Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care
Promoting the Dignity, Rights and Welfare of Children
The Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care was the first program in the country to focus on bioethics issues in pediatrics. We now serve as a national resource for addressing issues in both pediatric bioethics and palliative care, which are fundamental to the practice of pediatrics. Through our work, we help clinicians, families and researchers determine the right path forward — one that optimizes health and helps children flourish.
A National Resource to Advance Healthcare and Research Experience and Outcomes
As leaders in these fields, many of our investigators contribute to national and international bioethics and palliative care guidelines and policies. For example, Jonna Clark, MD, MA, helped create guidelines regarding organ donation and allocation; Douglas Diekema, MD, MPH, served on the Pediatric Advisory Committee of the FDA; and Amy Trowbridge, MD, was elected to the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine Executive Committee.
Interdisciplinary Pediatric Bioethics Research
We conduct innovative interdisciplinary research on a diverse range of bioethics and palliative care topics in pediatrics. Some topics we study include how to improve quality of life, medical decision-making and communication for children with serious illness and their families. Our researchers come from a wide range of fields, including:
- Law
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Public health
- Social work
- Theology
Treuman Katz Center researchers highly value collaboration. We work closely with experts from the University of Washington, including the Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, the Department of Bioethics and Humanities, the Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care within the Department of Pediatrics and the Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS). We also host several educational programs and provide research ethics consultation.
In our research, we are focused on the breadth of issues in pediatric bioethics and palliative care, from improving the quality of end-of-life care for pediatric patients and their families, to promoting ethical research practices, to fair and equitable allocation of limited resources and innovative therapies.
– Douglas J. Opel, MD, MPH, director of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care
