A list of upcoming events and conferences on a variety of bioethics issues. Events are sourced from leading bioethics centers and forums across the country as well as internationally.
April 5, 2024
12 PM Eastern Time, Virtual
"There are many personal and health system level factors that affect the widespread adoption of pharmacogenomics informed treatments in psychiatric care settings. However, many ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) questions and challenges remain under-explored in both research and practice settings. For instance, who has access to pharmacogenomics research, testing and/or informed treatment in psychiatric care settings and why? What are ethics and equity implications to consider and address regarding pharmacogenomic testing in psychiatric care settings?"
April 11, 2024
5 PM Eastern Time, In-person at Penn and Virtual
"Gabriel Lázaro-Muńoz, PhD, JD is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Lázaro-Muńoz combines his background in neuroscience, law, and bioethics to examine the implications of emerging biomedical technologies in neuroscience and genomics. He is principal investigator of studies funded by the BRAIN Initiative-National Institutes of Health, the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health."
Eighth Annual Conference
January 11-12, 2024; In-person at Galveston, TX
"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."
Claiming Meaning and Purpose in Nursing: Why It Matters
April 4-5, 2024; In-person at Los Angeles, CA
"We believe the theme this year, “Claiming Meaning and Purpose in Nursing: Why It Matters” will guide us as we come to understand both the roots that ground us, the nourishment needed to sustain us, and paths and actions to enhance our professions future."
Expressing Wonder, Making Meaning: Neuroethics Engages the Arts
April 17-19, 2024; In-person at Baltimore, MD
"This meeting explores creative, technological, practical, and social elements of the brain and the arts. By illuminating how human creativity and expression intersect with brain science and ethical considerations, this meeting aims to deepen our understanding of the ways in which the arts and humanities can contribute to the advancement of neuroethics."
Ethics in Motion: Bioethics for a Dynamic World
April 26-27, 2024; Virtual
"Please register and join us for the National Student Bioethics Association's annual virtual conference on April 26-27th, 2024. It's free to attend and was designed for students, by students. This year's conference theme is "Ethics in Motion: Bioethics for a Dynamic World" and the conference will feature two keynote speakers, oral presentations, a virtual poster hall, along with designated times for breakout room networking sessions."
Chasing Progress – the Ethics of Innovation
Annually held in April each year
"The Arizona Bioethics Network 12th annual conference titled ‘Chasing Progress – the Ethics of Innovation’ delves into the ethical complexities inherent in healthcare innovation. As biomedical research advances, questions arise regarding equitable access to emerging treatments and technologies. This conference seeks to navigate these dilemmas, exploring how to foster innovation while ensuring healthcare accessibility for all. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, attendees will examine the ethical dimensions of healthcare innovation and strive to chart a path forward that prioritizes both progress and inclusivity. Join us as we grapple with the challenges and opportunities of healthcare innovation in pursuit of a more ethical future. Keynote Speaker- Matthew DeCamp MD, PhD from the University of Colorado will be presenting, Bias and Fairness in AI in Healthcare: Beyond the Data."
Annually held in May each year
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."
Annually held in June each year
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."
Annually held in June each year; In-person at Oxford, UK
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"?
Annually held in September; In-person at Boston, MA
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
Annually held in September
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."
26th Annual Conference
September 18 - 21, 2024; In-person at St. Louis, MO
"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."