Phillip Phan, a nationally recognized scholar in healthcare innovation, will speak at NDSU on Friday, April 11, as part of the Human Progress and Flourishing Workshop hosted by the Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth.
Phan’s talk, titled “An Honest Debate During Public Health Crises,” will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Beckwith Recital Hall on the NDSU campus and will also be available via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public. A reception with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will follow at 11 a.m. in the Challey School of Music Atrium.
The presentation will examine the role of physician autonomy and free speech in public health responses, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phan will explore how government-imposed policies at times conflicted with physicians’ ability to exercise independent clinical judgment, and how the suppression of scientific dissent may have eroded public trust in medical institutions.
Phan argues that healthcare policy must support, not override, physician autonomy. He emphasizes that open scientific discourse is critical for maintaining high-quality care and building a resilient healthcare system.
Phan is the Alonzo and Virginia Decker Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School with a joint appointment in the Department of Medicine. He also serves as a Robert Bosch Policy Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. His extensive academic work includes more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and 13 books, with a focus on innovations that impact patient safety and healthcare quality.
The Human Progress and Flourishing Workshop series brings leading scholars from across the country to present research and engage with the NDSU and Fargo-Moorhead communities. The series focuses on policies and ideas that promote opportunity, innovation and human flourishing. The workshop also is offered as a one-credit course (BUSN 491/690) for students.
Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to register via Eventbrite for in-person attendance or Zoom for virtual participation. For more information, visit the Challey Institute’s website.
