The Center for Bioethics is home to a one-year clinical ethics fellowship designed to provide intensive training for individuals seeking to do bedside clinical ethics under expert supervision. Our trainees are exposed to inpatient and outpatient consults and help address policy and other health care related issues. The fellowship is competency- and practice-based, and strives to meet competencies as described by organizations such as the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities as well as the Association of Bioethics Program Directors.

The fellowship is currently focused on future physician leaders in clinical ethics but is open to non-physicians as well. Previous or concurrent advanced training in bioethics through graduate work or the equivalent is encouraged.

Members of Bioethics staff with statue of Brutus

Fellowship structure

  • Duration: 12 months, July 1 – June 30.
  • Applicants: A terminal postgraduate degree is required. MD/DO candidates are given preference, but non-physician applicants may apply. OSU faculty are welcome to apply.
  • Compensation: OSU GME PGY-4 rate

Fellowship requirements

  • Completion of 3 graduate level Bioethics courses: End of Life Ethics (BIOETHC 7010), Clinical Bioethics (BIOETHC 6020), and Advanced Clinical Bioethics (BIOETHC 7000). The courses are offered in separate semesters and are eligible for tuition assistance benefits.
  • Attendance at weekly Ethics Case Conferences, monthly OSUWMC Ethics Committee meetings, and monthly Grand Rounds presentations. Fellows will be given the opportunity to present.
  • Routine availability for the Clinical Bioethics Consultation Service with a minimum of 24 weeks during the fellowship year, with flexibility.
  • Opportunities for scholarship or service projects in bioethics.

Application cycle

  • Applications are due January 6, at 11:59 p.m. ET, of the year that the fellowship begins. Interviews will be held in January via Zoom.
  • The Center is currently unable to support fellows requiring visa sponsorship.
  • Please send a CV or résumé, cover letter, and the names and contact information of two references to bioethics@osumc.edu

Questions? Contact bioethics@osumc.edu

Our fellows

Laura Saldivar, MD

Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Laura Saldivar, MD, is a Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Fellow as well as a part-time Clinical Bioethics Fellow. Saldivar completed her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience at The Ohio State University and graduated summa cum laude. She attended medical school at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and graduated with honors in 2020. Saldivar completed Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency during 2020-24 at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, before returning to Ohio State for fellowships. As a Clinical Bioethics Fellow, Saldivar aims to help patients and families navigate the gray areas of medicine that are becoming more and more prevalent in the Intensive Care Unit and beyond. Her clinical interests include pulmonary hypertension, critical illness, adult and pediatric medicine, and humanism in medicine. In the future, Saldivar would like to serve on an ethics consultation service in addition to working clinically as an intensivist.

 

Syed Husaini

Syed H. Husaini, MD, PhD, CCRP

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioethics and Health Humanities: Institute for Bioethics & Health Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
Medical School: Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan

Syed H. Husaini, MD, PhD, CCRP, is a non-practicing physician and scholar with a PhD in Bioethics and Health Humanities. His expertise lies at the intersection of neuroscience, ethics, and human agency. His doctoral research focuses on the neurobiology of human selfhood and its implications for free will, moral agency, and neurorights. Husaini is passionate about safeguarding cognitive liberty and advancing ethical frameworks for emerging scientific advancements. He combines a strong foundation in medicine with an interdisciplinary perspective shaped by his training in bioethics and the humanities. Husaini is skilled at engaging with diverse cultural and linguistic contexts, emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity in healthcare. His academic and professional interests include clinical ethics consultation, the philosophy of science, bioethics in relation to the Supreme Court of the United States, and the moral dimensions of medicine. Husaini's goal is to contribute to healthcare delivery as a teacher and practitioner of clinical ethics while continuing to explore the ethical challenges posed by modern neuroscience and technology.

 

More about our program