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Neuroscience major Stephanie Fosbenner ’10 (Perkasie, Pa.) presented research at the 12th annual National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference held this month at Harvard University.
Sponsored by the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities, the conference brings together hundreds of undergraduate students and leading experts for two days of discussion on bioethics issues.
“I thought the conference was phenomenal,” Fosbenner says. “I had the opportunity to participate in seminars on topics ranging from neuroethics to health care resource allocation, and attend lectures given by economists, doctors, and researchers. I also got to meet students from all over the country who have similar interests and are concerned about the same social issues that I am.”
Fosbenner’s research analyzes the ethical responsibility of pharmaceutical companies to provide AIDS medicine to countries in the developing world. She developed the paper from a writing assignment for a Values and Science/Technology class that she took as a sophomore. Taught by Thomas Yuster, associate professor of mathematics, the class explored issues related to the AIDS pandemic.
“I am interested in issues surrounding global health care inequality and health care resource allocation,” Fosbenner says. “As the provider of one of the most basic health care resources, namely medicinal drugs, the pharmaceutical industry and the pharmaceutical patent regime influence global health in untold ways. Building on my knowledge from organic lab, I wanted to learn more about this influence in the context of antiretroviral availability in low-income countries.”
Fosbenner believes that Lafayette provides a particularly supportive environment for undergraduate research. “I have had the opportunity to pursue research with professors in areas as diverse as chemistry, neuroscience, and public health,” she says. “Each experience has helped me to better define my interests.”
Last summer, Fosbenner spent six weeks volunteering in the family planning unit and pediatric ward at the Bagamoyo District Hospital in rural Tanzania. In the fall semester, she collaborated with Lisa Gabel, assistant professor of psychology, on an independent study focusing on Fragile X-Syndrome, the most common form of inheritable mental retardation.
After she graduates, Fosbenner plans to pursue a Masters of Public Health degree. Her ultimate goal is to work as a public health physician, focusing on women and children’s health.