Norman Fost MD, MPH - Sports and Drugs

Name:	Norman Fost, MD, MPH
Title:	Professor and Director of the Medical Ethics Program at the University of Wisconsin
Position:	Pro to the question "Should performance enhancing drugs (such as steroids) be accepted in sports?"
Reasoning:	"Nearly everyone condemns the use of drugs - amphetamines, cocaine, steroids, and narcotics, in sports. But other drugs - antibiotics, insulin, vitamins, and aspirin - are quite acceptable. The basis for these distinctions is not obvious, nor is it self-evident why there should be any restrictions on the use of drugs in sports. Drugs can be used for various purposes: to restore a person with a disease to normal function; to improve function in a healthy person; to relieve pain; and to give pleasure, with no expected effects on performance. Let me emphasize my personal distaste for drugs in sports, particularly performing-enhancing and recreational drugs. As an athlete, I would not use them. As a physician, I would not prescribe them. As a father, I would urge my children to avoid them. As a citizen, I deplore their widespread use. But these are merely preferences and not a sufficient basis for national policy that claims to be based on ethical considerations." "Banning Drugs in Sports: A Skeptical View," Hastings Center Report, Aug. 1986
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:	Experts Individuals with MDs, JDs, PhDs, or other relevant advanced degrees, heads of professional sports leagues, and US Congress members with significant involvement in, or related to, performance enhancing drugs and sports. [Note: Experts definition varies by site]
Involvement and Affiliations:	Chair, Ethics and Security Advisory Board, Marshfield Personalized Medicine Research Project, 2004-present Chair, Hospital Ethics Committee, University of Wisconsin, 1984-present Professor, Pediatrics and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin, 1973-present Director and Founder, Medical Ethics Program, University of Wisconsin, 1973-present Vice Chair, Department of Medical History and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin, 1973-present Pediatrician, 1964-present Chair, Health Sciences Institutional Review Board, University of Wisconsin, 1977-2008 Recipient, Patricia Price Browne Award in Bioethics, 2007 Recipient, Lifetime Achievement Award, Protection of Human Subjects, 2006 Head, Child Protection Team, University of Wisconsin, 1973-2006 Recipient, American Academy of Pediatrics William G. Bartholome Award for Excellence in Ethics, 2003 Elected Member, Princeton University Board of Trustees, 1994-1998 Recipient, Nellie Westermann Prize for Research Ethics, 1997 DeCamp Visiting Professor, Bioethics, Princeton University, 1996-1997 Vice Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, 1985-1995 Member, President Clinton's Health Care Task Force, 1994 Director, Pediatric Residency Training Program, University of Wisconsin, 1973-1994 Co-Chair, American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Committee on Insurance Issues, 1992 Member, ASHG Committee on Population Screening and the Cystic Fibrosis Heterozygote Screening, 1992 Chair, Office of Technology Assessment Committee on Cystic Fibrosis Screening, 1991
Education:	MPH, Harvard University, 1973 MD, Yale University, 1964 AB, Princeton University, 1960
Contact Info:	Phone: 608-263-8562 Fax: 608-265-0486 E-Mail: ncfost@wisc.edu Website: University Profile
Select Publications:	"We Should Accept Performance Enhancing Drugs in Competitive Sports," Intelligence Squared (IQ2) US Debate, Jan 16, 2008 Cowritten with J. Peppercorn, et al., "The Dilemma of Data - Safety Monitoring: Provision of Significant New Data to Research Participants," The Lancet, Feb. 9, 2008 "Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports," Virtual Mentor: American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, July 2004 "Licensing Boards and the Stigma of Mental Illness," Journal of the American Medical Associations, Feb. 17, 1999 "Waived Consent for Emergency Research," American Journal of Law and Medicine, Jan. 1, 1998 Cowritten with M.F. Fleming, et al., "Informed Consent, Deception, and the Use of Disguised Alcohol Questionnaires," American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Sep. 1989 "Ben Johnson: The World's Fastest Scapegoat," New York Times, Oct. 20, 1988 "Stop the Hassle about Drugs," USA Today, Sep. 16-18, 1988 "Banning Drugs in Sports: A Skeptical View," Hastings Center Report, August 1986 "Let 'em Take Steroids," New York Times, Sep. 9, 1983
Other:	Fellow, Program in Law, Medicine and Ethics, Harvard University, 1972-1973
Also Quoted in:	1. Should performance enhancing drugs (such as steroids) be accepted in sports? 2. Should "blood doping" and erythropoietin (EPO) use be accepted in sports? 3. Do teens use performance enhancing drugs to emulate their professional athlete role models? 4. Do athletes gain an unfair advantage by using performance enhancing drugs? 5. Should steroid use be accepted in sports? 6. Does the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs by some athletes coerce other athletes to also use them to remain competitive?