Fellow in Advanced Biomedical Ethics (EXPIRED)

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Penn Postdoctoral 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 the postdoctoral Fellowship in Advanced Biomedical Ethics.  The mission of this 2-year Fellowship is to train scholars and future leaders in academic biomedical ethics.  Appointments will commence in August 2015.

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. 

Fellows will receive a generous annual stipend, benefits, full tuition for a master’s degree in bioethics, and funds for academic books and travel.

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’s degree in bioethics: Fellows are encouraged to undertake a program of study leading to either a Master of Science in Medical Ethics (MSME) or a Master of Bioethics (MBE) degree, with the choice of degree depending on fellows’ interests and career plans.  Information about both degree programs is available at http://medicalethics.med.upenn.edu/education. Education programs will be tailored to individual fellow’s needs.
3. Department seminars:  Fellows will participate in and present work at department seminars, including sessions focused on 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 and institutional review board experience:  Consistent with their interests, Fellows will gain ethics committee and/or institutional review board (IRB) experience at a Penn-affiliated hospital.

Applications are invited from scholars with doctoral degrees in hand (MDs, PhDs or equivalent, JDs), or who will receive such degrees by May 2015.  Doctorates may be in any relevant field, including, but not limited to, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, economics or anthropology.  Prior experience in bioethics is not required.

Interested applicants should send the following materials to Katherine Buckley ([email protected]) by January 2, 2015:

1. 1.     Application form (available at http://medicalethics.med.upenn.edu/education/penn-fellowship-in-advanced-biomedical-ethics)
2. 2.     A curriculum vitae
3. A personal statement (maximum 1200 words) that describes the reasons for applying to the fellowship, career goals, and specific areas of interest, if any, within bioethics.
4. A published or unpublished writing sample (maximum 25 pages).
5. In addition, applicants should arrange for 2 letters of recommendation to be submitted by individuals familiar with their academic work.  Letters must be submitted directly to Katherine Buckley ([email protected]) by the recommender, rather than forwarded by the applicant.
6. Physician applicants who are currently enrolled in a clinical or research training program should include a letter of recommendation from their training program director.  This letter may be one of the 2 letters of recommendation requested above, or may be a third letter. It should address:
   1. What the applicant’s clinical responsibilities, if any, will be during the period of the fellowship. The training program director should affirm that the applicant will be able to commit at least 80% of his/her professional time to bioethics fellowship activities, including mentored research.
   2. Whether the clinical program has training grant or other funds available to support the applicant’s stipend and benefits during his/her time in the bioethics fellowship program.

For additional information, contact:

Katherine Buckley

Administrative Coordinator, Penn Fellowship in Advanced Biomedical Ethics

[email protected]