A Message from Our Co-Directors
Welcome to the Bioethics Graduate Program’s website. We are very proud of our program’s ability to offer small, highly interactive classes, experiential learning, and a variety of bioethics events, activities, and opportunities. We prioritize a keen focus on critical reflection, not only about bioethics issues, questions, and problems but also about the nature and scope of the field of bioethics and the roles and responsibilities of those who do bioethics work.
The events of the spring of 2020 are important for bioethics, as they highlight vital questions about public health, the capacities of the American health care system, and the effects of social and structural inequities on health and illness. All these developments cause us to examine even more deeply how bioethics work is and should be done. But at the same time, of course, current events are highly consequential for bioethics students, as they affect how teaching and learning take place.
We are committed to providing students with a learning environment that is maximally rich and beneficial, but also maximally safe. With that in mind, we make a combination of learning modalities available to current, new, and future students, in order to afford all students with the best possible experiences.
Mark A. Hall, JD
Professor of Law and Public Health
Nancy M. P. King, JD
Professor of Social Sciences & Health Policy
Program Description
Bioethics is a field of scholarly endeavor that addresses ethical and policy issues raised by the life sciences and their human applications. It reaches from the laboratory to health care delivery to industry and government, affecting not only individuals but also the wider society. Bioethics is thus broadly interdisciplinary – both a theoretical enterprise and a practical competence
The ongoing, overarching conversation of bioethics is applicable to:
- Medical decision making by clinicians, patients, and families
- Special populations: elderly, pediatric, mental health
- Biotechnology and Regenerative medicine
- Research with human subjects
- Genetic research and genomic medicine
- Access to health care
The goal of bioethics graduate education at Wake Forest is INFORMED PRAXIS – our students stand at the confluence of theory and practice, capable of synthesizing the two to help foster thoughtful decision-making and improved performance and outcomes in clinical care, biomedical research, and health policy and administration.
Students can gain valuable practical experience in bioethics in a variety of ways.
- They can assist with educational and research projects undertaken by the Center for Bioethics, Health & Society.
- The Bioethics Graduate Program and the Center collaborate to arrange visiting speakers, conferences, and a range of special events and activities.
- Students may also participate in practicum experiences, including in-depth observation in research and clinical settings.
Online/Remote Learning
The Bioethics Graduate Program emphasizes interaction between and among faculty and students. We utilize a combination of in-person and online learning modalities, in order to build community and provide all students with the best possible experiences. Contact Vicky Zickmund to discuss specific available options.
