.” In Our Backyard: A Quest for Environmental Justice. (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003).

2000                 Schneiderman, Jill and Virginia A. Sharpe, “Geology and Environmental Justice,” in The Earth Around Us: Maintaining a Livable Planet, J. Schneiderman, ed. (New York: Freeman, 2000).

2000                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Taking Responsibility for Medical Mistakes,” in S. Rubin and L. Zoloth, eds. Margin Of Error: The Ethics Of Mistakes in the Practice of Medicine (Hagerstown, MD: University Publishing Group, 2000): 183-94.

1999                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “No Tribunal Other than His Own Conscience”: Historical Reflections on Error and Responsibility in Medicine.” Proceedings of the National Patient Safety Foundation Conference on Enhancing Patient Safety and Reducing Errors in Health Care. (Chicago, NPSF, 1999).

1996                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Ethical Theory and the Demands of Sustainability,” in Handbook for Environmental Risk Decision Making: Values, Perceptions and Ethics. C. Richard Cothern, Ed. (Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers, 1996).

1993                 E. D. Pellegrino and V. A. Sharpe, Ob-Gyn, Ethics and Public Policy: A Topography of Issues Peculiar to the Care of Women. In Ob-Gyn in the 21st Century. (New York: Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, 1993):123-155.

            Papers:

2002                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Science, Bioethics, and the Public Interest: On the Need for Transparency.” The Hastings Center Report 2002; 32(3): 23-26.

2002                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “What are We Doing When We’re Doing Human Subjects Research?” Neurotoxicology and Teratology 2002:24(4):451-4.

2001                 Jill Schneiderman and Virginia A. Sharpe, "An NSF-Sponsored Curriculum that Moves Students Towards a Feminist Earth Science." Women’s Studies Quarterly: Earthwork: Women and Environments, Spring/Summer 2001.

2000                 Virginia A. Sharpe. “Behind Closed Doors: Accountability and Responsibility in Patient Care.” Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 2000; 25 (1) 28-47.

1999                 Carol S. Weisman, Amal J. Khoury, Christopher Cassirer, Virginia A. Sharpe, and Laura L. Morlock, "The Implications of Affiliations Between Catholic and Non-Catholic Health Care Organizations for Availability of Reproductive Health Services." Women's Health Issues 1999: 9(3):121-134.

1997                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “The Politics, Economics and Ethics of ‘Appropriateness’”. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 1997;7(4):337-343.

1997                 Virginia A. Sharpe and E.D. Pellegrino. “Medical Ethics in the Courtroom: A Reappraisal.” Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 1997;22(4):373-379.

1997                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Why ‘Do No Harm’”? Theoretical Medicine 1997; 18:197-216.

1996                 Virginia A. Sharpe and Alan I. Faden, “Appropriateness in Patient Care: A New Conceptual Framework.” Milbank Quarterly 1996;74(1):115-138.

1992                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “Justice and Care: The Implications of the Kohlberg-Gilligan Debate for Medical Ethics.” Theoretical Medicine 1992;13:295-318.

1990                 Virginia A. Sharpe, “To What Extent Should We Think of Our Intimates as 'Persons'?” The Journal of Clinical Ethics 1990;1:103-7.

1989                 E. D. Pellegrino and V. A. Sharpe, “Medical Ethics in the Courtroom: The Need for Scrutiny.” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 1989;32:547-64.

            Occasional Pieces:

M.F. Jacobson and V.A. Sharpe, Letter to the Editor, Nature Neuroscience 2003;6(10):1001.

V.A. Sharpe, D. Gurian-Sherman, Letter to the Editor: “Competing Interests,” Nature Biotechnology 2003;21(10)1131.

V.A. Sharpe, et al, Exchange of letters with Elsevier Press regarding publication ethics and the lack of a conflict-of-interest policy for its journal, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, Oct.- Dec. 2003.

V.A. Sharpe, Letter to the Editor: “Bioethics: Centres Reveal Sponsors But Not Policy” Nature 418, 583 August 8, 2002.

