Courses

Instructors: Paola Nicolas, PhD, MS, HEC-C; Elizabeth Chuang, MD, MPH, HEC-C; Patrick D. Herron, DBe, HEC-C; Lauren S. Flicker, JD, MBe, HEC-C; Allison Coffelt, MS, MA. 

Description: The first of the two required courses for our Advanced Certificate in Bioethics and Medical Humanities. This course is also a core requirement for our Master of Science in Bioethics degree program. This course will provide students with an in-depth foundation of the field of bioethics, with emphasis on key principles in moral theory, methods of legal and literary analysis, and the skills necessary to apply the insights of bioethics to daily medical practice and research. Our curriculum incorporates the humanities so that learners can better understand the moral dimensions of healthcare beyond scientific data, emphasizing empathy, narrative, and human values.  

Time: Sept 2-Dec 9, 2026 (Wednesdays, 4-7PM, online) 

Credits: 3

Course Director: Lauren S. Flicker, JD, MBe, HEC-C 

Description: In this class, we will address how people’s values surrounding death are sometimes in contrast with the reality of dying in America. We will articulate the many different definitions of death and consider how those different definitions can create ethical conflict. We will consider the role that medical professionals can and do play at the end of life.   

Time: Sept 1-Dec 8, 2026 (Tuesdays, 4-6PM, online) 

Credits: 2

Course Director: Adira J. Hulkower, JD, MS, HEC-C; Paola Nicolas, PhD, MS, HEC-C

Description: This course is designed to be a gateway into the challenging ethical dilemmas that healthcare professionals encounter in their daily practice. In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare in the United States, the role of ethics consultation services has become increasingly critical. The complex and often morally fraught decisions that healthcare professionals, patients, and their families face demand a level of ethical guidance and expertise that extends beyond traditional medical expertise. Ethics consultation services have emerged as a vital resource to address these complex dilemmas and ensure that healthcare decisions are not only medically sound but also ethically defensible. The field of clinical ethics has witnessed a substantial transformation over the years, with institutions across the country increasingly integrating ethics consultation services into their healthcare systems. The establishment of professional standards, guidelines, and certification programs for clinical ethics consultants has further advanced the quality of services provided. By examining real-world cases, this class will provide frameworks to address ethical challenges in the health care setting.  The issues covered in this class are not exhaustive, but are designed to be an introduction to the current methods for approaching clinical ethics cases.

Time: Aug 31-Dec 7, 2026 (Mondays, 4-6PM, online) 

Credits: 2

Course Director: Rabbi Kalman Laufer 

Description:The Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics has established a transfer credit agreement with the YU/RIETS Graduate Program in Jewish Bioethics and Jewish Law. This program provides a comprehensive and practical foundation in Jewish medical ethics, with a focus on the intersection of halacha and contemporary healthcare. For more information, visit: https://www.yu.edu/riets/bioethics. Students interested in enrolling in Bioethics and Jewish Law I should contact the Program Director, Dr. Paola Nicolas, for additional information. 

Time: NY/Eastern Time Section Tuesday Nights 7:30PM EST - 9:30PM EST, Sunday September 7th 9:00AM EST - 5:00PM EST/ Los Angeles/Pacific Time Section, Tuesday Nights 7:00PM PCT - 9:00PM PCT, Sunday September 14th 9:00AM PCT - 5:00PM PCT (one session in person, the rest online) 

Credits: 3

Course Directors: Adira Hulkower, JD, MS, HEC-C; Lauren Flicker, JD, MBE, HEC-C 

Description: Our intensive bioethics consultation skills course is designed to help attendees develop communication skills and gain practical experience in addressing ethical dilemmas. A blend of didactics, small group role plays, and personalized feedback are used to teach best practices in effective clinical ethics consultation. Our virtual intensive course covers topics aligned with ASBH’s Core Competencies for Health Care Ethics Consultation. Healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, chaplains, and hospital administrators, along with members of ethics committees, lawyers, and trainees (bioethics, medical students, residents, fellows) will benefit from this skills-based course that will provide new knowledge and enhance your clinical skills. 

Time: January 4–8, 2027 (9:00 AM–5:00 PM, online) 

Credits: 2 

Prerequisites: Approval of instructor 

Course Directors: Patrick D. Herron, DBe, HEC-C 

Description: The Bioethics Consultation Skills Scholarly Paper is a one credit, asynchronous, independent study elective designed to complement MECB’s Bioethics Consultation Skills Intensive (BIOE-5201) and may only be taken concurrently with enrollment in BIOE-5201. Building on the experiential learning and skill development of the intensive course, this additional course provides students with the opportunity to engage in deeper scholarly analysis and reflective practice in bioethics consultation. Enrollment in this one credit course will be limited to MS graduate students enrolled in BIOE-5201 or with the permission of Director of Bioethics Graduate Education, external applicants seeking to take this course in addition to BIOE-5201. 

