Project Description
RESEARCH AREAS:
Philosophy of medicine
Bioethics
AI ethics
CONTACT:
London Health Sciences Centre
800 Commissioners Road East, Room D1-218C
London, Ontario, Canada
N6A 5W9
BENJAMIN CHIN-YEE
Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry;
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University
Dr. Benjamin Chin-Yee is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medicine, and Philosophy at Western. He is a specialist in Hematology and Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He received his MD from the University of Toronto, where he also earned an MA in History and Philosophy of Science. He is currently completing his PhD in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar, with a thesis focused on conceptual and ethical issues in precision oncology.
Dr. Chin-Yee’s interdisciplinary research seeks to bridge philosophy and clinical medicine. His work examines the epistemic and ethical implications of novel diagnostic and therapeutic technologies in his specialties of hematology and laboratory medicine, with a particular focus on the impact of genomics and AI in patient care. He also explores issues related to clinical decision-making and medical communication, using both philosophical analysis and empirical methods. By integrating insights from philosophy alongside his clinical research and practice, Dr. Chin-Yee aims to address critical challenges related to epistemology, ethics, and equity in medical research and patient care. His work is driven by a commitment to improving both the understanding and implementation of new technologies in ways that promote patient-centered, equitable healthcare.
Selected Journal Articles:
Chin-Yee B. A little bit of cancer? Ergo an Open Access Journal of Philosophy [Forthcoming].
Peters U, Chin-Yee B. Generalization bias in large language model summarization of scientific research. Royal Society Open Science [Forthcoming].
Chin-Yee B, Laplane L, Sujobert P. Epistemic limitations of measurable residual disease in hematological malignancies. Lancet Haematology 2025; 12(3): e224-e229.
Chin-Yee B. Minimal residual disease: Premises before promises. Biology & Philosophy 2024; 39(17):1-22.
Chin-Yee B, Plutynski A. Concepts of actionability in precision oncology. Philosophy of Science 2024; 91(5):1349-1360.
Chin-Yee B. Cancer medicine and precision oncology. In: Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine eds. Walker M, Schramme T. Springer; 2024.
Peters U, Sherling HR, Chin-Yee B. Hasty generalizations and generics in medical research: A systematic review. PLOS One 2024; 19(7): e0306749.
Fuller J, Chin-Yee B, Upshur REG. The argument framework: a flexible approach to evidence in healthcare. Nature Medicine 2024; 30: 2113-2116.
Menz BD, Kuderer NM, Bacchi S, Modi ND, Chin-Yee B, Hu T, Rickard C, Haseloff M, Vitry A, McKinnon RA, Kichenadasse G, Rowland A, Sorich MJ, Hopkins AM. Current safeguards, risk mitigation, and transparency measures of large language models against the generation of health disinformation: repeated cross sectional analysis. BMJ 2024;384:e078538.
Menz BD, Kuderer NM, Chin-Yee B, Logan JM, Rowland A, Sorich MJ, Hopkins AM. Gender representation of healthcare professionals by large language models. JAMA Network Open 2024; 7(9):e2434997.
Chin-Yee B. Generalizations in clinical trials—do generics help or harm? Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 2023; 33(4):359-400.
Chin-Yee B, Nimmon L, Veen M. Technical difficulties: Promoting a critical relationship with technology in medical education. Teaching and Learning in Medicine 2023;35(2):240-9.
Istasy P, Lee W-S, Iansavitchene A, Upshur R, Gyawali B, Burkell J, Sadikovic B, Lazo-Langner A, Chin-Yee B. The impact of artificial intelligence on health equity in oncology: A scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2022;24(11):e39748.
Chin-Yee B. The philosophy of technology: On medicine’s technological enframing. In: Applied Philosophy for Health Professions Education: A Journey Towards Mutual Understanding eds. Brown M, Veen M, Finn G. Springer; 2022.
Wamsley D, Chin-Yee B. COVID-19, digital health technology and the politics of the unprecedented. Big Data & Society 2021;8(1):1-6.
Thomas A, Chin-Yee B, Mercuri M. Thirty years of teaching evidence-based medicine: Is it time for a change? Advances in Health Sciences Education 2021; Sep 24.
Chin-Yee B. Malignant by Vinay Prasad: Oncology’s leading gadfly. Philosophy of Medicine 2021;2(1):1-7.
Chin-Yee B, Diaz P, Bryden P, Soklaridis S, Kuper A. From hermeneutics to heteroglossia: “The patient’s view” revisited. BMJ Medical Humanities 2020;46:464-473.
Thomas A, Kuper A, Chin-Yee B, Park M. What is ‘shared’ in shared decision making? Philosophical reflections on power and agency. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 2020;26:409-418.
Chin-Yee B, Upshur REG. Three problems with big data and artificial intelligence in medicine. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 2019;62(2):237-256.
Chin-Yee B, Messinger A, Young LT. Three visions of doctoring: A Gadamerian dialogue. Advances in Health Sciences Education 2018;24(2):403–412.
Chin-Yee B, Upshur REG. Clinical judgement in the era of big data and predictive analytics. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 2018;24(3):638-645.
Chin-Yee B, Fuller J. Clinical judgement: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 2018;24(3):635-637.
Chin-Yee B. The new medical model: why medicine needs philosophy. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2017;189(26):896.
Chin-Yee BH, Upshur REG. Re-evaluating concepts of biological function in clinical medicine: Towards a new naturalistic theory of disease. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2017;38(4):245-264.
Upshur REG, Chin-Yee BH. Clinical Judgment. In: Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Medicine. eds. Solomon M, Simon J, Kincaid H. Routledge; 2016.
Chin-Yee BH, Upshur REG. Historical thinking in clinical medicine: Lessons from R.G. Collingwood’s philosophy of history. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 2015; 21:448–54.
Chin-Yee BH. Underdetermination in evidence-based medicine. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 2014; 20:921-7.
Faculty Research Domains
Rotman Institute faculty members are listed below by shared research areas. Visit individual member profiles to learn more.