So, for this project you will select a prominent personality who made a major impact in the development of medical knowledge, research, or pioneered new treatments and write a biography sketch and reflection emphasizing their contribution to medicine, challenges, and ethical dilemmas faced in the course of their professional career.
In your reflection, consider how society influenced the path of this individual and how this person’s activities in turn impacted the society. You might ask the following questions while you are collecting the information about the personality of your choice:
Did this person have full access to educational or work opportunities?
Was there a need to overcome social or cultural restrictions or economic hardship?
Did the person live in the times of significant social upheavals (wars, revolutions, major social change)? What was their impact?
Did they have to relocate to be able to continue important work or studies?
Were there any social advantages or particular historic context that facilitated research or access to data?
Did the research contradict established scientific or cultural believes that made it more difficult to carry out or be accepted?
Did the research involve significant ethical dilemmas at the time it was conducted?
Would this research meet our current understanding of medical ethics in research or practice?
Did the person get credit for their work during their lifetime?
How did this discovery change the course of medicine or the society?
