Bioethics

The division comprises the faculty of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Seattle Children’s. We coordinate the Clinical Bioethics Consult Service, advising families and clinicians about ethical issues in healthcare decisions. Faculty are members of the Seattle Children’s Ethics Committee and the Institutional Review Board (IRB). As part of the Institute for Translational Health Sciences, faculty are also involved with the Research Bioethics Consult Service, which provides advice to researchers, research participants and institutional review boards. This program serves Seattle Children’s Hospital, the University of Washington, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and WWAMI affiliates. We host an annual conference focused on current ethical controversies in pediatrics, and we sponsor three case-based ethics Grand Rounds each year. Additional ongoing educational activities include seminars, discussions and interdisciplinary rounds for pediatric residents, nurses and social workers. Our fellowship program trains individuals for academic careers in pediatric bioethics. The program includes a mentored research project and training in clinical and research ethics consultation. The fellowship can be done concurrently with clinical training in a subspecialty and can include academic work toward a master’s degree through the UW Bioethics and Humanities Department. Faculty scholarship examines ethical issues surrounding disabilities, genetics, global health and public health; it explores the uniquely pediatric challenges of parent-provider communication, adolescent decision-making and decision-making for children without families. We approach these issues through conceptual analysis, empirical research, and policy development.