The Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics has announced a new bioethics postdoctoral fellowship program intended to help launch the careers of the next generation of bioethics scholars, creating two-year funded research positions for at least 10 fellows over the next decade.
In an announcement inviting applicants for the September 2014 cohort of fellows, the Berman Institute states that the Hecht-Levi Fellowship Program in Bioethics will include "considerable protected time for research and publication" and can be coordinated with clinical duties at Johns Hopkins' Schools of Nursing or Medicine.
"We are very excited about the launch of this new fellowship program, which has already begun to bring some of the most promising young bioethics scholars to our community, and will drive inquiry into some of the most pressing issues for the future," says Ruth Faden, PhD, MPH, director of the Berman Institute. The inaugural cohort of fellows began work at the Berman Institute in September 2013.
The program is made possible through a grant from the Hecht-Levi Foundation, longtime supporters of bioethics, medicine and scholarship at Johns Hopkins, as well as urban renewal and the arts in Baltimore.
"Fellowship training has been a centerpiece of the Berman Institute from its inception, and we are so grateful to the Hecht-Levi Foundation for the opportunity to continue this wonderful tradition," says Faden.
According to Faden, fellows will be selected for their promise as future leaders in the field of bioethics, and for research interests that will benefit from the expertise available among the Berman Institute's faculty. Fellows will receive one-on-one mentoring and take part in seminars and events hosted by the Berman Institute, attend courses offered across Johns Hopkins University, and take advantage of the proximity to policy-making within state and federal governments.
A relevant doctoral or professional degree is required for the fellowship, though specific experience in bioethics is not. All fellows must reside in the Baltimore area for the two years of the fellowship.
Robert H. Levi graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Arts and Sciences in 1936 and went on to become a trustee of both the university and hospital. Today, his son, Alex Levi, is chair of the Berman Institute's National Advisory Board.
"We are honored that the Levi family shares and supports our vision for training the next generation of scholars in our field. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for making this fellowship program a reality," says Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH, the Robert Henry Levi and Ryda Hecht Levi Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy at the Berman Institute, a professorship also endowed by the Hecht-Levi Foundation.
The Hecht-Levi fellowship program replaces the Greenwall Fellowship Program in Bioethics and Health Policy, which the Berman Institute hosted by from 1997-2012. The Greenwall Fellowship Program trained scholars who have gone on to become thought leaders at academic centers around the country, including nine faculty members at the Berman Institute.
More information:
Hecht-Levi Fellowship Program in Bioethics announcement: http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/fellowship
Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics: http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/
2013 Hecht-Levi Fellows: http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/people/trainees
Ruth Faden, PhD, MPH: http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/people/ruth-faden-4
Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH: http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/people/jeffrey-kahn-4
About the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics:
One of the largest bioethics centers in the world, the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics is the home for collaborative scholarship and teaching on the ethics of clinical practice, public health and biomedical science at Johns Hopkins University. Since 1995, the Institute has worked with governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations and private sector organizations to address and resolve ethical issues. Institute faculty members represent such disciplines as medicine, nursing, law, philosophy, public health and the social sciences. More information is available at http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org.