Since 1989 the OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care has partnered with practitioners of all health professions regionally and nationally to be a leading voice for compassionate health care.  The Center is committed to providing an ethical perspective of compassion, respect and justice to ensure that such care is delivered wisely and well.

Recent Announcements

daniel kim phd

We are excited to announce that Dr. Daniel Kim has been named the next Madeline Brill Nelson Chair for the Center for Ethics in Health Care! 

"I am thrilled to be joining the faculty, staff, and students at OHSU's Center for Ethics in Health Care,” said Dr. Kim. “The Center has long been a national leader in the field, advancing our health care practices toward ever greater justice, compassion, and respect. I could not be happier to be joining in on the Center's venerable history and shared mission, and I'm excited about its many opportunities for collaborative research and innovative programming in ethics education. My family is very excited to be moving to such a vibrant, diverse, and beautiful city like Portland. We can’t wait to share in its life and call it home."

Please check out this recent podcast: The Philosophical Pulse: Open Discourse on Medicine and Medical Education by Fabrice Jotterand PhD, MA & James N. Woodruff MD

Upcoming Events

Please also note that all times referenced below are in pacific time (PT).

Friday, June 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM – the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium presents Daniel Kim, PhD, MPH. Link to join HERE.

Thursday & Friday, May 6-7, 2027 – the Annual Kinsman Bioethics Conference presents Dan Sulmasy, MD, PhD as the Keynote Speaker. Location at Best Western Plus Agate Beach Inn: 3019 N Coast Hwy, Newport, OR 97365.

Friday, January 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM – the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium presents Drew Grabham, LCSW.

Friday, February 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM – the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium presents Clara Bosco, MD. 

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 8:00 AM – The Madeline Brill Nelson Speaker Series in collaboration with OHSU Department of Medicine Grand Rounds presents James N. Woodruff, MD

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 8:30 AMTalkOregon CME Workshop (virtual). 

Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:00 AM - the Annual Kinsman Bioethics Conference presents Tenzin Wangmo, PhD as the Keynote Speaker. Location at Westside Commons Hillsboro: 801 NE 34th Ave, Hillsboro, OR 97124.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 1:00 PMTalkOregon CME Workshop (virtual). Register here

Friday, May 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM – the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium presents Brian Park, MD, MPH. 

Recent Publications

Cajiga, R. M., Blattner, C.H., Wahlberg, B., Suksi, M., Jotterand, F. Elger, B.S., (2026) “Cross-Jurisdictional Study of the 3Rs: A Comparative Legal Analysis of Animal Research Governance in Finland and Switzerland,” Journal of Animal Law, Ethics and One Health 62-98. DOI: 10.58590/leoh.2026.012


Millhollin, J., Liang, E., Loveless, Z., Kim, S., Shinkunas, L., Ark, T. K., Kaldjian, L.C., Jotterand, F. & Yoon, J.D. (2026) “Practical Wisdom through Narratives as Told by Medical Students and Physicians”, Southern Medical Journal, 119(5), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001967

Toledo, V., Yunus, R., Nickel, L., Jotterand, F. & Padela, A. “Considering ‘Big Questions’ about the Human Being in Medical Education” (Commentary) (2026), Wisconsin Medical Journal, 125(1):109-110, 114.

Coleman C, Birk S, Stowers K, Mullowney C, Chisholm-Burns M. The hidden curriculum undermines teaching about health literacy and clear communication, promoting inequities in care. Social Science and Medicine, 2025. https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0277-9536(25)00876-7 

Padela, A.I., Hayek, R., Tabassum, A., Jotterand, F. & Qadir, J. (2025). “Assisting, Replicating, or Autonomously Acting? An Ethical Framework for Integrating AI Tools and Technologies in Healthcare”, Bioethics https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.70019

Shah, R. & Jotterand, F. (2025). “Large Language Models in Neurology Treatment Decision-Making: Current Evidence”, Journal of Medical Systems 49:115 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-025-02254-4 

Disher N, Dieckmann NF, Case JR, Rubim F, Eden KB, Golden SE, Matlock DD, Coleman C, Lyons KS, Saha S, Slatore CG, Vranas KC, Sullivan DR. Improving lung cancer decision-making using a conversation tool (iDECIDE): a stepped wedge pragmatic clinical trial. Future Oncol. 2025 Mar 18:1-12. doi: 10.1080/14796694.2025.2475733. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40098532.

Ketterer, B., Dingfield, L., Stowers, K. H., Morrison, K., Bailey, A., Flint, H., Buckholz, G., Morrison, L. J., Yang, H., & Berns, S. (2025). AAHPM Assessment Workgroup: Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Assessment Needs and Directions. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management69(3), e220-e227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.12.009

Newsletter

To read the November issue of the newsletter, click HERE.

Impact Report

We remain full of gratitude to all those who have made this work possible. Thank you! To learn about the accomplishments and achievements of the Center for Ethics in Health Care, click HERE.

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the original inhabitants and traditional village sites of the land Oregon Health & Science University is occupying and built upon: the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, Watlala bands of the Chinook, the Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, Wasco and many Indigenous nations of the Willamette Valley and Columbia River Plateau. We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land - past, present, and future.

Contact Us

(503) 494-4466 

ethics@ohsu.edu

Monday – Thursday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM 

Friday: Closed

OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care

3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. UHN86

Portland, OR 97239