Education & Fellowship Opportunities

Fellowship Opportunities

The Department of Bioethics is pleased to offer a limited number of two-year post-doctoral and pre-doctoral (post-baccalaureate) fellowships. Our interdisciplinary department strives to create an academic environment where our fellows have the freedom and support to develop and implement their own independent scholarship agenda, with guidance from faculty mentors. Fellows participate in the activities and the intellectual life of the department, and study ethical issues related to conduct of research, clinical practice, genetics and health policy.

Post-baccalaureate and post-doctoral fellows will conduct mentored theoretical and empirical research related to the ethics of health policy, human subjects research, international research ethics, genetics, or other bioethical fields of interest. For a typical fellow, this research yields multiple first-authored publications in premier academic journals. In addition to research and writing, fellows participate in weekly bioethics seminars, case conferences, ethics consultations, and IRB deliberations, and have access to multiple educational opportunities at NIH.

Fellowships are two years in length and stipends are based on the applicant's previous experience and the current US government schedule. Past post-doctoral fellows have gone on to academic careers in philosophy, medicine, law, science, health policy, political science, and related departments; some are also active in legal practice, the medical field, and in government jobs. Past pre-doctoral fellows have attended top graduate programs in numerous fields including medicine, law, public health, health policy, psychology and sociology.

First Year Fellows

Second Year Fellows

Visiting Scholar Program

The Department of Bioethics hosts one or more visiting scholars each year. The Department benefits visiting scholars with different experiences, disciplinary backgrounds, and perspectives in its midst -- "to stir the pot". Although Visiting Scholars have a substantial track record of respected research and interests that bears on issues in bioethics, they need not have had any prior interest in bioethics. The Department invites expressions of interest in serving as a Visiting Scholar for Academic Years 2012 & 2013 and beyond.

Although Visiting Scholars have ample time to focus on their own research, Visiting Scholars are substantially engaged with the activities and members of the department. Visiting Scholars attend the department's Joint Bioethics Colloquium (with Georgetown and George Washington), Works in Progress, Journal Club, and Ethics Grand Rounds, and participate in the selection of fellows. Scholars make themselves reasonably available to Department faculty and fellows, often comment on manuscripts, and make one or two presentations on previous and/or current research.

Visiting Scholars are welcome to avail themselves of the numerous intellectual opportunities and resources available at NIH. They may be interested in learning about or participating in consultations or ethics committee discussions, attending IRB meetings, attending the department's course in bioethics for first-year fellows, attending the department's course, "The Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Human Subject Research", giving practice talks to the department, etc. Visiting Scholars may also find opportunities to collaborate with faculty or fellows on their own research.

The Department is generally able to fund one Visiting Scholar per academic year. Visiting Scholar positions may also be available to faculty on sabbatical who receive full or partial funding from their home institution.