Public Health Ethics

The Center for Bioethics advances public health practice and policy that promotes population health while being socially responsible and worthy of trust. We foster this aspect of our mission through academic scholarship, educational opportunities, and statewide collaboration to create ethical guidelines and policies.

Contact the Center for Bioethics

Publications

Dorfman, L., Gollust, S. E., Themba, M., Tamber, P. S., & Iton, A. (2025). Changing the story on health and racial equity: Why public health needs an infrastructure for building narrative power. Milbank Quarterly, 103(3), 724-754.

Leider, J., DeBruin, D., & Lim, S. (2024) Ethical and Operational Strategies for Scarce Resource Allocation. JAMA Health Forum, 5(9):e242940.

Riggan, K. A., Kesler, S., DeBruin, D., Wolf, S. M., Leider, J. P., Sederstrom, N., Dichter, J., & DeMartino, E. S. (2024). Minnesota hospitals' plans for implementing statewide guidance on allocation of scarce critical care resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes, 8(6), 537–547.

Riggan, K. A., Nguyen, N. V., Ennis, J. S., DeBruin, D. A., Sharp, R. R., Tilburt, J. C., Wolf, S. M., & DeMartino, E. S. (2024). Behind the Scenes: Facilitators and Barriers to Developing State Scarce Resource Allocation Plans for the COVID-19 Pandemic. CHEST, 166(3), 561-571.

Eyal, N., Wynia, M. K., Harter, T. D., DeBruin, D., & Eberl, J. T. (2023). Why Dropping Most Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates is Now Ethical. Health Affairs Forefront.

Leider, J. P., Lim, S., DeBruin, D., Waterman, A. T., Smith, B., Ghimire, U., & Hick, J. L. (2023). Using a web platform for equitable distribution of COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies: A case study in resource allocation. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1226935.

Wrigley-Field, E., Berry, K. M., Stokes, A. C., & Leider, J. P. (2023). COVID-19 Vaccination and Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Mortality at Midlife in Minnesota. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 64(2),

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Recordings

Oaths and Expertise: The Bioethical Consequences of Health Policy as Medical Decision-Making
Meredithe McNamara, MD, MS, FAAP, Yale School of Medicine
Oct. 31, 2025

Public Perceptions of Health Equity and How Communication Can Shape Understanding and Action
Sarah Gollust, PhD, University of Minnesota
Oct. 3, 2025

Whose Job Is It, Anyway? The Ethics and Management of Hospital Efforts on Social Determinants of Health
Kelsey N. Berry, PhD, Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics
April 25, 2025

Where Do We Go From Here? Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Pediatric Health Disparities in 2025 and Beyond
Monique Jindal, MD, MPH, Northwestern University and Lurie Children's Hospital
Nathan T. Chomilo, MD, FAAP, FACP, University of Minnesota Medical School
April 4, 2025

Ethics At the Intersection: Discussing End of Life Choices With American Indian and Alaska Native Patients
Mary J. Owen, MD, University of Minnesota Duluth
Nov 15, 2024

Reimagining Rural Health Equity: Understanding Disparities And Advancing Rural Policy, Practice, And Research
Anne Sosin, MPH, Dartmouth College, Elizabeth Carpenter-Song, PhD, Dartmouth College
Oct 25, 2024

Ending Unequal Treatment: A Systems Approach
Georges C. Benjamin, MD, MACP, FACEP (E), FNAPA, American Public Health Association, Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH, MS, FACP, University of Chicago
Sep 13, 2024

Separating Fact from Fiction: Developmental and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Gender Health
A. Kade Goepferd, MD, Children's Minnesota, Ian Wolfe, PhD, MA, RN, HEC-C, Children's Minnesota
Apr 12, 2024

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