Penn Fellowship in Advanced Biomedical Ethics

The Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine invites applications for a new postdoctoral Fellowship in Advanced Biomedical Ethics, beginning in September 2013.  The mission of this 2-year Fellowship is to train scholars and future leaders in academic biomedical ethics.

Fellows will participate fully in the life of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, which is among the world’s leading bioethics departments.  They will have full access to the intellectual resources of the larger Penn community.

The core fellowship experience will consist of:

1. Mentored research:  Working with one or more faculty mentors, Fellows will be expected to conduct original research that will lead to the publication of a minimum of 2 manuscripts in top-tier peer-reviewed journals.
2. Master of Science in Medical Ethics:   Fellows will undertake a 2-year program of study that will lead to a Master of Science in Medical Ethics (MSME) degree.  Coursework will include core topics in medical ethics (4 courses), a grounding in empirical research methods (4 courses), as well research-related electives.
3. Department seminars:  Fellows will participate in and lead regular department seminars, including sessions devoted to works-in-progress, presentations by department and affiliated faculty as well as by invited scholars, and journal clubs devoted to critical analysis of conceptual and empirical articles in bioethics.
4. Ethics committee, consultation, and institutional review board experience:  Consistent with their interests, Fellows will join an ethics committee and/or an institutional review board at a Penn-affiliated hospital and will participate in consultations, protocol reviews and other committee activities.

Applications are invited from scholars with doctoral degrees in hand (PhDs or equivalent, JDs, MDs), or who will have received such degrees by September 2013.  Doctorates may be in any relevant field, including but not limited to philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, economics or anthropology.

Fellows will receive an annual stipend, benefits, and full tuition for coursework required for the MSME degree.

Interested applicants should send the following materials to Olivia Hamilton, Graduate Program Coordinator, olivh@upenn.edu by January 2, 2013:

1.  A curriculum vitae
2.  A personal statement (maximum 1200 words) that describes your reasons for applying  to the fellowship, your career goals, and your specific areas of interest, if any, within bioethics.
3. A published or unpublished writing sample (maximum 12 pages of text if a published work, 25 pages if an unpublished manuscript).
4. In addition, applicants should arrange for 2 letters of recommendation to be submitted by individuals familiar with their academic work.  Such letters must be submitted to Olivia Hamilton, Graduate Program Coordinator, olivh@upenn.edu by the recommender, rather than forwarded by the applicant.
5. Physician applicants who are currently enrolled in a clinical or research training program at Penn should contact Autumn Fiester, PhD at the address below for additional requirements.

For additional information, contact:

Autumn Fiester, PhD

Director of Education, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

fiester@mail.med.upenn.edu