Time: (Asynchronous, online) 

Credits: 1

Prerequisites: This course may only be taken concurrently with enrollment in BIOE-5201. 

Instructors: Paola Nicolas, PhD, MS, HEC-C; Elizabeth Chuang, MD, MPH, HEC-C; Patrick D. Herron, DBe, HEC-C; Lauren S. Flicker, JD, MBE, HEC-C 

Description: This year-long course can be taken independently to earn a Certificate and/or as required coursework for the Master of Science in Bioethics. Faculty collaborate with students in a combination of two full-day retreats and weekly seminars to offer an intellectually rich year introducing the foundations of bioethics as a field, key principles in moral theory, methods of legal and literary analysis, and the skills necessary to apply the insights of bioethics to daily medical practice and research. We examine core bioethics issues using a multiplicity of perspectives and draw upon the depth of expertise not only of faculty but also of our participants, many of whom bring years of clinical, legal and other professional experience to the program.  

Time: January 20–April 14, 2027 (Wednesdays, 4:00–7:00 PM, online) 

Credits: 3

Course Director: Angela Rossetti, MBE, MBA 

Description: Drug therapy has always been integral to the practice of medicine, from the earliest use of botanicals to contemporary biopharmaceuticals. In the last 125 years, drug therapy has evolved to a more than trillion-dollar industry and now occupies a uniquely important role in global public health. Because of its size and importance to human health and well-being, the industry carries a significant ethical responsibility. Most recently, the Covid pandemic and its consequences highlighted the dependence of the world on a global, well-functioning biopharmaceutical industry. The work of drug discovery, development and accessible distribution is expensive. No government has demonstrated the willingness, scientific or financial ability to undertake that work alone, and governments rely largely upon the biopharmaceutical industry for many aspects of drug availability. This class will examine the history and origins of the commercial biopharmaceutical industry, its continuous evolution and regulation, the drivers of its growth, its missteps, its successes, and its ethics that all combined, have changed the course of human disease.  

Time: January 25–April 19, 2027 (Mondays, 4:00–6:00 PM, online) 

Credits: 2

Course Director: Patrick D. Herron, DBe, HEC-C and Danielle M. Fernandes, MD, FAAP  

Description: Ethical Issues in Pediatrics is a two-credit seminar that examines ethical issues arising in the care of children and adolescents. The course introduces foundational concepts in pediatric ethics, including the moral status of children, parental authority and responsibility, and shared decision-making among patients, families, and clinicians. Topics include ethical challenges in neonatal care and prognostic uncertainty, adolescent privacy and the concept of emerging autonomy, assent, disability and neurodiversity, pediatric mental health, gender-affirming care, justice and equity in children's health, and the ethics of child protection and neglect. Through case-based discussion and analysis, students will explore how ethical principles, clinical realities, legal frameworks, and social contexts shape decision-making in pediatric practice and policy.   

Time: January 19–April 20, 2027 (Tuesdays, 4:00–6:00 PM, online) 

Credits: 2

Course Director: Paola Nicolas, PhD, MS, HEC-C 

Description: This course offers a structured, case-based introduction to ethical dilemmas encountered in clinical practice. Students participate in online case review sessions led by ethics consultants from MECB’s Ethics Consultation Service, attend bioethics committee meetings, and complete reflective assignments informed by readings from the Hastings Center Clinical Ethics Series. The course focuses on developing foundational skills in clinical ethics analysis and reasoning.   

Time: TBD (online)  

Credits: 2

Prerequisites*: Course reserved for students admitted to the Clinical Ethics Track.

Course Director: Paola Nicolas, PhD, MS, HEC-C 

Description: The IRB Foundations course provides immersive, hands-on exposure to the review of human subjects research through engagement with the Montefiore and Einstein Institutional Review Boards, as well as the Artificial Intelligence IRB. Beginning with core introductory tasks, students observe and participate in IRB meetings and institutional policy discussions under the guidance of experienced bioethics faculty. The course is designed to develop practical skills in ethical reasoning, communication, and decision-making within clinical research oversight. In this foundational practicum, students’ involvement centers on structured shadowing and observation.   

Time: TBD (online)  

Credits: 2

Prerequisites*: Course reserved for students admitted to the Research Ethics Track.

