What moral considerations should guide the prioritization of medical research as it pertains to underserved disease populations
Advisor(s)
Dr. Jonathan Spelman
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Paper
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Ballroom
Start Date
21-4-2026 3:25 PM
End Date
21-4-2026 3:40 PM
Abstract
Medical research in presence of limited resources presents us with the question of what diseases do we prioritize and how do we allocate these limited resources. This paper delves into the question of where do our moral obligations guide us in the pursuit of research funding, particularly in the scope of underserved diseases. The utilitarian presents us with a rather intuitive answer of prioritizing common and severe diseases, but does it truly encapsulate our ethical inclinations? I push back to the utilitarian view by presenting their rationale and dissecting where it seems to fall short of our moral beliefs and attempt to produce a more comprehensive way to understand the moral priorities of research.
Recommended Citation
Sutherland, Maxwell, "What moral considerations should guide the prioritization of medical research as it pertains to underserved disease populations" (2026). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 28.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2026/Papers/28
Restricted
Available to ONU community via local IP address and ONU login.
What moral considerations should guide the prioritization of medical research as it pertains to underserved disease populations
ONU McIntosh Center; Ballroom
Medical research in presence of limited resources presents us with the question of what diseases do we prioritize and how do we allocate these limited resources. This paper delves into the question of where do our moral obligations guide us in the pursuit of research funding, particularly in the scope of underserved diseases. The utilitarian presents us with a rather intuitive answer of prioritizing common and severe diseases, but does it truly encapsulate our ethical inclinations? I push back to the utilitarian view by presenting their rationale and dissecting where it seems to fall short of our moral beliefs and attempt to produce a more comprehensive way to understand the moral priorities of research.