1. Bioethics Training
  2. 2025 Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics

2025 Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics

 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

The Department of Bioethics and Humanities invites you to the 37th annual Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics. We will host the conference online this year with live discussions with experts and small group cases.

The annual Summer Seminar is an intensive, interactive introduction to the 'four-box method' of analysis of ethical problems in clinical ethics, developed by Jonsen, Siegler, and Winslade in their book Clinical Ethics. The Seminar also addresses elements of the Core Competencies in Health Care Ethics Consultation and can help attendees prepare for the healthcare ethics consultation certification exam.  

Who Should Attend?

Summer Seminar is directed to physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, attorneys, teachers, surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, physician assistants, social workers, hospital administrators, and other professionals involved in the care of patients or the education of providers.

>>>Register Here<<<

Summer Seminar Course Descriptions and Objectives

SUMMER SEMINAR COURSE DESCRIPTION

Lectures are designed to familiarize participants with basic definitions and arguments in major topics of clinical ethics. The course aims to provide participants with skills and information to enable them to make competent ethical decisions in clinical situations and to assist others in doing so. Hence, careful attention is paid to methods of case analysis and to discussion of cases. Summer Seminar has always attracted a mix of participants that resembles the actual participants in clinical care, making it possible to share different, but complementary views.

REQUIRED TEXT: Clinical Ethics 9th edition*

*earlier editions are acceptable

OBJECTIVES

  • Identify fundamental concepts and principles for the understanding of ethical issues in clinical care
  • Implement a method for analyzing ethical cases in clinical health care
  • Employ skills in decision-making for clinical cases that present ethical problems
  • Discuss current issues and cases in health care ethics
Tentative Conference Agenda

Fees, Registration and CME Accreditation

Fees & Registration

The cost of the 3.5-day conference is $500. See below for possible discounts.

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: $400

Register by May 15th for our early-bird discount. 

GROUP RATES: please email bhconted@uw.edu for group discount information. 

20% off groups of 15

15% off groups of 10

10% off groups of 5

Continuing Education Credit Fees are up to $45 (optional) and will be collected AFTER the event by the CME office directly. Additional instructions will be sent* out to participants after the conference. 

CME Accreditation

The University of Washington School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

 

The University of Washington School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 19.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

 

*Category 1 applies to physicians, but other health professionals can use AMA PRA certificates as non-physicians for their re-licensure. 

Scholarship Opportunities

The Department of Bioethics & Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine is proud to offer scholarship to the 37th Annual Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics in honor of Dr. Al Jonsen, the founder of Summer Seminar, Dr. Tom McCormick, the Co-Chair for almost two decades, and Dr. Jim Kirkpatrick, Montlake Ethics Committee Chair and Consultant.

 

Scholarships will be awarded to professionals who would like to attend the Summer Seminar in Healthcare Ethics virtual conference, but are not able to because of financial hardship or other constraints. Scholarships will be awarded through an application process to cover 50% or 100% of registration costs. 

 

Application deadline is June 6th, 2025 and scholarship recipients will be notified by June 20th, 2025.

 

Apply now here.

Special Services

The University of Washington is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance. Disability Services Office:

  • 206.543.6450/Voice
  • 206.543.6452/TTY
  • 206.685.7264/Fax
  • e-mail: dso@uw.edu

If you’d like to request that the conference provide any accommodation, please email bhinfo@uw.edu.

Surgical Ethics Conference

The Surgical Ethics Conference 

The Department of Surgery hosts a sister event, the annual Surgical Ethics Conference.  This hybrid conference employs the methods of ethical analysis taught in the Summer Seminar to analyze topics of special interest to surgeons, surgical residents & fellows, anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, physician assistants, social workers, and hospital administrators.  The conference additionally introduces participants to skills and information sufficient to enable them to make competent ethical decisions in clinical situations. The conference format incorporates live and asynchronous content tailored to surgical specialties. The conference introduces ethical principles and concepts, lectures on surgical ethics topics, and offers multi-disciplinary small group discussions designed to allow participants to better understand the ethical debates that bear upon each topic.

Information on this year's conference is to be announced. Visit the Center for Surgical Ethics' website for more updates.

Faculty

Summer Seminar has a new program director!

Noa T Brazg, PhD, MSW, MPH, Director; UW Medicine Ethics Consultant, Director; UW Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education, Research and Practice  

 

Summer Seminar 2025 Faculty:

Jennifer Cobelli Kett, MD, MA, Division Head, Bioethics and Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, UW SOM ; Medical Director, Bioethics and Palliative Care, Seattle Children's Hospital  

Georgina Campelia, PhD, HEC-C, Associate Professor and Clinical Ethicist, University of Washington School of Medicine  

Denise Dudzinski, PhD, HEC-C, Professor, Bioethics & Humanities and Pediatrics, Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care; Chief, UW Medicine Ethics Consultation Service 

Doug Diekema, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine; Director of Education, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Seattle Children's Research Institute  

Laura Webster, D.Be, RN, HEC-C, Affiliate Faculty, UW School of Medicine Department of Bioethics and Humanities; NW Region VP of Ethics, CommonSpirit  

Laura Katers, PA-C, MCHS, MS, Faculty Teaching Associate: UWMC-ML and UWMC-NWH  

Andrew Wright, MD, Director, Center for Videoendoscopic Surgery; Section Chief, Upper GI Surgery; Co-Director, Center for Surgical Ethics 

Arika Patneaude, MSW, LICSW, Director, Bioethics, Palliative Care and Journey Grief Support Program, Seattle Children's Hospital

Maya Scott, MSW, LICSW, Director, Center for Diversity and Health Equity, Seattle Children's Hospital 

Aaron Wightman, MD, MA, Clinical and Organizational Ethicist, Seattle Children's Hospital  

Hannah Johanson, RN, CCRN, PCCN, HEC-C, Clinical Ethicist and Registered Nurse, University of Washington Medical Center