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Welcome

This is the Undergraduate Bioethics Program at the University of Virginia.

If you are a prospective student, see the centerpiece of the program, the Minor in Bioethics, under Academic Programs.

If you're curious about where the minor might lead you, check out the experiences of former students on our alumni page.

If you are a current student, you can find a quick list of Bioethics courses on the Course Offerings page.

News and Events

UVa Bioethics: National Outreach

UVa Bioethics faculty contribute to public policy by serving on various commissions at the local, state, national, and international levels. Here is a roundup of recent activity at the national level:

Ruth
Ruth Gaare Bernheim, JD, MPH (Masters of Public Health Program) serves on the Ethics Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee to the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/phethics/jointMeetings/
Jim
Jim Childress, PhD (Religious Studies) has served on numerous national and international ethics bodies. Some of the most notable include:
  • Vice-Chair of the National Task Force on Organ Transplantation
  • Member of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Commmittee (two terms)
  • Member of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (under President Clinton)
  • Chair of the Health Sciences Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine (current)
John
John Arras, PhD (Philosophy) was recently appointed to President Obama's Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (www.bioethics.gov). He also serves on the national bioethics committee for the March of Dimes.

What is Bioethics?

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Bioethics is both a field of intellectual inquiry and a professional practice that examines moral questions at the intersection of biology, medicine, law, public health, policy, and ethics - all broadly construed.
More. . .

Bioethics asks the hard questions:

  • What are the ethical and policy implications of creating synthetic genomes (artificial life)?

  • Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized?

  • Is there a right to health care? A right to health?

  • Should the genetic enhancement of human nature be permitted?

  • What are the moral implications of Obama's health reforms?

  • Octomom and the responsibilites of fertility specialsts?

  • International biomedical research: Who owes what to whom?
For questions or comments regarding this website, contact the webmaster.
Copyright 2005-2010

Undergraduate Program in Bioethics, University of Virginia
This website is supported by a generous gift from
Linda Obenauf Porterfield and H. William Porterfield, M.D. of Keswick, Virginia.
Last Updated 9/9/2010