A Summer of Bioethics: Recapping Student Programs

It’s been an exciting summer for the Ethics Institute! Amid the warm days, the Ethics Institute hosted two dynamic programs devoted to the study of bioethics. 

First, 12 students who were selected as a part of next year’s Bioethics Project attended a two-week intensive at the end of June to kick-start the course. Within the theme “Issues in Public Health: Bioethics for Everyone,” the students explored the fundamental principles of bioethics, and were introduced to the topic of public health that will guide them throughout the academic year.  

Among the highlights were visits to three places of worship — the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, Temple Sinai, and Christ Church Summit — which culminated in a panel during which students could hear from religious leaders on their perspectives on pressing bioethical issues. Students also had a chance to visit Overlook Hospital, where they got a firsthand view of how clinical healthcare ethicists approach dilemmas in a hospital setting. They dove into the Bioethics course that will start in the fall, listened to a panel of bioethics scholars about their experience in the program, and began the ethical thinking that will accompany them throughout the Bioethics Project. 

Later, 13 students — hailing from California, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey — came together for a seven-day program that explored “Being Human in a Brave New World.” They spent the week considering what it means to be human, when life begins and ends, and who decides when they occur. Several mini-challenges culminated in an Ethics Bowl, where students considered a bioethical case. 

In both summer courses, students were driven to think about three fundamental concepts: “Just Because We Can, Should We?,” “What Is the Value of Life?,” and “Nobody Can Predict the Future.” 

“We had great participation in both Bioethics Project summer programs this year,” said Karen Rezach, Director of the Ethics Institute, who facilitated both courses with Lisa Goldman, the Institute’s Bioethicist in Residence. “The level of thinking and engagement on the part of the students as they discussed some of the most pressing ethical issues of our day was quite inspiring. The Ethics Institute will continue to develop this type of programming so that it’s accessible to a greater number of students from all across the country. What a privilege it is to help to cultivate the ethical-thinking skills in our young leaders.”