About the Pathway
The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy offers the Medical Ethics Pathway for medical students seeking to develop greater knowledge and expertise in medical ethics. The Medical Ethics Pathway was initiated by members of the class of 1993 and was the first "pathway" of electives at Baylor College of Medicine. Other "pathways" at the College are modeled on the Medical Ethics Pathway. The Medical Ethics Pathway was also the first medical ethics track in any medical school in the United States, which other medical schools have used as a model in developing their own medical ethics tracks.
Course Electives
- MEETH-421 – Hot Topics in Medical Ethics (NEW fall 2026) MS1, Term MS1-2
- MEETH-417 – Seminar Series in Bioethics, MS2, begins Term MS2-1b (September) and ends Term MS1-4 (April)
MEETH-418 – Introduction to Clinical Medical Ethics, MS3, MS4 (offered 4 times/year: clinical rotations 1C, 2B, 3B and 3C)
MEETH-419 – Research in Medical Ethics and Health Policy, M3, MS4 (can be taken
during any open 4-week rotation)
Enrichment Activities
- Clinical Case Conferences
- Developing Issues in Bioethics and Society Speakers Series
- Biomedical Ethics Grand Rounds
Additional Opportunities
- Apply for one of two $1500 travel scholarships to attend the annual ASBH national conference.
How to Commit to the Pathway
Students must complete the required Foundational Electives and meet with Pathway Leadership during the MS2 fall term to review their timeline to complete the remaining program requirements and discuss whether their Pathway Capstone Project will be used for their Inquiry Project. After this meeting, students may submit the Medical Pathway Commitment Form available on the Medical Pathways webpage. Commitment forms are due by Dec. 10 of the MS2 year. Students who have completed all foundational requirements and wish to commit to the pathway after the deadline must contact the pathway director for approval. They will need to follow the standard Inquiry Project timeline.