V. A. Sharpe, “Profile: E. D. Pellegrino: ASBH Lifetime Achievement Award.” ASBH Exchange, Winter 1999.

V. A. Sharpe, Letter On the moral challenge of professionalism. New York Times, December 22, 1998

V. A. Sharpe, Letter on genome research and “volitional evolution.” New York Times, May 17,

1998.

V. A. Sharpe, “Better Patient Care is Crucial” Poughkeepsie Journal April 4, 1998, A4.

V. A. Sharpe, End-of-Life Decision Making. Women’s Health Issues 1996;6:286.

Alan I. Faden and V. A. Sharpe, Iatrogenic Neurological Complications. Archives of Neurology 1994;51:1184-5.

V. A. Sharpe, “Rewriting the End” Letter on Elizabeth Kubler Ross. New York Times (February 12, 1995)

            Reviews and Commentaries:

2002                 Virginia A. Sharpe. “At Women’s Expense: State Power and the Politics of Fetal Rights” American Journal of Bioethics 2002; 2(1):65-66.

2001                 Virginia A. Sharpe. “Broadening the Foundation,” a Commentary on “Medical Ethics Revisited” by Peter A. Singer, Edmund Pellegrino, and Mark Siegler. Biomed Central 2001; 2 (1). (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6939/).

1999                 Virginia A. Sharpe. Review of Diagnosis: Difference: The Moral Authority of Medicine by Abby Wilkerson. Feminist Aspects of Bioethics Newsletter 1999;7(2):7-8.

1999                 Virginia A. Sharpe. Review of Medical Risk by Dennis J. Mazur. Doody’s Weekly and Annals of Internal Medicine (In Press).

1999                 Virginia A. Sharpe. “Rethinking means and ends in the animal kingdom”. Review of The Human Use of Animals, Orlans, et al, editors. Medical Humanities Review 1999;13(1):95-7.

1999                 Virginia A. Sharpe. “Ethical Reflections? A Commentary on ACOG Committee Opinion 213: ‘Ethical Considerations in Research Involving Pregnant Women.’” Women’s Health Issues 1999;9(4):199-201.

1999                 Virginia A. Sharpe. “Where we have been, where we are going” Hastings Center Report 1999;29(5):42-44.

1998                 Virginia A. Sharpe. Review of Jonsen A, Veatch R, Walters L. Sourcebook in Bioethics. Doody’s Weekly (December 1998).

1995                 Virginia A. Sharpe. Review of McCullough L, Chervenak FA, Ethics in Obstetrics and Gynecology . Women’s Health Issues, 1995;5(2): 100-101.

Research Grants (as P.I.):

7/11/03           The Pettus Crowe Foundation – support for the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s conference: “Conflicted Science: Corporate Influence on Scientific Research and Science-Based Policy” and the CSPI Award for Integrity in Science in Honor of Rachel Carson. (Director: Virginia A. Sharpe, $10,000)

7/11/03           The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Foundation – for support of the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s conference: “Conflicted Science: Corporate Influence on Scientific Research and Science-Based Policy.” (Director: Virginia A. Sharpe, $25,000)

10/00-9/02       The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Foundation – “Promoting Patient Safety: An Ethical Basis for Policy Deliberation” (P.I.: Virginia A. Sharpe, $205,300)

3/99-3/02        The Fannie E, Rippel Foundation – “The Role of the Clinician-Patient Relationship in Cancer Care and Research”. (Co- P.I.s: Virginia A. Sharpe and Daniel Callahan, $150,000).

11/97-10/99     The National Science Foundation - Grant # SBR-9712377. “Restoring Wolves to the Adirondacks: Civic Democracy and Obligations to Future Generations.” (Co-PIs: Virginia A. Sharpe, Bryan Norton, Strachan Donnelley, $81,000).

9/95-9/98        USIA College and University Affiliations Grant: Environmental Studies. Georgetown University-University of Leipzig. (Faculty Director: Ethics Segment, $5000).

7/93-6/96        The Charles E. Culpepper Foundation Scholarship in Medical Humanities. “Medical Harm: The Historical, Conceptual and Ethical Dimensions of Iatrogenic Illness”. (P.I.: Virginia A. Sharpe, $97,200).

