M.D./Ph.D. Program: Philosophy/Bioethics



			Office of Biomedical Graduate Education M.D./Ph.D. Program: Philosophy/Bioethics


	» Home » About us » Prospective Students » Current Students » Faculty and Staff » News and Information » Contact Information		Overview The Department of Philosophy The Center for Clinical Bioethics The Kennedy Institute of Ethics Curriculum Training Opportunities Application Information Overview Georgetown University School of Medicine, in cooperation with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, sponsors an M.D./Ph.D. Program, which provides exceptionally talented students with the opportunity to earn both a medical degree and a doctorate in one of the five basic biomedical sciences (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, or Physiology and Biophysics), in one of two interdisciplinary programs (Neuroscience or Tumor Biology), or in Bioethics through the Department of Philosophy. Admission is limited to outstanding students who are committed to careers in biomedical or bioethical research. The Department of Philosophy at Georgetown University has particular strength in bioethics and ethical theory, contemporary philosophy and the history of philosophy (both continental and Anglo-American), with special concentration in the Catholic philosophical tradition. Georgetown University is very fortunate to have two of the premier, internationally recognized centers for the study of ethics, the Kennedy Institute of Ethics and the Center for Clinical Bioethics. On the Medical Center campus, the faculty of the Center for Clinical Bioethics has established a training program in Bioethics, which awards the Doctorate of Philosophy through the Department of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as a component of the M.D./PhD program. (Back to TOP ) The Department of Philosophy The Department of Philosophy is a large and pluralistic department (approximately 20 ? 30 members). The Department is particularly well endowed in applied ethics and ethical theory, and offers special concentrations in these areas. The Department covers all three periods in the history of philosophy, the core areas of contemporary analytic philosophy ? including epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and philosophy of science, and continental philosophy ? especially Aquinas, Kant, Hegel, Husserl, Heidegger, and Gadamer. The Department of Philosophy takes pride in providing a more nurturing environment for graduate study than many programs of comparable stature. Read more about the Department of Philosophy. (Back to TOP ) The Center for Clinical Bioethics The Center for Clinical Bioethics is integral to the academic program of Georgetown University. The faculty of the Center hold appointments in clinical and academic departments of the University. The Center for Clinical Bioethics was established by Edmund Pellegrino, M.D. in 1991 to foster ethical discourse and heighten moral sensitivity in the Medical Center's faculty, staff, and students, as well as in the broader community. Under the directorship of Carol R. Taylor, CSFN, RN, Ph.D., the Center's faculty are committed to bringing the rich resources of Georgetown's Catholic and Jesuit heritage to the dialogue surrounding current issues in health care ethics and ethics education. Georgetown University is internationally recognized as a premier center for the study of bioethics. Clinician-ethicists in several ethical specialties are affiliated with Georgetown's Center for Clinical Bioethics. The Center offers seminars in the philosophical foundations for biomedical ethics and bedside teaching in the resolution of the clinical dilemmas confronted by physicians and other health professionals. The concentration of scholars and resources also available at the University through Georgetown's Philosophy and Theology Departments, which offer many courses on the intellectual underpinnings of bioethics and on specific topics in bioethics, the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, and the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, the world's largest library devoted specifically to bioethics, complement those of the Center. Master and doctoral degrees in philosophy, with a concentration in bioethics or ethical theory, have been offered at Georgetown University since the 1970s. The numerous case discussions and other ethics education sessions held by the Center provide opportunities for exploring new ideas and for learning to teach. The Ethics Consult Service provides an important opportunity to develop skills in helping other health care professionals resolve the ethical problems they encounter in clinical practice. Read more about the Center for Clinical Bioethics. (Back to TOP ) The Kennedy Institute of Ethics The Kennedy Institute of Ethics scholars and fellows teach a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses at Georgetown University where they hold faculty appointments in the APhilosophy or Theology Departments or in the Schools of Medicine, Law, or Foreign Service. The Institute provides faculty for the doctoral graduate degree program in Philosophy/Bioethics and teach at the Medical School. The research program is based on the scholarly interests of individual faculty members. Work is ongoing and has included gene therapy, nursing ethics, patient autonomy and physician beneficence, religious pluralism in medical ethics, informed consent, death and dying, and nuclear warfare. The disciplines of this research include philosophy, religion, medicine, law, journalism, international affairs, and business, as well as health issues providing faculty expertise in the many fields encompassed in bioethics. Read more about the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. The program includes substantial opportunities for interaction with Edmund D. Pellegrino, M.D., the Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Medical Ethics and the former Director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, the Center for the Advanced Study of Ethics and the Center for Clinical Bioethics. There are additional opportunities for interaction with other scholars at Georgetown's Kennedy Institute of Ethics, as well as the faculty of the Center for Clinical Bioethics. The MD/PhD Program in Bioethics is an eight year program during which all students are assigned a faculty mentor from among the scholars associated with the Center for Clinical Bioethics. This program is highly coordinated with faculty from the Department of Philosophy and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. (Back to TOP ) Curriculum The following is an outline of the course of study for the M.D./Ph.D. Program with a concentration in Philosophy/Bioethics: Summer prior to Year 1: Practicum in Applied Bioethics NOTE: This Practicum is not considered mandatory. This practicum is offered annually to students in the graduate bioethics program. A series of clerkships affords students a unique opportunity to integrate their academic studies in bioethics as they work closely with clinical mentors examining ethical problems in the natural settings in which they arise. Years 1 and 2: Preclinical M.D. Curriculum