Liese Pruitt Joins Groundbreaking Program for Medical Students
New York, NY—Liese Pruitt, an alumna of Wayland High School and now a student at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, is one of 12 medical students chosen by FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) to participate in a two-week program for future medical doctors this summer in New York, Germany, and Poland.
FASPE, now in its fifth year of operation, is a unique international program that explores the history of the Holocaust as a way to engage graduate students from four specific fields (journalism, law, medicine, and religion) in an intensive study of contemporary ethics in their discipline. In each of the four fields, FASPE offers innovative programs that address current ethical issues through a singular historical context.
FASPE is predicated upon the power of place, and in particular the first-hand experience of visiting Auschwitz and traveling through Germany and Poland, where Fellows study the past and consider how to apply the lessons of history as they confront today’s ethical challenges in their profession.
Pre-World War II professionals in Germany were known and respected internationally. Yet, leaders (and practitioners) in each of the professions, and often the institutions they represented, played a fundamental role in designing, enabling and/or executing the crimes of Nazi Germany.
Run in conjunction with the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York, FASPE fellowships examine the roles played by professionals in medicine, law, clergy, and journalism in Nazi Germany and underscore that the moral codes governing these essential professions can break down or be distorted with devastating consequences. “By educating students about the causes of the Holocaust and the power of their chosen professions, FASPE seeks to instill a sense of professional responsibility for the ethical and moral choices that the Fellows will make in their careers and in their professional relationships,” said C. David Goldman, founder of FASPE.
The 2014 program will be led by Dr. Sara Goldkind, Senior Bioethicist at The Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Marc R. Mercurio, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Program for Biomedical Ethics at the Yale School of Medicine.
Ms. Pruitt, who grew up in Wayland and attended Wayland High School, is now completing her fourth year of medical school at the University of Chicago. She plans for a career in academic medicine and clinical surgery. She brings an interest in global health, having conducted research in both South Africa and Nigeria, but is also well aware of the challenges “faced when designing a research protocol that meets the ethical expectations of multiple cultures.” Ms. Pruitt explains, “This background informed my firm belief in the importance of culture in understanding health, healthcare and medical ethics.” She hopes that FASPE will equip her with the skills and knowledge to become “a better physician both at home and abroad.” Ms. Pruitt will join a group of 48 FASPE Fellows who represent a broad range of religious, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and who were chosen through a competitive process that drew close to 900 applicants from around the world. FASPE covers all expenses, including transatlantic and European travel, food and lodging. Over the course of 12 days, Fellows will participate in seminars run by leading scholars who serve as FASPE faculty, and attend lectures with a range of guest speakers. The program integrates historical, cultural, philosophical and literary sources; survivor testimony; and workshops in Berlin, Auschwitz and Krakow. FASPE has worked with over 200 students using curricula designed in partnership with faculty from Yale Medical School, Yale Law School, Columbia School of Journalism, and Georgetown University.
FASPE Seminary and Medical Fellows will begin orientation at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust on June 15. Law and Journalism Fellows will begin on June 1. The orientation will include visiting the Museum’s exhibits, meeting with Holocaust survivors, and working with FASPE staff and guest scholars. The first leg of the European portion is in Berlin, where the Fellows will have the opportunity to study the city’s historical and cultural sites. Educational workshops will take place at the House of the Wannsee Conference, the site where representatives of State and Nazi Party agencies convened in 1942 to discuss and coordinate plans for the Nazis’ “Final Solution.”
The Fellows then travel to Oświęcim, Poland, the town the Germans called Auschwitz, where they will work with the distinguished educational staff at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Sessions devoted to contemporary ethics take place in seminar rooms at Auschwitz and at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious universities. The final leg of the trip will be held in Krakow, Poland, where they will explore the city’s rich Jewish, Catholic, and Polish history.
Upon return, each Fellow will submit a final written essay focused on a contemporary ethical issue chosen by the Fellow. These are published in the annual FASPE Journal which includes essays from Fellows from all disciplines.
“FASPE is committed to a long-term relationship with the Fellows in order to sustain the ideas raised during the Fellowships. FASPE fosters an active network of alumni Fellows and provides forums for continuing dialogue among the Fellows as they move forward in their careers,” added Dr. Thorin Tritter, the Managing Director of FASPE. “An annual Alumni Reunion and Symposium is held each year where Fellows from the most recent Program present papers and all gather to discuss the impact of their fellowship experiences and current ethical issues.”
Paul E. Steiger, Executive Chairman of Pro Publica Board of Directors, and former Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal, was the keynote speaker at FASPE’s recent Alumni Reunion and Symposium.
About FASPE
FASPE works under the auspices of the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and in cooperation with Jagiellonian University, Krakow; the Haus der Wannsee Konferenz, Berlin; and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Oświęcim, Poland. To view a video about FASPE, visit www.FASPE.info. The topics the 2014 FASPE Fellows will study can be found on individual program pages that include more details about the Medical, Law, Seminary and Journalism programs.
Lead support for FASPE is provided by C. David Goldman, Frederick and Margaret Marino, and the Eder Family Foundation. FASPE is also supported by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and other generous donors.
About the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum’s exhibitions educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century—before, during, and after the Holocaust. Current special exhibitions include Hava Nagila: A Song for the People, on view through April 22, Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage, on view through May 18, and Against the Odds: American Jews & the Rescue of Europe’s Refugees, 1933-1941, on view through fall 2014. It is also home to the award-winning Keeping History Center, an interactive visitor experience, and Andy Goldsworthy’s memorial Garden of Stones. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall and receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