6/92-8/92        National Endowment for the Humanities, Summer Seminar Grant - "Virtues and Their Vicissitudes." (Virtue Theory and Medical Ethics, $3,200).

Courses Taught:

• Clinical Ethics (Georgetown U. Medical Center, 2004)

• Earth System Science and Environmental Justice (Vassar College, 1998, 2000)

• Environmental Philosophy and Ethics (Georgetown U. 1993,1994,1997)

• Biomedical Ethics (Georgetown U. 1996, 1997)

• Ethical Issues in Managed Care (Kennedy Inst. of Ethics, 3/96)

• Feminist Bioethics (Kennedy Inst. of Ethics, 3/95)

• Medical Ethics (Georgetown U. School of Medicine, 1988, 1991, 1992)

• Introduction to Philosophy (Georgetown U. 1991,1992)

• Introduction to Ethics (St. Mary’s College of MD, 1990)

• Moral Reasoning (Georgetown SSCI, Lorton Reformatory, 1989)

Presentations:

3/27/04           “Evidence, Ignorance, and Accountability,” at Ethics and the Epistemologies of Ignorance Conference. Penn State University. State College, PA.

3/2/04             “Conflicts of Interest in Bioethics” Center for Clinical Bioethics. Georgetown Univ.

12/8/03           “A Code of Ethics for Pediatric Research,” Ambulatory Pediatric Assn. Reston, VA.

10/23/03          “’Honey, I cheated on you’: The Necessity and Limits of Disclosure as a Mechanism of Accountability,” American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada.”

10/4/03           “Corporate Influence and Scientific Integrity,” Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

8/28/03           “Responsible Conduct of Research,” Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP), the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.

7/11/03           “Conflicted Science,” Center for Science in the Public Interest Conference on “Conflicted Science: Corporate Influence on Scientific Research and Science-Based Policy” Washington, D.C.

5/28/03           “Ethical Issues in Children’s Health Research,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Advances in Children’s Health Research. Washington, DC.

1/21/03           “The Exploitation of Scientific Standards to Slow Regulation,” Committee on EPA Assessment Factors for Data Quality. The National Academy of Sciences. Washington, DC.

10/25/02          “Who’s Buying Bioethics?” American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.

10/16/02          “Research Integrity, Conflicts of Interest and the Commercialization of Science.” Georgetown University Medical Center Bioethics Colloquium, Washington, DC.

10/11/02          “Conflicted Journalism: Who is Buying the Science?” Society for Environmental Journalists Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.

5/14/02           “Medical Harm and its Fallout: Making Health Care Safer for Everyone.” The 9^th Annual Schallenberger Lecture. The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

4/11/02           “Oversight, Disclosure, and Integrity in Science.” 27^th Annual AAAS Colloquium on Science and Technology Policy, Washington, DC.

4/5/02             “Looking Upstream.” School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Conference on Environmental Justice. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

2/25/02           “Beyond Blame: Taking Responsibility for Medical Mistakes." Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ethics rounds. Boston, MA.

10/28/01          “Don’t Blame Me, It was a System Problem: Responsibility and the ‘System Approach’ to Medical Error” ASBH Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN.

9/27/01           “Patient Safety: A Collective Good at the Expense of Individuals?” Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

5/24/01           “Environmental Justice and the Social Determinants of Health” – Center for Bioethics and School of Environment and Public Health. University of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN.

5/17/01           “Ethical Issues in Medical Error Prevention” Donaghue Foundation Annual Meeting, Farmington, CT.

4/20/01           “Environmental Justice: Ethics and the Allocation of Benefits and Burdens” – Keynote Address – Connecticut College Conference: A Quest for Environmental Justice: Healthy, High Quality Environments for all Communities.

2/20/01           “Risk and Responsibility in Health Care.” University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

1/23/01           “Theoretical Frameworks and Environmental Value.” Columbia University Center for Environmental Research and Conservation. New York, NY.

1/16/01           “Social Justice And Environmentalism.” Penn Center, St. Helena Island, SC.

