Events

June 5, 2023

8 AM Eastern Time, Virtual

"Around the world, a woman's right to make autonomous decisions about her own body and reproductive functions is restricted by cultural norms and values. This forum will explore the ethical tensions clinicians face when caring for patients in different cultural settings. Using an obstetrics case as a springboard for discussion, experts from a range of disciplines (philosophy, anthropology, bioethics) will address such questions as: What are the ethical concerns clinicians need to consider in such a context? How might we think about respect for bodily autonomy, agency, informed consent, and power here? Are there universal absolutes that can guide us? Recognizing that clinicians need to act in the moment, panelists will consider how to navigate these often immensely complicated cases as ethically as possible."

June 15, 2023

9 AM Pacific Time, Virtual

"With the federal COVID-19 public health emergency over, many of the bioethics questions raised during the pandemic remain. What can we take away from bioethics research from the pandemic as we move forward?"

June 21, 2023

12 PM Eastern Time, Virtual

"Technological advancements greatly impact health and the social determinants of health. AI ethicist and criminologist Renée Cummings and researcher Michael Scroggins will discuss AI and other technologies that are changing the landscape of society, health, wellness, and scientific research. The discussion will be moderated by Voices in Bioethics Editor-in-Chief Anne Zimmerman. This event celebrates 10 years of Voices in Bioethics, the online journal published by Columbia University's Masters in Bioethics Program with Columbia Libraries. Speakers: Michael Scroggins, PhD – Lecturer at UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics; Renée Cummings, M.A., M.S. – Assistant Professor at the UVA School of Data Science; Moderator: Anne Zimmerman, J.D., M.S., CIPP/US, CEET – Editor-in-Chief at Voices in Bioethics"

June 29, 2023

9 AM Pacific Time, Virtual

"This session will explore the process of publishing in Bioethics journals at all stages, from inception through peer review. Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB) David Magnus, PhD, and Editor-in-Chief of AJOB Empirical Bioethics Holly Tabor, PhD, will address questions raised by trainees. Discussion will include: 1) calls for papers and topics of interest for journals, 2) issues to consider before submitting a bioethics paper for review, and 3) the submission process and peer review."

It’s Complicated: Responding Ethically from the Beginning to the End of Life

March 23-24, 2023, Virtual

From 2022: "The challenges nurses face today are monumental. They arise from the many expectations that come from patients and families, the institutions in which we work, and our professional identity within society. The reckoning with the global pandemic has highlighted the challenges we face including: our work environments, systemic racism, and disparities in healthcare. Recognizing and honoring what feels broken, we need to make space for meaning and healing, to consider a bigger picture and to imagine what is possible as we move ahead. One path is through moral agency – reflecting on perceptions of right and wrong, giving voice to ethical issues, and taking steps forward. Integrating our Code of Ethics for Nurses, the new Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, and the latest Future of Nursing Report, we acknowledge the need for an expanded discussion of ethics which embraces our roles in caring, advocacy, and promoting respect, equity, inclusion, and social justice. This conference will build ethics knowledge and skills; foster support for others in our ethical practice; address collective responses to the challenges at hand; and encourage engagement with our colleagues, institutions, and communities. In our pursuits to learn more, we honor our commitment to take care of not only our patients, but one another. "

Postponed

"The presenters will be examining “Making Space: Ethics and Neurodiversity.” This includes a historical look at the place of neurodiversity in medicine, the ethics in the diagnosis, treatment, search for genetic cause, and how the search for treatment may make parents or patients vulnerable to ineffective treatments."

Annually held in May each year; Virtual

From 2022: "The Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network (APBEN) is holding its fourth annual conference wholly online between 21st and 22nd May 2022. The conference will be co-hosted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Asian Medical Student Association Monash Malaysia (AMSA Monash Malaysia). Our 2022 theme - The New Norm of Professionalism, Bioethics and Beyond - recognizes the emerging challenges pose to the teaching and practice of Professionalism and Bioethics. We look forward to a collaborative environment where educators and healthcare practitioners come together to initiate and engage in discussions that lead to new ideas and research."

Biotechnology and the Future of Medicine

Annually held in June each year

From 2021: "The practice of medicine over the course of the last fifty years has changed dramatically. Novel technological developments will continue to generate new discoveries, therapies, and patient outcomes. Recent advances in intertwined areas, such as stem cell-based bioengineering, organoid technology, low-cost personal genome sequencing, machine learning, and human genome editing have the potential to create more effective, personalized medical treatments. But as we progress toward this biotechnologically-driven medical future, we must consider how ethical values can shape these advancements and vice versa. This online conference will examine how ethics interacts with biotechnology in medicine, and consider multiple approaches to how we might ensure that biotechnology continues to evolve ethically and for the benefit of all."

