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Master of Arts inÌýHealth Justice and Bioethics

Health justice and urban bioethics is grounded on the assertion that health disparities are an ethical problem. The Master of Arts inÌýHealth Justice and Bioethics in the at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø explicitly focuses on applying the bioethics toolbox—critical thinking, reflexivity, ethical analysis, ability to effectively communicate, foregrounding social and structural determinants of health—to questions of health equity, health justice and the elimination of unethical health disparities. While health disparities—differences in health outcomes based on social, economic, political and structural forces—are endemic to much of the United States, urban and rural alike, the Center for Urban Bioethics at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø focuses a critical lens on urban spaces, areas defined by their density, diversity and disparities.Ìý

Graduates of the Health Justice and Bioethics master’s program gain the theoretical foundations and practical tools and skills to apply their degree in a wide range of clinical, research, public health and other settings.ÌýThe Katz School of Medicine and Center for Urban Bioethics welcomes all applicants who anticipate that their work may benefit from the perspectives gained from our program and from the exposure to our interdisciplinary and intergenerational student body. Our students bring to the classroom a broad range of life experiences and fields, including medicine, public health, law, social sciences, public policy, social work, industry, administration, education and research.ÌýÌý

The diverse perspectives and wide-ranging knowledge of our students is our program’s greatest strength, and the interdisciplinary experience of the urban bioethics student body as a key element in fostering health equity in all communities.Ìý

Health Justice and Bioethics Certificate

The Health Justice and Urban BioethicsÌýCertificate is an option for those seeking additional bioethics training but who cannot fully commit to the master’s program. Learn more about the certificate.

Health Justice and Bioethics in Practice

Examples of these fields in action includeÌý

• bringing attention to the impact of racism/negative structural forces on the patient experience of healthcare through ‘Equity Rounds’ and ‘Bioethics M&Ms’;Ìý

• public intellectualism dedicated to countering disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories;ÌýÌý

• advocacy in bringing voices of the underrepresented to policy tables;ÌýÌý

• applying an anti-racism lens to contemporary organ donation and transplantation guidelines and practices;ÌýÌý

• improving clinical trial development and patient interactions with research staff as a clinical research program manager;ÌýÌý

• teaching issues of equity and cultural sensitivity in academic settings; andÌý

• engaging in health equity research that centers the margins in evaluating interventions.Ìý

If you share our belief that there is an urgency to address the ethical issue of health disparities in communities around the world, we invite you to study with us and apply the principles of bioethics to your chosen field.ÌýÌý

Program Format & CurriculumÌýÌý

Offered on °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø’s Health Sciences Center campus, the MA in Health Justice and BioethicsÌýis a 32-credit program comprising 14 credits in core courses, 15 elective course credits and a three-credit master’s thesis. Learn more about the curriculum.

Core courses areÌý

• Urban Bioethics 1 and Urban BioethicsÌý2;Ìý

• Community Engagement I and Community Engagement II;Ìý

• The Values, Ethics & Economics of Health Care Delivery in Urban Communities; andÌý

• Critical Social Science and Urban Bioethics.Ìý

The Health Justice and BioethicsÌýmaster’s thesis should make a novel contribution to the field. Therefore, the student will conduct an original research project—empirical or nonempirical—and produce a publishable paper.ÌýÌý

Research is undertaken with guidance from an approved thesis advisor from the or the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Secondary advisors can come from other areas that would benefit the student.Ìý