Christine Harrison Life and Legacy in Paediatric Bioethics

Remembering Christine  Multifaceted contributions  Christine’s wisdom

Remembering Christine  2015 saw the loss of a wonderful person  Missed as a wife, family member, bioethicist, colleague, teacher, mentor and friend to many here today  Christine was a leader in paediatric bioethics nationally and internationally  Was a leader in Canadian bioethics

Christine and Ron (husband) Christine and Jim (brother) Travels - orphanage in India

Ph.D. from McMaster University,1990 Associate Professor, Dept of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Worked at SickKids for 17 years, first as a bioethicist and then as the Director of the Department of Bioethics Member of 16 committees at UofT, 58 hospital committees and 32 prestigious external committees Extensive list of publications, over 375 presentations and multiple teaching awards Received the Life Time Achievement Award in Bioethics from the Canadian Bioethics Society, 2011 Some of her many accomplishments

Lifetime Achievement Award Canadian Bioethics Society

Christine’s expertise in ethics consultation, teaching, mentorship, research and policy development is widely recognized great impact on the lives of children, families, trainees and those working in many facets of paediatric healthcare Sought after for guidance by colleagues locally and internationally Served as president of the CBS and took on leadership roles in 3 of its annual conferences Her legacy is honoured by a named annual lecture in Paediatric Bioethics at SickKids and a named Award for Excellence in Ethics Education through the JCB

At SickKids Retirement and Department’s 20 year anniversary Christine Harrison Bioethics Week Paediatric Grand Rounds

Joint Centre for Bioethics

Contributions that continue to guide us Sunita Vohra MD Joan Gilmore JSD 2011

Christine’s Wisdom

“John Thomas, who was one of the originals doing bioethics work in Canada, was my mentor at McMaster. He used to quote Martin Luther, who refused to recant his beliefs despite being ordered to do so by the Church and State. Historical accuracy and questions about Luther’s character aside, this quotation always reminds me that each one of us (and everyone we work with) has an integrity line that we are not willing to cross. It still gives me goosebumps.” “Here I stand, I can do no other”

 “Be careful where you attribute intention”  In the fast paced world of health care, people’s actions can be caused by a variety of factors  Check in with ourselves regarding any presumptions we may be making

 “How are the decisions made by guardians and staff being experienced by the patient?”  Sometimes it will take special effort to seek out how the paediatric patient is personally experiencing the treatment, protocols and policies that the adults around them put in place

 “Leave room to consider the unpopular positions of under-represented stakeholders”  In a rush to reach a consensus, we need to be careful not to overlook what might be the most ethical way forward

 “The are times for soft-spoken determination and times to speak up with a louder voice”  The importance of behind the scenes work in fostering opportunities for reflection and for finding ethical paths forward

 “Challenges to ‘speaking up’ are many. Situations and issues are often very complex, and there may be reluctance to make judgements without having all the facts. Some individuals involved in what appear to be unethical activities are reflective and sincere in their ethical values, and it may feel arrogant to proclaim our different values as the ‘right’ ones. Some are reluctant to enter the arena of politics, rhetoric and media games. …Nevertheless, and despite these challenges…we need to ‘speak up’…We need to work together in a variety of ways to ‘speak up’ more effectively so that our words and our convictions result in positive changes in the world – otherwise, we’re just talking at each other”

 Thank you to the conference organizers for inviting me to share some reflections  Thank you all for your attention  Thank you Christine…