Course Director: Rabbi Kalman Laufer 

Description: The Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics has established a transfer credit agreement with the YU/RIETS Graduate Program in Jewish Bioethics and Jewish Law. This program provides a comprehensive and practical foundation in Jewish medical ethics, with a focus on the intersection of halacha and contemporary healthcare. For more information, visit: https://www.yu.edu/riets/bioethics. Students interested in enrolling in Bioethics and Jewish Law I should contact the Program Director, Dr. Paola Nicolas, for additional information.    

Time: NY/Eastern Time Section Tuesday Nights 7:30PM EST - 9:30PM EST, January- April 2027; 
Los Angeles/Pacific Time Section, Tuesday Nights 7:00PM PCT - 9:00PM PCT, January-April 2027 (one session in person, the rest online)   

Credits: 3

Course Directors: Adira J. Hulkower, JD, MS, HEC-C; Lauren S. Flicker, JD, MBe, HEC-C; Danny Serviansky, JD 

Description: The Montefiore Einstein Bioethics Mediation Virtual Intensive offers participants a dynamic and immersive learning experience, combining interactive didactics with small group role-playing scenarios designed to build essential mediation skills. Originally pioneered by Nancy Dubler and Carol Liebman, internationally recognized leaders who literally "wrote the book" on bioethics mediation, this training is grounded in a proven framework that has shaped bioethics mediation practices nationwide.  

Time: June 14, 15, 16 & June 21, 22 2027 (9–5PM, online) 

Credits: 2 

Course Director: Patrick Herron, Dbe, HEC-C 

Description: The Bioethics Mediation Scholarly Paper is a one credit, asynchronous, independent study elective designed to complement MECB’s Bioethics Mediation Intensive (BIOE-5200) and may only be taken concurrently with enrollment in BIOE-5200. Building on the experiential learning and skill development of the Bioethics Mediation intensive, this additional course provides students with the opportunity to engage in deeper scholarly analysis and reflective practice in bioethics mediation. Enrollment in this one credit course will be limited to MS graduate students enrolled in BIOE-5200 or with the permission of Director of Bioethics Graduate Education, external applicants seeking to take this course in addition to BIOE-5200. 

Time: (Asynchronous, online) 

Prerequisites: This course may only be taken concurrently with enrollment in BIOE-5200.

Course Director: Elizabeth Chuang, MD, MPH, HEC-C  

Description: The seminar may be taken for credit in either our MS in Bioethics degree program, Einstein’s MS in Clinical Research Methods degree program, or as a standalone course for non-degree students. This course is ideal for working professionals and trainees engaged in clinical research. Participants will benefit from faculty guided group discussion of readings, multimedia resources, and reflective analyses of historical and current research studies. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze human research studies using several frameworks and to identify and mitigate emerging ethical issues with newer research methods and designs.       

Time: July-August, 2027 (Tuesdays, 9AM–12:50PM, online)  

Credits: 2 

Course director: Paola Nicolas, PhD, MS, HEC-C 

Description: The Clinical Ethics Practicum offers an immersive experience in clinical ethics consultation within Montefiore hospital. Students will observe ethics consultations, family meetings, and institutional policy discussions under the guidance of experienced bioethics faculty. The practicum aims to develop practical skills in ethical reasoning, communication, and decision-making in clinical settings.  

Important disclaimer: This practicum primarily involves shadowing and observation rather than performing consultations independently. Therefore, those hours do not count toward the 400-hour supervised experience requirement for Health Ethics Consultant-Certified (HEC-C) certification, as outlined by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. 

Time: 2 weeks in June-July or August depending on faculty availability (in person) 

Credits: 2 

Prerequisites*: This course is reserved for students in the Clinical Ethics Track who have been admitted to the Practicum after completing BMH I & II and Case Review Foundations. 

Course director: Elizabeth Chuang, MD, MPH, HEC-C 

Description: This research practicum provides students with hands-on experience in empirical research, from study design to data collection, analysis, and scholarly writing. Students may conduct an IRB-approved empirical project—using interviews, surveys, or qualitative fieldwork—or develop a competitive research grant proposal aligned with a selected funding mechanism.  

Time: (timeline defined with course director, online) 

Prerequisites*: This course is reserved for students in the Research Ethics Track, after completing BMH I & II and IRB Foundations. 

Course director: Elizabeth Chuang, MD, MPH, HEC-C 

Description: This course is a fundamental requirement for the masters’ degree. Students submit a proposal, then work toward research, writing and revision for an extended project, under the guidance of an advisor in the relevant field, selected from the faculty of Cardozo, Einstein or rarely and with permission, external faculty. A student may register for all 4 credits in one semester, or for 2 credits each in two consecutive semesters.

Credits: 4, divided over 2 semesters or all in one semester