Revised M.D./Ph.D. curriculum of basic science lectures and laboratories. Summer between Years 1 and 2: Proseminar in Clinical Bioethics NOTE: This Practicum is not considered mandatory. This graduate-level course is designed to provide an introductory survey of ethical theory and to make specific connections between ethical theory and the concrete moral problems encountered in clinical practice. It is offered annually during the summer session. The focus is on the philosophical foundations for clinical ethics. Years 3 and 4: Pre-thesis Ph.D. Curriculum Philosophy course-work, clinical ethics rounds, one day per week of outpatient medicine experience. Years 5 and 6: Thesis Ph.D. Curriculum Dissertation research and writing, clinical ethics rounds, one day/wk of outpatient medicine. Years 7 and 8: Clinical M.D. Curriculum Required medical clinical clerkships and electives. This course of study is designed to prepare a physician for a career in medical Bioethics. (Back to TOP ) Training Opportunities The following are general training opportunities for M.D./Ph.D. students concentrating in Philosophy/Bioethics. Tutorials Each faculty member of the Center for Clinical Bioethics offers medical ethics tutorials and research project guidance for graduate-level students and medical students at Georgetown. Recent subjects have included virtue ethics and do-not-resuscitate orders. Bioethics Colloquium The Colloquium has been offered since 1979 for the faculty and clinical staff of the Medical Center, faculty and graduate students from the University, and other Washington-area health care professionals interested in exploring special topics in bioethics. One colloquium is held each semester. Recent topics have included the ethics of managed care, genetic enhancement, assisted reproduction, and definitions of death. Ethics Curriculum in the Medical School In 1998, Georgetown's Schools of Medicine and Nursing developed and implemented a four-part interdisciplinary curriculum in clinical ethics-- i.e., a longitudinal program drawing on the moral traditions and insights of nursing, medicine, philosophy, theology, pastoral care and ethics targeted at graduate nursing students and medical students. The conceptual framework of the curriculum is provided by the idea of moral agency, which consists of such elemental capacities as moral sensibility, responsiveness, reasoning, accountability, character, valuing and leadership. The ultimate objective of the curriculum is to foster the cultivation of these capacities. Part One uses lectures, case-based small group discussions and Boalean theatre techniques to aid students in laying or fortifying the foundations of their own personal morality. The goals of Part One are to enhance the student's understanding of (1) him or herself as a moral agent, (2) the moral nature of medicine and nursing, and (3) the explanation and justification of moral choices and decisions. Part Two also uses lectures, case-based small group discussions and skill demonstrations to introduce students to the principal problems and dilemmas that physicians and nurses encounter in the care of patients. These areas include communication difficulties, truth telling, privacy and confidentiality, informed consent and refusal, reproductive decision making, end of life care and managed care. In Part Three, students are challenged to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in Parts One and Two to the resolution of "real life" ethical problems encountered in the contexts of their clinical practica (for graduate nursing students) and clerkships (for medical students). Part Four is the only optional component of the curriculum; it provides interested students with the opportunity for independent, in-depth study of a particular issue or problem under the tutelage of Georgetown faculty in clinical ethics. (Back to TOP ) Application Information All applicants to the M.D./Ph.D. Program at Georgetown University are required to submit an application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a supplemental application to the M.D./Ph.D. Program, in addition to the AMCAS application which is submitted to the Georgetown University School of Medicine. The Graduate School application and the M.D./Ph.D. supplemental application may be found online at the following links: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Online Application form M.D./Ph.D. Program Supplemental Application form DUPLICATE COPIES of all hard copy materials (such as personal statement, additional letters of recommendation, etc.) should be sent directly to the following address: Office of Biomedical Graduate Education Attn: M.D./Ph.D. Credentials Georgetown University Box 571411 NE118 Medical-Dental Building 3900 Reservoir Road, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20057-1411 As well as to: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Attention: Office of Graduate Admissions ICC, Suite 302, Box 571004 37^th and O Street, N.W. Georgetown University Washington, DC 20057-1004 Applicants to the M.D./Ph.D. Program are required to be applicants to the School of Medicine, with the exception of current Georgetown medical students who wish to apply with advanced standing. For M.D./Ph.D. applicants, the deadline for both the M.D. and the M.D./Ph.D. applications (including the submission of all related credentials and required materials) is December 1 prior to the desired year of matriculation. This deadline is one month sooner than that for regular School of Medicine applicants. If at any point an applicant no longer wishes to be considered for the combined-degree program, only the regular School of Medicine deadlines will apply. Applicants who are unable to complete their applications by December 1 may petition the Admissions Committee for special consideration; these requests must be received, in writing, by December 15, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. All applicants are screened by the Admissions Committees for the M.D./Ph.D. Program and the Department of Philosophy to ensure that Program prerequisites are satisfied. In addition to those identified by the School of Medicine, prerequisites for admission to the M.D./Ph.D. Program include the following: an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores of 10 or above in each subject area, previous research experience, and United States citizenship or status as a Permanent Resident. Applicants to the Department of Philosophy's program in Bioethics are also required to submit scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The Admissions Committees reserve the right to waive one or more of the prerequisites in individual cases for students with special circumstances such as: exceptional credentials in two or more of the primary review criteria (GPA, MCATs, GREs, and research experience), minority status, or a strong post-undergraduate academic, research, and/or publication record. In general, applicants for the M.D./Ph.D. Program in Philosophy/Bioethics are expected to have an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, or it?s equivalent. Return to M.D./Ph.D. Program main page. View M.D./Ph.D. Program degree options. (Back to TOP )