New York University’s Master’s program in Bioethics: Life, Health, and Environment examines value issues in both health and environment with special attention to their mutual relevance and illumination. Students may choose to follow a health track or an environment track but in both cases they will receive training in a broader Bioethics whose theories and applications encompass life in all its forms. Based in the Graduate School of Arts and Science, the Program draws on courses and faculty in Philosophy, Environmental Studies, Law, Sociology, Anthropology, Medicine, Global Health, and Public Policy. Below is a description of why the program is well-suited for students interested in pursuing the Health Track of the Bioethics MA Program.

 

What is the Health Track?

 

The Health Track of the Bioethics MA emphasizes interdisciplinary study of ethical issues surrounding health including clinical medical ethics, public health (population health) and health policy. The program offers comprehensive training in the foundations of bioethics while giving students and professionals in health-related fields the flexibility to focus on in-depth study in their area of interest through a wide array of electives with faculty from across the University.

 

During their electives, students will explore questions such as:

-          What is the value of life?

-          Should we conduct clinical trials for new medications in the developing world?

-          Why are there such large health disparities in the U.S., and what can be done to reduce them?

-          How did the United States come to have the health care system that it has and what should be done about it?

-          What is the role of international organizations such as the UN and World Health Organization in promoting health in developing countries? 

-          Is obesity a disease and should the government promote “healthy lifestyles”?

-          How does culture influence our understanding of “health” and “disease”?

 

Students can also choose to complete a practicum with a health organization in the community.  The experience will allow them to deepen their understanding of bioethics by exploring bioethical issues as realized and experienced in the field.  For example, students may choose to:

-          Sit on a bioethics committee, participating in case-reviews and shadowing case consultations in the hospital setting.

-          Intern with a palliative care service, observing the counseling and treatment decisions at the end of life.

    For more information about the NYU Bioethics Program, please visit http://bioethics.as.nyu.edu/page/graduate.