Should There Be a 'Big' Bioethics Meeting?

Every year at least three major bioethics academic groups meet to discuss bioethics. The book publishers and journals are there, there are lots of hallway conversations about what is 'going on' in the field, and at one of the societies there is a new meeting of those who direct bioethics programs. The big three bioethics meetings are open to anyone but typically the audience is made up mostly of the folks who are actively working in the field in academic institutions.

Every so often someone suggests that there should be a mega-meeting, not (or not just) of the academic societies together but of the audiences that are interested in bioethics but who wouldn't necessarily want to wade through a conference program filled with peer-focused academic sessions in order to find a few that are aimed at their own practical interests.

What about a meeting for the majority of those who are interested in the field: ethics committee members, IRB members, bench and clinical scientists, staffers in political offices, health lawyers, nurses, physicians, etc.... Would you go to a mega-meeting in bioethics if it met your needs? AJOB is helping a group that wants to do exactly that, but only if there is enough interest. Is there?

Click here for a 5 minute survey.