Dr. Semoon Chang
Session Speaker
Dr. Chang received his Ph.D. degree in economics from Florida State University. He spent his entire professional career at the University of South Alabama as Professor of Economics and as Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research. Upon retirement, Dr. Chang moved to the Leisure World of Maryland. He is currently a member of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Leadership Council of the Compassion & Choices since 2021. His publications, relating to the proposed paper, since retirement are the following:
1. Semoon Chang. (2018). “Desperate Needs for Compassion from Oncologists,” Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine. 08. 10.4172/2165-7386.1000344.
2. Semoon Chang, Desperate Needs for Compassion from Oncologists, Mauritius: Scholar’s Press, 2019.
3. Semoon Chang, “Do Oncologists Care about Their Dying Patients?” Annals of Palliative Care & Medicine, 2019; 1(1): 1002.
4. Semoon Chang, “Medical Aid in Dying,” KAUPA Letters (Korean American University Professors Association), Vol. 9, No. 2, Dec. 1, 2021, 65-67.
5. Semoon Chang, “Medical Aid in Dying: A Layperson’s Perspective,” Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medical Care, 2022, 4: 013.
Can I Die without Pain? “Options for Preparing Last Days of Life”
Abstract
Dr. Daniel Kahneman was born March 5, 1934 in Tel Aviv, Israel, and received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2002. Three weeks after his 90th birthday on March 27, 2024, Dr. Kahneman died in Nunningen, Switzerland utilizing VAD (voluntary assisted dying). When a super intelligent person like Kahneman dies on his own terms, ordinary people may want to explore the best way of preparing for our last days.
How do near-death patients actually decide to leave this world? There are three broad types of voluntary death: (a) voluntary stop in eating and drinking (VSED), (b) medical aid in dying (MAID), and (c) voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in Switzerland. This paper explores issues and practical processes to pursue by those who consider preparing for death. This paper also presents how to contact Oregon, Vermont, and Switzerland that allow medical aid in dying services to non-residents.