Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium
What do we talk about when we talk about justice in healthcare?
Should adolescents get to make their own medical decisions?
Is it time to rethink the ethics of care and care labor in American society?
The Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium (OBHC) is an academic lecture series for the state of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The goal of the OBHC is to foster substantive inquiry, conversation and education in biomedical ethics and medical humanism by bringing together scholars and students from diverse disciplines including medicine, philosophy, literature, sociology, religion, communication science, health policy and more. The OBHC aims to create an environment where critical examination of the human experience is the norm, and seeks to provide innovative perspectives on medicine and health -- perspectives that will both challenge and edify all who attend.
Join us at the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium as we explore these questions and many more.
View the 2023-2024 series flyer HERE.

2023 - 2024 Upcoming Presentation Spotlight
All presentations are at 8:00 AM and held virtually unless noted.
Thursday, October 5, 2023
in partnership with the OHSU Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds
"Refusals in Pediatrics: An Ethical Analysis"
Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD, University of Rochester
Friday, November 10, 2023
WebEx
"The History of Medical Uncertainty"
Vera Keller, PhD, University of Oregon
Friday, December 8, 2023 | Join this virtual event on WebEx HERE
"Structures of Justice and Fairness in Complex Disposition"
Georgina Campelia, PhD, HEC-C, University of Washington
Friday, January 12, 2024
"Taking Carework Seriously in Bioethics: The Case of US Nurses During the Pandemic"
LaTonya Trotter, MPH, PhD, University of Washington
Friday, February 9. 2024
"Dementia Through a Lens of Relational Agency"
Eran Klein, MD, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University
Friday, May 10, 2023
"Justice Rising: A Moral Imagination for a More Trustworthy Bioethics"
Kevin Dirksen, MDiv, MSc, Providence Center for Health Care Ethics
Friday, June 14, 2024
"Outliers and Outlaws: Supporting LGBTQ Elders"
Judith Raiskin, PhD, University of Oregon
Recent Speaker - Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross
On October 4th, OHSU Center for Ethics and University of Portland Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Formation and Applied Ethics presented “The Future of Bioethics: A Conversation with Dr. Lainie Ross.” This presentation gave high school and college students the opportunity to learn and develop their interest in bioethics.
On October 5th, in partnership with the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Lainie Ross presented "Refusals in Pediatrics: An Ethical Analysis.” View the recording here: Refusals in Pediatrics: An Ethical Analysis.



Past OBHC Series Presentations
2022-2023
Friday, November 18 from 8-9AM PT
By Hughes Evans, MD, PhD
Emory University
Friday, December 9 from 8-9AM PT
By Mary E. Wood, PhD
University of Oregon - view a recording of this presentation HERE
Friday, May 19th from 8-9AM PT
Elaine Hsieh, PhD, JD
University of Minnesota - To view the recording of this lecture, click HERE.
Friday, June 2 from 8-9AM PT
C. Estela Vasquez Guzman, MD, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University - To view the recording of this lecture, click HERE (password: QtyXpex2).
2021-2022
Tuesday, March 1 from 8-9AM PT
by Lydia Dugdale, MD, MAR from the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons.
View the recording of this presentation HERE (Password: hRbh7Ns4)
Thursday, April 14 from 12-1PM PT
by Dr. Daena J. Goldsmith, Professor of Rhetoric & Media Studies and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at Lewis & Clark College. View the recording of this presentation HERE (Password: 8aFdGN9H)
Thursday, May 19 from 12-1PM PT
by William Sturkey, PhD, MA from the University of North Carolina. View the recording of his presentation HERE