Education & Training

The Indiana University School of Law and the Department of Philosophy at IUPUI will offer a combined degree in Law (JD) and Philosophy (MA) with concentrations in health law and bioethics. Bioethical issues (social, legal, and philosophical) confront a diverse array of institutions, including state and federal agencies, healthcare organizations, research and educational institutions, corporations (national and multinational), human rights organizations, medical insurers, and religious bodies. In combining the philosophical study of bioethics with the study of law, students will acquire the perspective, knowledge, and expertise that will equip them to provide leadership concerning the bioethical issues faced by such institutions.

Faculty Administrator:
Eleanor DeArman Kinney
Hall Render Professor of Law
Co-director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health
Executive Director, Latin American Law Program

For more information visit the School of Law website.

Designed for students who want to understand and shape the role of the law in promoting public health or in regulating the financing and delivery of health care services. Professional opportunities include government health or environmental agencies, private firms, and universities. Candidates will study law courses their first year, mostly public health courses their second year, and primarily law courses in their third and fourth years, including internships in health or environ-mental law.

Faculty Administrator:
Eleanor DeArman Kinney
Hall Render Professor of Law
Co-director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health
Executive Director, Latin American Law Program

For more information visit the School of Law website.

The William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health at the IU School of Law - Indianapolis is ranked in the top ten among health programs nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. The LL.M. program in health law, policy and bioethics at IU is one of the country's top schools for the study of health law. The program is designed to give students the opportunity to gain practical and theoretical knowledge in the areas of health law, policy and bioethics, learn about the institutions and structures of healthcare and how they affect the ethical issues that arise in medical and legal practices, and enhance their opportunities for law-related employment. Courses are offered in the areas of: biotechnology, antitrust law in the healthcare industry, bioethics, medical malpractice, and more.

Faculty Administrator:
Eleanor DeArman Kinney
Hall Render Professor of Law
Co-director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health
Executive Director, Latin American Law Program

For more information visit the School of Law website.

The Department of Philosophy at IUPUI is currently accepting applications for its Master of Arts program with a concentration in Bioethics. The objective of the bioethics concentration is to address a critical need in the health care professions, where bioethics is increasingly recognized as indispensable to the training and development of physicians and other health care professionals. A key feature of the program is a close integration of theory and practice, which is facilitated by including a practicum in clinical ethics. In contrast to traditional philosophy M.A. programs, the bioethics concentration will focus on prospective students who are already working within the health care professions and who seek to further develop themselves professionally. Although some students may pursue a Ph.D. elsewhere after completing the M.A., the program is geared toward those who want to enhance their professional credentials. An M.A. in philosophy with a concentration in bioethics will be useful to those responsible for policy analysis and development (e.g., on ethics committees), compliance (e.g., in risk management or institutional review-board positions), grant applications, applications for FDA approval, or teaching and education (e.g., in continuing education programs). This concentration will also be useful to professionals working in legislative or other policy positions.

For more information visit the M.A. in Philosophy website.
or contact Jason T. Eberl, Ph.D.

The School of Medicine and department of Philosophy have been working together to develop and offer classes in the first Joint MD and MA degree. Classes for the degree will begin being offered in the fall of 2004. The goal of the MD/MA joint degree program is to train medical professionals in the basic ethical principles underlying medical practice and to educate them about bioethical issues that they are likely to confront. The program was specifically developed to take advantage of the presence of the IU School of Medicine and to enhance the ethics training it offers its students, as well as to allow those training for the medical profession to offer their practical insight to other students in the MA program.

For more information about the curriculum, requirements, and other aspects of the program visit the M.A./M.D. website or contact:

Jason T. Eberl
Assistant Professor and Graduate Co-Director
IUPUI Department of Philosophy
Jason T. Eberl, Ph.D.
425 University Blvd., CA 331A
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 278-9239

The MHP is a multidisciplinary program involving approximately 25 faculty from four different IUPUI schools. The program includes an undergraduate minor in Medical Humanities and three Masters level programs with health-related concentrations: Bioethics (Philosophy), Medical Sociology, and Health Communications. Plans are underway for a fourth concentration in Medical History and a graduate certificate in Medical Humanities. The Medical Humanities and Health Studies Program provides a unique opportunity for students in liberal arts, pre-medicine, allied health sciences, pre-dentistry, and nursing, and for all those interested in the state of health care in America, to explore the concepts of health and illness from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspective.

For more information visit the Medical Humanities website.

Contact Info:
Judi Izuka-Campbell
Medical Humanities program
Ph: (317) 274-4740

The IU School of Medicine has adopted a competency curriculum for the past 5 years. These 9 competencies are threaded through existing course and clerkship work. Every student must achieve level 2 in all competencies in order to graduate, and level 3 in three of the 9. Failure to do so will result in failure to graduate. IU was only the second school in the nation to develop and implement a competency curriculum. We believe medical students and practitioners should embrace a lifetime of learning, keeping current with competency issues. Introducing this curriculum was a means to effectively monitor and evaluate students outside of their regular coursework while at the same time explicitly telling students what was expected of them as ethical professionals.

The nine competencies are:
1. Effective communication
2. Basic Clinical Skills
3. Using Science to Guide Diagnosis, Management, Therapeutics, and Prevention
4. Lifelong Learning
5. Self Awareness, Self-Care, and Personal Growth
6. The Social and Community Context of Health Care
7. Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment
8. Problem Solving
9. Professionalism and Role Recognition

For more info contact:
Margaret M. Gaffney, M.D.