11/15/00          “Mission, Cooperation, And Reproductive Services.” American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.

9/11/00           “Medical Ethics and Medical Error: Patient Safety and the Institute of Medicine Report.”. The 18th Annual Zacharias Lecture, Bon Secours/St. Mary’s Hospital, Richmond, VA.

7/13/00           “The Role of Systems Thinking in Contemporary Health Care” Hastings Center Conference on Systems Thinking and the “Land Ethic.” Garrison, NY.

6/26/00           “Talking About Medical Error” – Grand Rounds – New York Medical College Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Valhalla, NY.

6/17/00           “Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries” National Women’s Studies Assn. Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.

5/11/00           “Patient Safety: Creating Systems to Foster Virtue” Error in Medicine: A Complex Sorrow, University of California, Berkeley.

4/24/00           “Conflicts of Interest in Medicine and Medical Research” – Grand Rounds – New York Medical College Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Valhalla, NY.

3/20/00           “Identity, Integrity And Interests: Ethical Issues in Women’s Health Care.” – Keynote Address, Trends 2000 Conference, Toronto, Canada.

1/24/00           “Lying to Secure Coverage for Patients: Justified Patient Advocacy? – Grand Rounds – New York Medical College Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Valhalla, NY.

12/14/99          “Organ Procurement and the Free Market” New York Ethics Network, Year in Review Program, NY Academy of Medicine, NY, NY.

11/8/99           “Ethical Issues in Medical Education”– Grand Rounds – New York Medical College Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Valhalla, NY.

11/3/99           “Identity, Uncertainty, and Well Being in the Postmodern Era” Hastings Center Project on Families and Traumatic Brain Injury. Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

10/25/99          “Earth Science, Environmental Justice and Democratic Participation” Panelist, Pardee Symposium, Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

10/25/99          “Geothermal Energy, Hawai’i and Environmental Justice” Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

9/29/99           “Duties and Responsibilities of Not-For-Profit Hospital Trusteeship.” Panelist, New York Academy of Medicine, NYC.

6/10/99           “Environmental Justice” NIH-NYU Leadership Alliance. NYU, NYC.

4/16/99           “The Hastings Center and Bioethics: From Health Care to the Environment” Miss Porter’s School, Farmington, CT.

4/8/99             “Medical Harm and Medical Error: New Ways of Understanding Responsibility” University of Maryland Medical System Medical Humanities Hour. Baltimore, MD.

1/29/99           “The Care Orientation: The Moral Demands of Relationships” New York Medical College, Faculty Development Seminar, Valhalla, NY.

12/18/98          “The Right to Refuse Treatment and New York State Law.” St. Francis Hospital Family Practice Residency Program. Poughkeepsie, NY.

11/30/98          “Science, Technology and Human Rights: Reciprocal Impacts.” Vassar College Program on Science, Technology and Society, Poughkeepsie, NY.

11/21/98          “The Fate of Reproductive Services in Affiliations between Catholic and Non-Catholic Hospitals.” ASBH Annual Meeting, Houston, TX.

11/21/98          “’Behind Closed Doors’: The Historical Evolution of Accountability in Patient Care.” ASBH Annual Meeting, Houston, TX.

11/8/98           “No Tribunal Other than His Own Conscience”: Historical Reflections on Error and Responsibility in Medicine – Keynote Address – National Patient Safety Foundation Conference on Enhancing Patient Safety and Reducing Errors in Health Care, Rancho Mirage, CA.

10/16/98          Ethical Issues in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention – N.I.H. Genetic Counseling Program, Bethesda, MD.

8/17/98           “Patient Refusal of Indicated Therapy.” Grand Rounds – New York Medical College Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Valhalla, NY.

6/11/98           “Patient’s Rights and Provider Obligations: Improving the Quality of Nursing Home Care.” Westchester Health Action Coalition, White Plains, NY.

6/8/98             “Beneficence and Nonmaleficence: From Professional Ethics to Medical Ethics to Organizational Ethics.” Georgetown University, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Intensive Bioethics Course, Washington, DC.<