Welcome from the Director

Welcome to the Program for Biomedical Ethics at Yale School of Medicine, which serves as a nexus for a community of individuals from throughout the medical campus and beyond who share a common interest in education, research, and clinical practice in the field of medical ethics. The affiliated faculty and staff is drawn from the Yale School of Medicine and joined by members of the Schools of Nursing, Law, Divinity, Epidemiology and Public Health, as well as Yale-New Haven Hospital staff, colleagues from the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, the Hastings Center and others. The Program for Biomedical Ethics incorporates a diverse group that brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the table. Many of those on our affiliated faculty and staff are known nationally and internationally in the field of bioethics.

Our program coordinates the ethics education of Yale medical students over the course of the four years, including assistance for those who choose to write their thesis in this area. In addition, educational programs are provided for other members of the Yale medical community, such as journal clubs, working groups and special conferences.

We have a diverse slate of educational events for the 2012-2013 academic year for medical, nursing and physician assistant students, Yale faculty, hospital personnel and others. Highlights include seminars focusing on ethical issues related to healthcare reform, different perceptions of a “good death,” transplant recipient selection, adolescent refusal of medical care, treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, care of disabled children and many others.

We are delighted to be hosting some outstanding visiting faculty for these sessions, including Drs. Cathy DeAngelis from Johns Hopkins, Art Caplan from NYU, Susan Block and Ed Hundert from Harvard, Doug Diekema from the University of Washington, Kathy Weise from the Cleveland Clinic, George Hardart from Columbia, and others.

In addition, a medical ethics journal club for faculty was started this year, led by Drs. Lydia Dugdale and Tom Duffy. Finally, a Community Bioethics Forum (CBF) has been established, directed by Ms. Lori Bruce. The CBF will serve as an educational interface between the Yale School of Medicine and members of the community, for the discussion of issues related to medical and research ethics. Please see our schedule of upcoming events for details on all of the above and many other activities.

I would welcome hearing from you with any inquiries or suggestions regarding biomedical ethics scholarship here at Yale School of Medicine. We invite you to join us for a seminar, research collaboration, or much more, as a fellow student, teacher, scholar or any combination of these.

Join us!

Mark R. Mercurio, MA, MD
Director
Program for Biomedical Ethics
464 Congress Avenue
New Haven, CT 06519
Email: mark.mercurio@yale.edu