The Center for Bioethics helps students, professionals, policy makers, and the public confront and understand ethical issues in health, health care, new biomedical technologies, the environment, and the life sciences.
We teach, publish, and help create policy through our outreach. We also offer programming that includes public engagement as part of our commitment to respond to issues and concerns important not just to the academic community but to communities within the Twin Cities and beyond.
Established in 1985, the Center is a nationally prominent, yet locally focused, resource that conducts important research and provides educational programs and services to help students, professionals, policy makers, and the public confront the complex ethical issues emerging in health care and public health.
Interim Director Debra DeBruin, PhD, has been with the Center since 2000. She has served in various leadership roles including Director. Dr. DeBruin’s interests include bioethics and social justice, ethical issues related to women’s health, public health ethics and policy, and ethics of public health emergency preparedness and response.
The mission of the Center is to provide leadership in bioethics research and scholarship, education, community engagement and ethics support services to advance: