February 7, 2025
8 am to 4 pm.
Samford University Brock School of Business, Cooney Hall, Regions Community Resource Room
Samford University's Healthcare Ethics and Law Institute's annual conference is designed to help Alabama institutional ethics committees at all levels with some of today's most pressing health care and law issues.
Sponsored by: 
Cost
Conference registration costs $75 per person, which includes lunch and conference materials. Samford students and faculty receive free registration. Contact Scott Bickel at cbickel@samford.edu for the promotional code. A Samford ID must be shown at registration.
Advanced registration is encouraged as seating is limited.
Schedule
8:00 am
Welcome
8:15 – 9:15 am
Overview: The Anxious Generation
Speaker: Jonathan Thigpen, PharmD, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Curricular Innovation and Professional Development, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University. Co-sponsor of Heterodox Academy at Samford
9:05 – 9:50 am
Neurobiological Aspects: Children, Teens and the Media: It's Not All Bad
Speaker: Daniel Marullo, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Children's of Alabama
9:50 – 10:00 am
Break
10:00 – 10:30 am
Philosophical Aspect: Appearance or Reality? The Issue of Truth and Social Media
Speaker: Dennis Sansom, PhD, Retired Professor and Chair, Department of Classics and Philosophy, Samford University.
10:30 – 10:55 am
Student Aspect: Thoughts on the Effects of Technology and Social Media on their Lives
Panel discussion
Moderator: Amy Broeseker, RN, PharmD, PhD, Professor, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University.
11:00 – 12:30 pm
Pellegrino Award and Lunch
Keynote: AI Ethics: Wellbeing in the Age of Digital Deception
Awardee: Laura DeNardis, PhD, Inaugural Director, Center for Digital Ethics; Inaugural Chair in Technology, Ethics, and Society; Professor, Communication, Culture and Technology, Georgetown University.
12:30 – 1:15 pm
Legal Aspects: Should Minors' Access to Social Media by Ristricked?
Speaker: Greg Laughlin, JD – Associate Professor of Law and Law Library Director. Cumberland School of Law, Samford University.
1:15 – 2:00 pm
Medication Aspects: Update on Medications Related to Adolescent Mental Health
Speaker: Kim Benner, PharmD and Mary Worthington, PharmD, Professors at McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University.
2:00 – 2:15 pm
Break
2:15 – 3:00 pm
School Administrators: When the Anxious Generation Goes to School - How Parents and Health Care Professionals Can Provide Support
Speaker: Anna Gaston, LICSW, Student Assistance Counselor for Vestavia Hills City Schools.
3:00 –3:25 pm
Panel Discussion: Where do we go from here?
All available speakers
