Fellowship in Clinical Ethics

About the Clinical Ethics Fellowship

The Clinical Ethics Fellowship is a two-year, full-time program designed to prepare graduates to become leaders in bioethics in healthcare settings, academic institutions, and professional or government agencies. Established in 2015, this non -ACGME fellowship is committed to addressing ethical concerns through clinical ethics consultation, policy development, education, and research. This fellowship will be appointed through the Stanford Graduate Medical Education (GME) office.

The goals and objectives of this fellowship include the following:
- Develop expertise in adult and pediatric clinical ethics consultation through active participation in clinical cases and on-call responsibilities. Fellows are expected to develop the capacity to play the role of lead consultant by the end of the second year
- Develop a comprehensive knowledge base of key bioethics topics, including skills in critically evaluating and teaching empirical and conceptual research in bioethics
- Develop leadership skills through participation in institutional Ethics Committee meetings
- Acquisition of professional skills for academic achievement in the field of bioethics, including research, CV development, and career building
- Obtain skills to conduct scholarly research related to clinical ethics and bioethics in both independent and highly collaborative research settings

Fellowship Activities

Fellows will generally devote 65% of their time in clinical work, 15% in didactic training and teaching, and 20% in research.

Some common fellowship activities in years 1&2 include:

Clinical rotations at Stanford Health Care (SHC) and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH)
Participation in interdisciplinary rounds in several ICU units
Graded responsibility for clinical ethics call at SHC and LPCH
Assist in preparing for and attending all ethics committee meetings at SHC and LPCH
Assist in drafting hospital policies, including conducting background research
Didactic work and research, including qualitative research methods, quantitative methods, philosophical or legal approaches
Receiving supplemental training and coursework in research methodology and conflict resolution

All SCBE fellows are required to attend the weekly SCBE Seminars as part of their educational and professional development. Interested parties can attend our invited speakers seminars, which occur once per month.

Current Fellow

Jenny Clark Schiff, PhD

PhD, Philosophy, The Graduate Center, City University of New York (September 2024 conferral)
- Research Interests Include: normative and conceptual issues relating to uncertainty in medicine, ethics of caring for patients with largely "invisible" medically unexplained conditions, philosophy of medicine and philosophy of biology, bioethical issues in sport, ethics of the use of artificial intelligence in the clinical setting, and medical ethics education
MA, English Education, Columbia University (Teachers College)
MA, Italian Literature, Columbia University (GSAS)
BA, Philosophy, Columbia College
Fulbright Scholar, Italy (Graduate Student Category)

The fellow's full bio can be found here.

Program Leadership

Holly Tabor, PhD

Director, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics

Co-Chair of the Stanford Hospital Ethics Committee

Co-Chair of the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital Ethics Committee

Kate Luenprakansit, MD, HEC-C

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Director of Clinical Ethics, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics

Clinical Ethics Fellowship Director

Medical Director of Clinical Ethics, Stanford Health Care

Co-Chair of the Stanford Hospital Ethics Committee

Yvette Dunmore

Fellowship & Finance Administrative Coordinator

Postdoctoral Clinical Ethics Fellowship 2026-2028

Now Accepting Applications

Criteria for Applicants

An advanced degree in an academic or professional discipline with preference given to candidates with terminal degrees in bioethics, philosophy, medicine, behavioral sciences, law, social sciences, nursing, social work, religious studies, and other fields related to the practice of clinical and academic bioethics. Exceptional candidates with a PhD in Philosophy are highly encouraged to apply.
Candidates are also expected to possess strong interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently and collaboratively, excellent oral and written communication skills, conflict resolution skills, organizational skills, as well as presentation and teaching skills.

Applying to the Clinical Ethics Fellowship

Application Requirements:

Current CV
3 letters of recommendation
2-3 writing samples/publications
A Cover Letter, which should also include the following:
Why are you interested in training in clinical ethics?
Why are you interested in training in clinical ethics at Stanford?
What experiences have you had related to clinical ethics and/or healthcare systems, if any?
How do you imagine training in clinical ethics would enhance your professional career?
What are your professional goals for the two-year fellowship?
Please describe your research interests.

To apply, please visit:

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/01999ba5b244706fad1880df902a1764 Applications will be evaluated by the Center Director, Associate Directors, and Clinical Ethics Fellowship Director. At this time, we cannot accept or review applications from prospective international fellows.
Application Deadline: Rolling review of applications will be open until December 12, 2025, with an expected start date in August 2026. Applicants will be responsible for submitting the required documents. Please note, incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For any questions or concerns, please contact Yvette Dunmore (ydunmore@stanford.edu).

Ryan Felder, PhD

PhD, Philosophy, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
- Research Interests Include: epistemic injustice in clinical ethics and communication, the ethics of artificial intelligence in health care, and the implications of contemporary pragmatism for normative ethics and metaethics.
MA, Philosophy, Binghamton University
BS, Philosophy, Rutgers University
"I would give my highest recommendation to the Stanford Fellowship in Clinical Ethics. The two-year program provides rigorous hands-on training in consultation skills with an experienced core team and has a track record of producing graduates that are ready to work independently as clinical ethicists. The fellowship also creates opportunities for one to pursue one’s research interests within a lively bioethics center. I have benefitted enormously from my time at Stanford." -Ryan Felder

Adam Omelianchuk, PhD

PhD, Philosophy, University of South Carolina
- Dissertation: What Makes Killing for Organs Wrong? A Defense of the 'Dead Donor' Rule.
- Committee: Christopher Tollefsen (supervisor), Jennifer A. Frey, George Khushf, Jeffrey P. Bishop
MA, Philosophy, Biola University
BS, Ministries, University of Northwestern - St. Paul
"The Clinical Ethics fellowship at SCBE was precisely the bridge I needed to move from the academic setting to the clinical setting without compromising rigorous academic research standards. The exposure to leading scholars, the high volume of complex cases, and the opportunities to develop a meaningful research project in collaboration with others far exceeded my expectations. It's hard to express how formative fellowship was for me as it challenged and transformed into a capable professional and desirable job candidate. The mentorship I received from David, Holly, and Alyssa was simply invaluable. I cannot recommend the fellowship enough." - Adam Omelianchuk

Sarah Wieten

PhD, Philosophy, Durham University
MA, Philosophy, University of South Florida
BA, Xavier University, Philosophy Politics and the Public Honors program
"The Fellowship provided me with opportunities to do interdisciplinary work which brings philosophy into contact with the broader world, and taught me how to seek out and create that environment in many different institutions. I am now doing this kind of work in a permanent academic job. The faculty were extremely supportive of my research and career goals, even under time pressure from their own duties. Most importantly they were supportive of my emotional and mental health, given the demands that clinical ethics work can place on these." - Sarah Wieten

Karola V. Kreitmair

PhD, Philosophy, Stanford University
MSc, Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Edinburgh
BA, Philosophy, Brown University
"My fellowship in clinical ethics was integral to my transition into a tenure-track clinical ethics job at a top medical school. What I learned from my mentors at SCBE (e.g., David Magnus, Mildred Cho, Hank Greely, Holly Tabor, Maren Monsen) provided the foundation for my current work as an academic researcher and clinical ethics consultant. In addition to affording me the opportunity to collaborate on research with an interdisciplinary group of experts, the fellowship at SCBE also allowed me to immerse myself in clinical practice. My experience as a clinical ethics fellow at SCBE was outstanding and transformative.” - Karola V. Kreitmair

Katherine E. Kruse

Fellowship, Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University
Residency, Pediatrics, Michigan State University
MD, Michigan State University
BS, Michigan State University

Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics

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