The resources below have been compiled for professionals working in clinical ethics and ethics consultation.
Recommended Resources
ASBH Core Competencies for Healthcare Ethics Consultation (3rd Edition)
https://asbh.org/resources/core-competencies-for-healthcare-ethics-consultants
The American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Core Competencies for Healthcare Ethics Consultation defines the knowledge, skills, and character attributes required for competent clinical ethics consultation. The third edition represents the current professional standard and is essential reading for anyone working in or developing ethics consultation services.
European Clinical Ethics Network (ECEN)
The European Clinical Ethics Network (ECEN) is a pan-European network connecting clinical ethics consultants and ethics committees across European countries. ECEN promotes the development and quality of clinical ethics consultation in Europe, facilitates exchange of experience and expertise, and supports European collaboration in the field.
WHO Guidance on Ethics in Health Care
https://www.who.int/health-topics/ethics-and-health
The World Health Organization provides guidance on ethics across a wide range of health topics, including clinical ethics, research ethics, and the ethics of emerging technologies. The WHO Ethics and Health initiative offers frameworks, tools, and normative guidance relevant to clinical ethics practitioners worldwide. Updated guidance documents, including on artificial intelligence in health care, have been published through 2025.
Training & Fellowship Programmes
The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics
https://macleanethics.uchicago.edu/training/
The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago offers the oldest and largest clinical ethics fellowship in the world. While most fellows are physicians, those interested in medical ethics from any perspective, including philosophy, theology, nursing, law, and the social sciences are also welcome. The MacLean Center, with more than 40 faculty members from many disciplines, provides an outstanding setting for training in clinical medical ethics.
- Training Opportunities at the MacLean Center
- ACS-MacLean Center Surgical Ethics Fellowship
- Full-time Clinical Ethics Fellowship
Cleveland Clinic’s Fellowships
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/bioethics/fellowships
The Cleveland Fellowship in Advanced Bioethics (CFAB) is a two-year, full-time program designed to train the next generation of leaders in the field of bioethics. Cleveland Clinic’s Fellowship in Transplant Ethics was established in 2013 and provides a specialised training environment for ethics in transplantation medicine.
Cleveland Clinic’s Clinical Ethics Immersion Program
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/bioethics/cleip
Cleveland Clinic’s Clinical Ethics Immersion Program is a rigorous immersion learning experience with a three-day preparatory intensive course. Participants apply newly acquired knowledge on an ethics consultation service that conducts more than 500 consultations annually.
Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics
https://med.stanford.edu/bioethics/education/fellowships-at-SCBE/clinical-ethics-fellowship.html
The Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics offers a two-year, full-time Clinical Ethics Fellowship designed to prepare graduates for leadership roles in bioethics across healthcare settings, academic institutions, and policy. Fellows devote approximately 65% of their time to clinical work (ethics consultations, committee work), 15% to didactic training and teaching, and 20% to scholarship and research.
New York–Houston Medical Ethics Consortium (Weill Cornell / Baylor)
Weill Cornell Medicine | Baylor College of Medicine
This competitive two-year consortium fellowship brings together Weill Cornell Medicine / NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine / Houston Methodist Hospital. Fellows train across both sites with joint seminars, case conferences, journal clubs, and in-person retreats. Training is grounded in ASBH Core Competencies and includes supervised clinical ethics consultation in adult and paediatric settings.
MD Anderson Cancer Center – Center for Clinical Ethics in Cancer Care
The MD Anderson Clinical Ethics Fellowship is a two-year, full-time programme focusing on the ethical dimensions of oncology care. Fellows develop advanced competencies in clinical ethics consultation, policy development, and bioethics research within one of the world’s leading cancer centres, including participation in adult and paediatric ethics consultations.
Duke University – Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine
https://trentcenter.duke.edu/education/clinical-ethics-fellowship
The Trent Center offers a one-year, part-time Clinical Ethics Fellowship designed primarily for residents in their research years or fellows in subspecialty training. The programme combines a three-day summer intensive with weekly proseminars covering end-of-life care, mental health, surgical and transplant ethics, paediatric and reproductive ethics, and disability ethics, alongside mentored clinical research.
UCLA Health – Ethics Center Fellowship
https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/ethics-center/ethics-fellowship-program
UCLA Health offers a two-year, full-time Clinical Ethics Fellowship with a demanding clinical schedule including supervised ethics consultations, on-call coverage, system-wide education, policy development, and committee membership. Fellows are trained to become independent clinical ethics consultants and researchers.
Albany Medical College – Alden March Bioethics Institute
https://www.amc.edu/education/alden-march-bioethics-institute/bioethics-fellowship-program/
The Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College offers a two-year bioethics fellowship combining clinical ethics consultation, didactic education, and research. The programme provides training for future bioethics practitioners and scholars with a focus on practical clinical application in a regional academic medical centre.
Indiana University Health – Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics
https://www.fairbankscenter.org/education-and-training/fairbanks-fellowship-in-clinical-ethics
The Charles Warren Fairbanks Center offers a nine-month, part-time Clinical Ethics Fellowship for clinicians and healthcare professionals seeking foundational training in clinical ethics consultation. The programme provides a structured introduction to ethics theory, case methodology, and practical consultation skills within an integrated health system.
Skills & Competency Development
Assessing Clinical Ethics Skills (ACES)
https://hsd.luc.edu/bioethics/ethicsconsultskills/
The Assessing Clinical Ethics Skills (ACES) tool created by the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics at Loyola University of Chicago utilises trained raters to evaluate the interpersonal skills of clinical ethics consultants during live and recorded ethics case simulations.
Mediation & Conflict Resolution
Program in Clinical Conflict Management
https://medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/clinical-conflict-management
The Program in Clinical Conflict Management at the University of Pennsylvania provides conflict resolution training for clinical application, equipping participants to manage conflicts arising from communication breakdowns, cultural differences, and disparate value systems.
Center for Conflict Resolution
http://www.healthcare-mediation.net/resources.html
Further resources on conflict resolution and mediation in health care, provided by the Center for Conflict Resolution in Healthcare, LLC.
Fellowship Training in Europe
Dedicated multi-year clinical ethics fellowship programmes comparable to the North American model are not widely established in Europe at this time. Advanced training in clinical ethics in European contexts is typically pursued through doctoral programmes, postdoctoral positions at university ethics institutes, or continuing professional development via organisations such as ECEN and national clinical ethics networks. ICCEC itself serves as a key international meeting point for European clinical ethics practitioners.