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Department of Bioethics

Welcome to the NIH Department of Bioethics

Bioethics is integral to the mission and activities of the Clinical Center and the NIH, as ethical questions and challenges are inherent in the conduct of scientific research and in the translation and application of scientific and technological advances to the clinic and the laboratory.

Christine Grady, RN, PhD
certificate
56

Publications in 2023

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152

Bioethics consultations in 2023

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153

Fellows trained since 1997

doctors
12

Faculty members

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2

Visiting Scholars in 2023

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340

People who completed training in research ethics in 2023

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1,500+

Mugs of tea consumed last year

Bioethics Highlights

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A Leading Center for Academic Scholarship

Our Publications

Our interdisciplinary research is published in a range of high impact medical, legal, scientific, philosophical, social science and bioethics journals. The department averages more than 50 publications per year, and has published six books since 2010.

A group of eleven students pose for a photograph as a group.
Training the Next Generation of Bioethicists

Fellowship Opportunities

The NIH Department of Bioethics welcomes applications for fully funded two-year postbaccalaureate and postdoctoral research fellowships. Fellows are central to the activities and intellectual life of our interdisciplinary department, including weekly bioethics seminars, case conferences, ethics consultations, IRB deliberations, and other educational opportunities at NIH. They study ethical issues related to biomedical research, clinical practice, genetics, biotechnology, public health, health policy, population health and health disparities, and other important issues in bioethics.

A male nurse in scrubs and a female doctor in a white coat reviewing documents together in a hospital setting.
Bioethics Consultation Service

Improving Clinical Care and Clinical Research at the NIH

The Department of Bioethics provides a Bioethics Consultation Service, the goal of which is to provide analysis and facilitate discussion about a range of ethical issues that can arise in caring for patient subjects or during the course of research conducted at the Clinical Center. The Consultation Service is open to anyone with an ethical question or concern, including investigators, subjects, families, physicians, nurses, administrators, social workers, and pastoral care providers. Anyone who works at the NIH or participates in research at the NIH Clinical Center can request a consult.

Learn More

Learn more about Bioethics at the NIH

Our People

Meet the scholars who work in our department

Courses and Lectures

Learn more about some of the educational opportunities available through our department

Mentorship

How to write a bioethics research proposal

Thank you for your interest in us. We'll do our best to be helpful.

MAILING ADDRESS

Department of Bioethics 
National Institutes of Health 
10 Center Drive, Building 10, Room 1C118 
Bethesda, MD 20892-1156 

PHONE

Phone: (301) 496-2429
Fax: (301) 496-0760

Interested in our fellowship program?

Learn more about a prestigious fellowship at the NIH Department of Bioethics.