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.
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 MedicineLaura 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 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, TexasMedical 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
Do I have to have background experience in bioethics to apply?
No, we welcome applicants from myriad backgrounds. While previous training in ethics is helpful and encouraged, it is not required. Fellows will take graduate level bioethics coursework as part of their training and also have the opportunity to enroll concurrently in our MA in Bioethics.
Do you accept international applicants?
We welcome all applications, but we are unfortunately not able to sponsor visas.
Will I be able to continue my current practice and do the fellowship at the same time?
The fellowship is designed to be full-time but offers some flexibility for providers who desire to maintain other clinical commitments. We require that Fellows commit to a minimum of 24 weeks in which ethics is their primary focus. Fellows develop an individual schedule in collaboration with fellowship leadership.
2023-2024:
Esime Agbloyor, MBChB
2022-2023:
Timothy Freeman, MD
2021-2022:
Edmund Folefac, MB/CHB
2019-2021:
Jason Chen, PhD
2018-2019:
Nicole Shirilla, MD
2017-2018:
Seuli Brill, MD
Gregory A. Otterson, MD
Sheria Wilson, MD
2016-2017:
Stephanie Fabbro, MD
Courtney Thiele, MD
Sheria Wilson, MD
2014-2016:
Asma Mobin-Uddin, MD
Pedro Weisleder, MD
2013-2014:
Elmahdi Elkhammas, MD
Britton Rink, MD
Matthew Vest, PhD