The 3rd Annual Harvard Ethics Consultation Skills Course

Registration is Open

The Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics is excited to be offering the third annual Harvard Ethics Consultation Skills Course, a one-of-a-kind immersive course aimed at providing attendees with practical skills in performing ethics consultations.

This program, led by clinical ethics faculty from Harvard-affiliated hospitals, provides practical, hands-on skills training and practice in conducting healthcare ethics consults. Intended for those new to performing ethics consultation and those looking for a refresh and/or build upon their current consultation skills, the course utilizes a flipped-classroom model and provide attendees opportunities to improve their skills in such activities as developing the consult question, communicating with consult stakeholders, leading team meetings, and documentation of ethics consults.

Please contact the course directors with any questions at clinicalethics@hms.harvard.edu. Registration will close May 1, 2024. No further registrations will be possible after that date.

General Public

$995 USD

The $995 USD rate is for the general public. Register by May 1, 2024.

HMS Affiliates

$295 USD

This rate is reserved for those currently affiliated with Harvard Medical School or Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals. Contact the course directors if you have questions.

2024 Course Dates

Participants are expected to attend all four (4) sessions in their entirety — and fill out a brief post-course evaluation — in order to receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the course. All times are Eastern Standard Time.

  • Virtual: Thursday, May 30, 2024, 4-7:15 p.m.
  • Virtual: Thursday, June 6, 2024, 4-7:15 p.m.
  • Virtual: Thursday, June 13, 2024, 4-7:15 p.m.
  • In-Person: Friday, June 21, 2024, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Harvard Medical School campus in Boston, MA

Due to the immersive, participatory nature of this course, participants are expected to attend all four (4) sessions in their entirety. Please contact the course directors with any questions about this attendance expectation at clinicalethics@hms.harvard.edu.

Course Directors and Agenda

Course directors for this year's course are Jonathan Marron, MD, MPH, HEC-C, Director of Clinical Ethics, Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics; and Leanne Homan, RN, BSN, MBE, HEC-C, Associate Director of Clinical Ethics, Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics.

A tentative agenda for the 2024 Harvard Ethics Consultation Skills Course is available. While the content of the course will differ slightly from what is described here, this provides a general guide regarding what participants can expect from the course. Continuing education credits (CME, CEU, etc.) will not be available.

MBE students seated in a row with laptops open in a classroom.
Download Draft Agenda PDF

Course Overview

This course integrates both virtual and in-person components to provide attendees with practical, hands-on training and the skills necessary to perform healthcare ethics consultations at a high level. Led by faculty from Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, the course provides learners with skills and practice in all aspects of healthcare ethics consultation: from developing an ethics question to leading a meeting of stakeholders to documenting the consult, and everything in between.

The course consists of three virtual sessions (May 30, June 6, and June 13) and a full-day in-person session in Boston (June 21). A "flipped classroom" model will be utilized, in which attendees will be given readings and other preparatory materials to complete prior to the course sessions, allowing for maximal engagement with faculty and fellow attendees during the virtual and in-person course sessions.

During the virtual sessions, attendees will hone their skills in all components of ethics consultation, utilizing various engaging modalities including mini-didactic sessions, small group discussions, role-playing, and partnered problem-solving. The in-person session will provide a capstone experience for participants in which they can practice the skills they have developed throughout the course in a series of mock ethics consultation activities. The in-person session also will include opportunities for connecting and networking with course attendees and faculty, special interest group meetings, and a keynote lecture by Keisha Ray, PhD, the John P. McGovern, MD Professor of Oslerian Medicine and Associate Professor (with tenure) at the McGovern Center for Humanities & Ethics at UTHealth. Professor Ray is a national leader in bioethics, with a particular focus on the interplay between race, social determinants of health, and bioethics.

Course Objectives

Following the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Understand the ethical assessment and analysis of an ethics consult, and practice applying the relevant knowledge to a case study.
  • Identify and practice the process skills necessary for conducting the different components of an ethics consultation.
  • Recognize key publications and guidance in the field of clinical ethics and how to apply these to real-life ethics consultation.
  • Apply interpersonal skills to various modes of ethical deliberation using simulation-based learning.
Fellows seated around a table for discussion.

