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playing god? in the classroom is an educational resource designed to accompany the playing god? podcast, for use by instructors to introduce bioethics concepts and facilitate discussions of ethics among high school and above students. The playing god? in the classroom resources are free and available for non-commercial uses. For other uses and more information, please contact [email protected].
This Lesson Plan accompanies Episode 8, Season 1 of playing god?
Click here to access this Lesson Plan in a printable pdf format
Click here to print the handout associated with this lesson
Summary
Cheryl Yoder’s son Jase was born with an incurable rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which meant he was unlikely to live beyond two years old. Jase managed to get a spot in a clinical trial for an experimental drug. It halted the disease and allowed him to grow up as an active little boy–a miracle cure.
A growing list of uniquely tailored drugs can treat, and even cure, some debilitating and fatal diseases. But often these so-called “miracle drugs” can cost a fortune. In this episode: why miracle drugs cost so much, why it’s so hard to do anything about the costs, and how challenging it is to work towards equitable access for patients who can benefit from them.
In this Lesson Plan, students will learn how new drugs are developed and approved in the United States, and how drug companies determine the price of a drug. They will learn about ethics considerations that inform decisions about how to pay for healthcare when funds are limited. Students will identify and articulate the values and viewpoints of various stakeholders affected by expensive drug prices.
Vocabulary
The following are key terms used in the Episode and their definitions. The terms are marked in bold when they appear elsewhere in the Lesson Plan.
Discussion Guide
The following Assessment Questions can be used by instructors to evaluate student comprehension of Cheryl’s story and the bioethics concepts featured in the Podcast Episode. The Discussion Questions can prompt students to make claims and provide evidence and their reasoning. Student comprehension and views can be assessed before and after listening to the Episode and/or participating in the group activity.
Sample Activities
The activities allow students to actively engage with the bioethics questions at the center of the Episode. Students will develop critical thinking skills and reason-based judgment by citing evidence from the Podcast and other sources. In bioethics, there often isn’t a single “right” answer to a particular question; ideally, students will express and evaluate diverse viewpoints about complex, real-world problems.
Additional Resources
Further readings about key topics covered in the Episode
The costliest drug on the planet will treat infants with rare disease. The market fight focused on cost and safety is just getting started. The Washington Post, 2019.
- This article is about a newer treatment for SMA that only requires one lifetime dose.
A Search For New Ways To Pay For Drugs That Cost A Mint, NPR, 2018.
High Drug Prices and Costly Care Raise Ethical Concerns for Neurologists: A New Position Statement from the AAN, Neurology Today, 2021.
Ethical Challenges Confronted When Providing Nusinersen Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, JAMA Pediatrics, 2018.
Careers Mentioned
The following is a list of different careers and specific professionals mentioned in the Episode.
About this Lesson Plan
The playing god? in the classroom resources are free and open to use for non-commercial purposes. For other uses and more information, please contact [email protected].
To develop these materials, the Berman Institute has collaborated with a group of teachers participating in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, which provides accomplished K-12 STEM educators the opportunity to spend 11 months working in federal agencies or in U.S. Congressional offices, applying their extensive knowledge and classroom experiences to national education program and/or education policy efforts. Eight of the Fellows, drawn from public and private schools across the country, formed an advisory board that is helping shape, review, and pilot the educational materials.
The playing god? Podcast is a production of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics Dracopoulos-Bloomberg iDeas Lab. Season One was co-produced with Pushkin Industries with support from the Greenwall Foundation.
© 2024 Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics
The Podcast Episode and this lesson plan are not designed to answer patient-specific clinical, professional, legal, or ethical questions. Information contained herein is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation.