Ethics Education Research

The challenge of preparing clinicians for ethical practice in the context of complex health systems, diverse patient populations, and rapidly evolving technology is significant. Skills must be developed in awareness, empathy, communication, problem-solving, analysis, critique and reasoning. A variety of pedagogical techniques, from role modeling to didactic lectures to practices of reflection, are required to achieve these goals; conceptual analysis and critical empirical studies offer significant support to the developing field of medical ethics education.

Dr. Nuala Kenny's funded research interests in ethics education have focused on physician ethical issues. She has explored the learning needs of physicians in ethics and the influences of Problem- Based learning on ethical sensitivity. Her recent work focuses on role models and the professional character formation of new doctors. She has edited a major text on this issue and, with colleagues in the Division of Medical education, she is exploring the concept of "critical literacy" for its contribution to reflection and critical thinking in medical students.

Dr. Kenny has developed the ethics curriculum for the CIHR Canadian Child Health Clinical Scientist Program and been an advisor to the World Medical Association Curriculum on Medical Ethics.