Bioethics Education
The Program in Medicine and Human Values offers a variety of bioethics education activities for our patient community and medical professionals, including webinars, a Clinical Ethics Fellowship Training Program, graduate medical education, international collaborations, and public classes and events.
Innovative Bioethics Education
The Program in Medicine and Human Values (PMHV) furthers excellence in patient care and medicine by providing bioethics education opportunities for community members and healthcare professionals.
Bioethics Webinars and Events
Our webinar series focus on effective communication skills and best practices integral for patient care. PMHV bioethics professionals provide practical solutions that healthcare providers can use in their practice.
If you are a healthcare provider and would like information on our educational webinar series, please contact Antonio Kruger at 415-600-1647 or by email ethics@sutterhealth.org.
2026 Annual Bioethics Workshop
Sutter Health’s Program in Medicine and Human Values will host its 20th bioethics workshop, "Connecting Through Stories in Complex Cases: Clinical Ethics in Action." When patient, family, and clinician stories collide, conflict is almost inevitable.
This interactive workshop will provide practical, applicable tools to help participants navigate the most challenging conversations in care before tensions escalate and relationships fracture. Using clinical scenarios, participants will examine how differing values, assumptions, and interpretations fuel conflict, and will practice skills-based strategies to intervene early and shift conversations toward shared understanding.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Location: CPMC Van Ness Campus, San Francisco
Registration is required. Registration link will be available in late June.
Clinical Ethics UnConference 2025
Sutter Health’s Program in Medicine and Human Values was pleased to host "Charting the Future for Clinical Ethics: A Working UnConference." This 4th Ethics UnConference brought together 110 experienced clinical ethicists and ethics program leaders from 70 healthcare organizations across diverse settings and geographic areas to connect and problem-solve for the rapidly growing profession of clinical ethics.
We were delighted to have Sutter’s Chief Medical and Quality Officer, William Isenberg, M.D., Ph.D., commence the event and welcome attendees by emphasizing the importance of clinical ethics in delivering high-quality care, especially for vulnerable patient populations.
This event was made possible through the generosity of our philanthropic donors and partnership with Sutter CPMC Foundation.
Roots of Bioethics
In memory of the program’s co-founder, Dr. Albert R. Jonsen, Sutter Health’s Program in Medicine and Human Values launched Roots of Bioethics, a speaker series created to highlight early pioneers in the field.
The inaugural virtual session, held on Jan. 26, 2022, focused on Moral Distress and featured Dr. Andy Jameton, Dr. Shilpa Shashidhara and Dr. William Andereck.
A second virtual session, held in August 2023, focused on Moral Courage and featured Dr. Ruth Purtilo and Mr. Robert Fulbright. The most recent session, held in March 2025, focused on Deciding for Others and featured Dr. Bernard Lo and Dr. Kelsey Gipe. Dr. William Andereck led the panel discussion in all three sessions.
The fourth session will take place in 2027. Further details will be provided.
International Collaborations
We take pride in our long-standing international collaborations, including:
- Neuroethics Network: This project of the Neuroscience, Éthique et Société Association and hosted by Institut du Cerveau et de la Moëlle Épinière expands dialogue by promoting interdisciplinary interactions. Researchers, doctors and patients come together under one roof, fostering a vital multi-faceted approach.
- Cambridge Consortium for Bioethics Education :PMHV partners with Cambridge University Press to bring together bioethics educators from all over the world to share information on bioethics education innovation and scholarship.
- International Bioethics Retreat : At this unique meeting, invited experts in medicine, philosophy, law and health policy from around the world present current research projects. Informal sessions include audience discussion. Every year the retreat expands and strengthens the international community of bioethicists.
Clinical Ethics Fellowship Program
This one-year fellowship provides intensive practical training in clinical ethics consultation in a large community hospital with a diverse, multicultural population.
Ethical Times Newsletter
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