GBI Summer School program had an incredible depth and breadth of presenters and information. In addition, the high caliber of attendees made the program a wonderful learning and networking experience with brilliant participants from around the world. While meeting in person is often much better, the online presentations, film screenings, webinars, and breakout sessions were top-notch, and likely allowed some participants to “attend” who wouldn’t otherwise be able to. I’m really looking forward to the next program organized by Global Bioethics Initiative!

Theresa Ford, MBe Candidate in Bioethics, Columbia University, NYC, USA

I very much enjoyed the unique 2020 Global Bioethics virtual program. I call it “unique”as I previously attended online programs offered by Harvard University and the Woolf Institute, linked to Cambridge University which are highly praised educational programs. However, the essence of the Global Bioethics Initiative’s program was the very pragmatic angle through which the debates were conducted by notable lecturers; they were not limited to the classroom teachings only, but went far beyond the academic deliberations. We understood that bioethical decisions affect all of us regardless of our backgrounds and we cannot avoid making healthcare decisions for ourselves, and sometimes on behalf of  incapacitated loved ones and that we are citizens of a society that needs to determine not only how to respond to, but also how to better prevent public health emergencies such as COVID-19. The topics ranged from pandemic ethics, the use of investigational drugs, hospital-based ethics, end-of-life and palliative care, women’s rights based ethics, vaccine clinical trials, and mental health care to film screenings and debates on flawed research practices. I […]