Clinical Ethics Symposium

Please join us for our first one-day clinical ethics symposium bringing together clinical ethicists, healthcare professionals, researchers, and trainees from Western University, local hospitals, and ethicists across Ontario for collaborative discussion of challenging ethical issues in clinical practice.

Using a blended conference/unconference format, presenters will introduce complex, unresolved ethical challenges from practice as a starting point for discussion. Participants will draw on the collective expertise in the room to explore different perspectives, share experiences, and collaboratively think through challenging cases, system issues, and emerging research ideas.

Please register for the event here. We look forward to seeing you in December!

Accessibility accommodations will be supported to ensure participation for people with dis/abilities. Please contact bioethics@uwo.ca regarding accessibility needs.

Call for Proposals - Clinical Ethics Symposium (due September 30)

The Centre for Bioethics and the London Health Sciences Centre's Ethics team are currently accepting proposals for our upcoming Clinical Ethics Symposium, taking place on December 4, 2026 from 9:00am-5:00pm in Scholar's Square at The D.B. Weldon Library (with Zoom accommodations available for those unable to join in person).

The symposium will bring together members of the Ontario clinical ethics community to discuss challenging and emerging issues in clinical ethics, foster dialogues, and build connections across institutions and practice settings. We invite proposals from those interested in bringing forward a difficult or pressing issue for discussion and collaborative exploration. And all are welcome to attend, even if not submitting a proposal!

What are we asking for?

We are seeking proposals to host a session. An ideal session is not a lecture, but rather a facilitated dialogue built around an issue you genuinely want to work through with peers. The session will begin with a brief introduction to the problem, followed by a brainstorming and discussion period, and conclude with a synthesis and summary of the discussion and consideration of potential next steps. Sessions can be developed to be either 45 or 90 minutes in length.

Strong proposals would:

• Start from an ongoing problem, systematic tension, or unique case rather than a finished argument
• Give participants something to do, whether that is deliberating a case, pressure testing an approach, building arguments, or working through disagreement
• Leave room for the conversation to go somewhere you have not scripted

To propose a session, send us:

• A working title
• A short description of the idea or question, and what you hope the dialogue produces (roughly 150 to 250 words)
• How you plan to facilitate the discussion
• Your preferred session length (45 or 90 minutes)
• Your name, role, and affiliation

Send proposals to bioethics@uwo.ca by September 30th. Even if you are not proposing a session, please join us for the day. The value of this format is having a full room of colleagues willing to think out loud together. Please register for the event here. We look forward to seeing you in December!