June 6-27, 2022, Virtual

From 2022: "The Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School is pleased to offer a virtual Surgical Ethics Conference over four weeks in June. Each week will feature a different topic that will explore timely and controversial questions in surgery today."

June 27-28, 2021, In-person at Oxford, UK (and some sessions virtual)

From 2022: "The Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference takes place every two years. It aims to foster comprehensive multi-disciplinary debate and addresses critically important ethical issues in the conception and implementation of Global Health."

The New "Normal"?

September 20, 2022; In-person at Boston, MA, Harvard's Joseph B. Martin Conference Center

From 2022: "This year our annual conference will focus on novel applications as well as long-standing challenges of genetic testing, a measurement modality central to precision medicine.* While the clinical applications of genetic testing have broadened from a single gene focus to increasingly available whole genome sequencing and genome-wide risk scores, there remains much confusion around the appropriate evidentiary standards for their use in clinical practice and in R&D. This conference will provide a platform to discuss foundational questions such as the nature of “normal” genetic variation in the context of both established forms of testing and cutting-edge technology. To achieve these goals, we will convene expert scientists from academia and industry who are developing new applications and technologies of genetic testing as well as laboratory directors and individuals responsible for guidelines on variant interpretation. We will frame these discussions around how best to improve precision medicine for all populations. As we have done in years past, we will center on elevating the patient voice and building patient engagement."

12th Annual Conference

September 22-23, 2022; Undecided if In-person or Virtual

From 2022: "This annual conference considers perspectives on the intersection of the humanities and health, including patient narratives, the history of medicine and healthcare, biomedical ethics, spirituality, arts, and literature. Due to an evolving situation regarding COVID-19, we are currently unsure whether the conference will be held physically, virtually, or hybridized. The call for abstracts is now available; abstracts are due by June 1, 2022."

Engaging the Past to Energize the Future: Creating Space for Inclusive Public Discourse

October 14-17, 2023; In-person at Baltimore, MD

"The 25th anniversary of ASBH is an opportunity for us as a community to reconsider the role of bioethics and humanities in society. For example, how best to respond to divisive policies and frame honest and open discussions with those with whom we disagree. Part of this reconsideration calls for creating spaces—physical or otherwise—that facilitate interaction and deliberation. In that vein, the 2023 ASBH Annual Conference will address critical questions including: How can we frame conversations and debates to identify substantive discussion points without resorting to pure rhetoric? How best can we solicit the perspectives of key stakeholders when making decisions with broad implications? How can we destructuralize racism and other biases routinely built into healthcare access?"

Annually held in end of October each year

From 2021: "The ASHG 2021 Virtual Meeting will bring the global human genetics and genomics research community together for multiple days of cutting-edge science across all areas of human genetics."

Annually held in November each year

From 2021: "This year's MacLean Center conference will bring together 40 of the most innovative and respected clinicians in the field of Clinical Medical Ethics. Most of our speakers will be physician-ethicists and they will include Drs. Peter Angelos, Megan Applewhite, Marshall Chin, Farr Curlin, Richard Gunderman, Jason Karlawish, Eric Kodish, John Lantos, Alvin Moss, Monica Peek, Preston Reynolds, Laura Roberts, Selwyn Rogers, Lainie Ross, David Schiedermayer, Peter A. Singer, Giuliano Testa, Susan Tolle, Alexia Torke, Peter Ubel, and 20 additional outstanding clinical ethics scholars. The exceptional lectures will address the following topics: the Covid-19 pandemic, health policy and health disparities, surgical ethics, ethical issues in end-of-life care, pediatrics and family ethics, clinical ethics decision-making and, of course, the field of Clinical Medical Ethics."

Annually held in November each year

From 2021: "Wolfson Children’s Hospital, in partnership with the Florida Bioethics Network, presents the 14th Annual Pediatric Bioethics Conference. This year it will be a virtual conference with talks on pressing issues by experts in the field and will serve as fertile ground for the development and clarification of best practices in pediatric bioethics."

Seventh Annual Conference

Annually held in January each year

"The controversies and challenges of reproductive ethics arise from new technologies, political and ideological divisions, theology, and changing cultural norms. The goal of this conference is to explore the range of topics addressed in reproductive ethics. We welcome individuals from all professional fields to create a rich and robust discussion."