Who Should Attend

  • Individuals who participate (or expect soon to participate) in ethics committees and/or ethics consultations who wish to hone their skills in all aspects of ethics consultation
  • Those who wish to gain hands-on, personalized training with seasoned healthcare ethics consultants
  • Anyone who has received prior introduction to clinical ethics but wishes to acquire further expertise in ethics consultation, including such areas as fielding the ethics intake, formulating the ethics question, identifying relevant stakeholders, leading team meetings, performing ethical analysis, and ethics documentation

What Previous Attendees Have Said

  • "Extremely beneficial for those of us who want to pursue a career in clinical ethics, as well as those who participate in ethics in any way."
  • "The boots-on-the-ground experience of the faculty was so beneficial."
  • "This provided very helpful foundational knowledge as well as additional areas of practice to study in my own time."
  • "The balance between theoretical models and practice skills was great."
  • "Very helpful to hear from different faculty at multiple institutions."
  • "The role-playing practice components were so helpful and invaluable."
  • "Incredible. I feel like I'm learning from the best of the best!"
Dr. Truog giving a speech in the TMEC ampitheatre.

Course Fees

Course fees cover access to all course materials, food and beverages during the in-person session (including breakfast, lunch, and end-of-day reception), and a certificate of course completion. Lodging and travel to/from Boston are not included.

  • $800 USD for early general public, October 6, 2023 through December 31, 2023
  • $995 USD for general public, January 1, 2024 through April 30, 2024
  • $295 USD for HMS affiliates, reserved only for those currently affiliated with Harvard Medical School or Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals
  • $295 USD for current students/trainees*
  • $295 USD for participants traveling from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)*

*Current students/trainees and participants traveling from LMICs should email the course directors at clinicalethics@hms.harvard.edu to receive their special registration link. The student/trainee rate is intended for those currently in advanced bioethics or clinical ethics training programs. The LMIC reduced rate is available for a limited number of participants with pre-approval from the course directors.

Registration will close May 1, 2024. No further registrations will be possible after that date. Please email the course directors if you are unsure whether you meet these criteria or have any other questions about registration. For information about refunds, view our Refund Policy below.

Course Faculty

Course faculty include expert clinical ethicists from the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals, including:

  • Lynne Brady Wagner, MA, CCC-SLP, MRMC, HEC-C; Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
  • Maggi Budd, PhD, MPH, ABPP, HEC-C; Boston VA Healthcare System
  • Alex Cist, MD; Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Leanne Homan, BSN, MBE, HEC-C; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Michael Ieong, MD; Boston Medical Center
  • Kerri Kennedy, MA, BSN, RN, HEC-C; Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Babu Krishnamurthy, MD, MBE; Steward Healthcare, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center
  • Jonathan Marron, MD, MPH, HEC-C; Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Wendy McHugh, RN, MSN, HEC-C; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Elaine Meyer, PhD, RN, MBE; Boston Children's Hospital
  • Aimee Milliken, PhD, RN, HEC-C; Boston College, Connell School of Nursing
  • Jehanna Peerzada, MD; Boston Children's Hospital, South Shore Hospital
  • Ellen Robinson, RN, PhD, HEC-C; Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Lindsay Semler, DNP, RN, CCRN, HEC-C; Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • David Sontag, JD, MBE, HEC-C; Beth Israel Lahey Health
  • Basel Tarab, MD, MBE, MHA; Winchester Hospital
  • Lisa Taylor, JD, MS, HEC-C; Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Michael Casey, APRN-BC, FNP; Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Additional Information

Confidentiality Policy

Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics considers patient confidentiality to be of utmost importance. Though the course will involve immersive, hands-on instruction around clinical ethics cases, all teaching cases will be fictional, obtained from publicly-available sources, or fully anonymized in order to maintain patient confidentiality. Please email the course directors with any confidentiality questions or concerns.

Registration Costs and Travel

Registration costs cover access to all course materials, food, and beverages during the in-person session (breakfast, lunch, and end-of-day refreshments and reception), and a certificate of course completion. Lodging and travel to/from Boston are not included. Visit the Parking at HMS webpage for directions, campus maps, public transportation information, and details about parking garage hours and rates. Information about local accommodation options convenient to Harvard Medical School, as well as dining and leisure activities, will be provided to course registrants.

Accommodation Requests

Harvard Medical School welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please email the course directors in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) providers should be made at least two (2) weeks in advance, if possible. Please note that the university will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.

Access to lactation rooms will be possible for those needing such services. Please email the course directors if you will require lactation room access.

COVID-19 Guidance

Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics has taken necessary measures consistent with local regulations and guidelines to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Despite these measures, COVID-19 is highly contagious, and we cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed to COVID-19 at any Center in-person event. By attending a Center in-person event, you acknowledge and assume this risk. You are encouraged to do your part by complying with all health and safety protocols recommended by Harvard Medical School and to follow all local laws and regulations.

Refund Policy

Refund requests must be submitted in writing to the course directors at clinicalethics@hms.harvard.edu by 5:00 p.m. ET on May 1, 2023. Requests will be reviewed by the appropriate Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics staff and, if approved, will receive a 100% refund minus a $50 administrative fee. Requests sent after the deadline will not be approved and refunds will not be provided.