[Dr. Daivd J. Kallen interviews Sister Betty Gaiss on her experience in teaching medical ethics in the Dept. of Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University].

Sister Betty Gaiss discusses her experiences teaching medical ethics in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development within the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University. Gaiss recalls her life as a Dominican nun, teaching high school, and her interest in philosophy and ethics. She recalls coming to work at MSU in 1974, techniques she used to train physicians in ethical considerations, making rounds, and the value of being in contact with patients while learning and teaching ethics. She speaks fondly of about leaving MSU for another position, teaching ethics at Lansing Community College for 25 years, working with community groups, teaching care and ethics to clergy, cancer patients, and families, and helping found Hospice of Lansing. She speaks fondly of Pediatrics and Human Development and says that her experiences in the department led to many other opportunities in her life. Retired department faculty member Dr. David J. Kallen, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, conducts the interview. Part of the MSU Department of Pediatrics and Human Development Oral History Project.

Interviewed on Apr. 1, 2005, and recorded by the Vincent Voice Library.