Center for Medical Ethics
The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy is a joint project of Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University.
The impetus for founding the center was in recognition that the ever-increasing abilities of medicine raise fundamental value questions of how society should use these abilities and how much of them society can afford to use. The very success of medicine has made its practice morally complex.
Addressing moral, legal questions
The mandate of the center is to develop teaching and research programs that address the moral, legal and public policy questions raised by health care and the biomedical sciences. The joint sponsorship enables the center to draw on the rich intellectual resources of both institutions, under the expert leadership of its director, Baruch Brody, Ph.D., who has been with the center since it's inception in 1982.
The center's faculty was carefully assembled in order to address the array of critical and unique perspectives concerning issues faced daily by medical professionals in all areas of healthcare, no longer limited to clinicians and researchers.
Ever-changing topics
Grand Rounds is one of several means the center uses to address and keep physicians, nurses, physician assistants and related professionals abreast of the ever changing topics within the field.
First Year Ethic Courses are taught to all new medical students in an effort to prepare them for their careers. There is both subsequent required and elective courses designed specfically for the second, third and fourth year medical student interested in the ethics track directly or indirectly. View requirements.
In addition, continuing medical education credit is offered to a variety of healthcare professionals. This enables our healthcare professionals to keep current and maintain their knowledge of cutting-edge research, techniques and innovations through lectures, workshops and seminars featuring local, national and internationally renowned speakers.