Programs in Health Care Ethics

Through longstanding working relationships with hospitals and other health care providers, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics has firsthand experience with the ethical dilemmas doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals face. We bring the resources of Santa Clara University to the exploration of these dilemmas, and draw on our partners’ resources to provide real-world experiences for our students.

Hospital Partnerships
For more than 10 years, the Center has worked closely with O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, and in 2006, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy also became Center partners. Through these partnerships, the Center offers counsel for health care professionals, patients, and their families. Center staff also serve on the hospitals’ Bioethics Committees.

Ethics Internship for Undergraduates
Students contemplating a career in health care participate in a yearlong program at O'Connor Hospital, where they learn about day-to-day ethical dilemmas from physicians, nurses, and other professionals. More than 61 undergraduates have participated in the program. Center staff also teach the core curriculum class, Ethics in the Health Professions.

Research
The Center has undertaken research on various cutting edge issues in health care ethics. Through a grant from the Honzel Family Foundation, the Center conducted a major study of medical decision making for patients in the care of permanent public conservators. The study resulted in a series of policy recommendations and training for all public guardians in Santa Clara County.

The Honzel Foundation has also supported Center research on personalized medicine, which is forthcoming in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, and an ongoing study of culturally sensitive medical care for Muslim patients.

Staff

Margaret R. McLean, director, biotechnology and health care ethics
Sister Joan Marie Steadman, health care ethics fellow
Karen Peterson-Iyer, program specialist in health care ethics