Dr. Robert Klitzman, Program Director of Columbia’s M.S. in Bioethics, published an article on presidential health and confidentiality in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.
With Joe Biden’s appointment as the new President of the United States at the age of 78 -- making him the oldest person to be inaugurated in the nation’s history -- the article covers the topic of potential issues related to presidential health, as well as the questions regarding the privacy and confidentiality of the President’s medical information.
Dr. Klitzman analyzes the case of the newly elected President in comparison to historical cases of Presidents whose dire health conditions were hidden from the public, as well as in the context of the modern world largely driven by technology and social media. The author also touches upon the subtle balance between transparency in disclosing necessary information and the presidential rights to privacy pertaining to their medical information.
Learn more about the Bioethics M.S. program.
