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School of Medicine, Translational Education at Carolina (TEC)

Social Medicine faculty teach about clinical ethics throughout UNC’s medical education curriculum. In the Foundation Phase Issues relevant to clinical ethics appear throughout Social and Health Systems 1 and 2, and are developed in greater depth in several of the Social and Health Systems 3 seminars. Medical students in the Application Phase participate in the Graduate Medical Education series described below, and students in the Individualization Phase may revisit clinical ethics topics of interest through electives.

Course Directors for Social and Health Systems 1-3 and for our electives:

Graduate Medical Education

Arlene Davis, Director of Clinical Ethics Consultation and Education for UNC Health Care, along with many members of the Social Medicine and UNC Center for Bioethics faculty, teach medical students and residents about clinical ethics in the context of patient care. Our interdisciplinary approach draws upon other faculty within across the health affairs campus and staff members of UNC Health Care. We join the medical teams in various areas of the hospital for morning rounds on specified days each month. Ethical issues are addressed on rounds and in related separate ethical education sessions based on cases chosen by the residents. These conversations with medical students, house staff, and attending physicians are augmented by case-based ethics education sessions in other resident education settings.

For more information on Clinical Ethics Education within UNC Health Care or for contact instructions to request education, see our Ethics Education Service.

Other faculty and staff involved in resident education through these series:

UNC Healthcare Staff

Our faculty members work with other members of the health care team (nurses, social workers, allied health) in a variety of settings to provide ethics education. We also present ethical topics in other forums, such as various departmental Grand Rounds. Finally, we sponsor a monthly Clinical Ethics Grand Rounds for a diverse audience interested in the ethical issues related to patient care.