Fellowship in Clinical Ethics

About the Clinical Ethics Fellowship

The Clinical Ethics Fellowship in the Center of Biomedical Ethics is a two-year, full-time program designed to prepare graduates to become leaders in bioethics in health care 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:
- Comprehensive knowledge of key bioethics topics, including skills in critically evaluating empirical and conceptual research in bioethics
- Develop proficiency or expertise in clinical ethics consultation. Fellows are expected to develop the capacity to play the role of lead consultant by the end of the second year.
- Experience in presenting, teaching, and discussing core concepts in clinically-grounded bioethics at a post-graduate level
- Develop the ability to take leadership roles in Clinical Ethics Committee Meetings.
- Acquisition of professional skills for academic achievement in the field of bioethics, including research, CV development, and career building (fellows will be prepared to take a faculty position in the field of bioethics in both hospital and academic settings).
- Obtain skills to conduct scholarly research related to clinical ethics and bioethics in both independent and highly collaborative research settings.

Fellowship Activities

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

Some common fellowship activities include:

Shadowing ethics consults at Stanford Health Care (SHC) and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH)
Attend clinical rotations at the hospital, including the medical ICU, the transplant listing meetings for all of the solid organs, the palliative service, and neuro-critical care
Participate in interdisciplinary rounds in several ICU units
Attend 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

Year 1

The first year will of the fellowship be devoted to developing basic knowledge while observing clinical encounters to begin to learn skills, and conducting research.

Year 2

Second-year fellows will have the opportunity to conduct the ethics consultation service. Second-year fellows will be on-call for both “curbside” consults as well as full consults (review and analysis of patient files, discussions with primary team, organize and facilitate family meetings and team meetings as needed, etc.), and complete consult reports, medical chart notes, and any necessary follow up on their own. Fellows will also be expected to help organize and participate in educational initiatives for hospital staff.

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

David Magnus, PhD

Fellowship Program Co-Director

Thomas A. Raffin Professor in Medicine and Biomedical Ethics

Director of the Center

Member of the Stanford Hospital Ethics Committee

Holly Tabor, PhD

Fellowship Program Co-Director

Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Director for Clinical Ethics and Education

Co-Chair of the Stanford Hospital Ethics Committee

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

Megan Cvitanovic

Fellowship Program Coordinator

Ethics Consult & Fellowship Coordinator for the Center

The clinical ethics fellowship is closed and we won't be looking for a new candidate until fall 2026.

Criteria for Applicants

Applicants should possess 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 masters-level degrees may be considered. Candidates with a Ph.D. in philosophy are strongly 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, organizational skills, as well as presentation and teaching skills.

Questions? Contact Fellowship Coordinator, Emma Villarreal (ev2000@stanford.edu).

Applying to the Clinical Ethics Fellowship

The Clinical Ethics Fellowship is not currently accepting applications.

Application Process (Currently Closed)
- 1. Application
  - Required Documents/Information:
  - CV
  - A cover letter
  - Contact information for three references
- 2. Applications will be evaluated by the program’s director, assistant director, and current fellow.
- 3. If selected for an interview, applicants will be contacted directly by the program coordinator, Emma Villarreal
- 4. Final candidates must provide at least two writing samples/publications
- Please note: Unfortunately due to Stanford Graduate Medical Education (GME) regulations, we cannot accept or review applications from prospective international fellows.

For a video tour and further information about Stanford's fellowship offerings, please visit the Stanford GME homepage.

For other postdoctoral positions at Stanford, please visit https://postdocs.stanford.edu/prospective-postdocs.

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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About the Clinical Ethics Fellowship

Fellowship Activities

Year 1

Year 2

Current Fellow

Jenny Clark Schiff, PhD

Program Leadership

David Magnus, PhD

Fellowship Program Co-Director

Holly Tabor, PhD

Fellowship Program Co-Director

Megan Cvitanovic

Fellowship Program Coordinator

The clinical ethics fellowship is closed and we won't be looking for a new candidate until fall 2026.

Criteria for Applicants

Applying to the Clinical Ethics Fellowship

Ryan Felder, PhD

Adam Omelianchuk, PhD

Sarah Wieten

Karola V. Kreitmair

Katherine E. Kruse