About the Department of Medical History and Ethics

The Department of Medical History and Ethics at the University of Washington provides academic education and professional training in medical humanities through an undergraduate Minor in Medical History and Ethics, a Theme in Professional Responsibility and Medical Ethics integrated into the School of Medicine curriculum, and a variety of sponsored continuing education activities for practicing health care professionals.

Departmental News and Events

BRI registration is now open

The 2008 Biomedical Research Integrity Program lectures have been announced and   registration for lectures and discussion groups is now open.

Don't miss the first lecture on Wednesday, July 2, 2008:

Speaker: Bruce M. Psaty, M.D., Ph.D.
12 – 1 p.m.
Hogness Auditorium
(A420 Health Sciences Bldg)
Co-director, Cardiovascular Health
Research Unit
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Services, UW
Investigator, Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound

PHS Topic: Conflict of Interest and Commitment

(FHCRC, 7/2/08, 2:30-3:30pm, Pelton Auditorium)

For more information on Dr. Psaty's lecture click here. For more information about the Biomedical Research Integrity series or to learn how to register click here.

Registration is open for the Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics

Once again the Department is proud to sponsor the 21st annual Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics! The Seminar will run August 4 - 8, 2008 on the Seattle campus. The seminar is co-chaired by MHE faculty members Tom McCormick and Denise Dudzinski, and features Dr. Albert Jonsen, MHE Professor Emeritus. For more information or to register for the Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics click here.

Professor Denise Dudzinski publishes new book

Professor Dudzinski has published a new book with colleague Paul Ford, PhD, titled Complex Ethics Consultations: Cases that Haunt Us. The book will be available in July 2008 through Cambridge University Press.

The Department was honored to recently host a Jessie and John Danz lecture featuring Dr. Richard Lewontin, Alexander Agassiz Research Professor Emeritus of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. The highlight of Dr. Lewontin's stimulating two-day visit was his highly-attended lecture, Organism and Environment: The Organism as Subject and Object of Evolution. We'd like to recognize Professor Malia Fullerton for her efforts in nominating and hosting Dr. Lewontin as a Jessie and John Danz Lecturer. For a picture of this dynamic duo click here.

Department of Medical History and Ethics in the news

Bioethicists tackle the hard questions

A recent University Week article highlights the growing field of bioethics at the University of Washington and how the UW is fast becoming the "bioethics center for the northwest", thanks to the partnership of many different groups. To read the article featuring Kelly Fryer-Edwards of the Medical History & Ethics Department, Sara Goering of the Program on Values in Society, Dr. Benjamin Wilfond of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, and Dr. Robert Pearlman of the VA Ethics Program, click here.

Dr. Arno G. Motulsky featured in recent New York Times article

An article recently published in the New York Times highlights the work of Dr. Arno Motulsky, a medical doctor, researcher, and professor here at the University of Washington, and the donor of the MHE departmental library's Motulsky Collection. To read the article click here.

Professor and Chair Wylie Burke, along with three colleagues from UW, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine. The Institute is both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the institute has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on human health issues. The department congratulates Dr Burke on this well-deserved achievement.

To read more about the Institute and the UW faculty that were elected, click here.

Summer Qtr. 2008 Course of Interest to Medical Students

MHE 597C Foundation of Bioethics
Monday & Wednesday: 9:40am-12:20pm
Summer 2008 , B Term
Instructor: Nancy Jecker, PhD, Professor, Medical History & Ethics

This course introduces graduate and professional students to bioethics as a field of scholarly inquiry.  It accomplishes this primarily by working through specific ethical problems that arise in the clinical setting of medicine.  By developing an appreciation of these problems, and of the methods of analysis used in their resolution, students will also learn about the methods and practice of bioethics.  Throughout the course, students will be asked both to employ philosophical analysis and argument in practical contexts, and to assess critically the assumptions underlying such analysis.

Science Studies Network

Malia Fullerton, PhD, is co-organizing the the UW, Science Studies Network. Sponsored by the Simpson Center for the Humanities, the group will serve as a research network as well as host conferences, workshops, speakers, and a bi-weekly colloquium. To find out more, click here to visit the website.