We are a community
The Forum for Global Health Ethics is composed of students, researchers, healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and those interested in real-world cases that pose ethical challenges in global health topics.
Together, we learn from the richness of each case, the insights of our community members, and the exchange of ideas on how to address the cases. Our members come from different regions of the world, have diverse backgrounds, and work in a wide variety of disciplines. Everyone is welcome.
What is global health?
Global health focuses on healthcare issues that transcend national borders or involve global determinants of health.
Some examples of global health topics are the spread of infectious diseases, allocation of limited healthcare resources, environmental risks to health, universal health coverage, access to vaccines and medicines, the implementation of new technologies in healthcare, and public trust in medicine.
How do I know if I am facing an ethical challenge?
If you answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions, it is likely that you are dealing with an ethical challenge:
◍ Do you have to make a decision that involves choosing between two options that seem bad?
◍ Is this a situation or decision in which one or more people could be harmed?
◍ Does it seem clear what the right decision is, but this cannot be implemented?
How does the Forum for Global Health Ethics work?
We collect real-world cases involving ethical challenges in any global health topic. We have discussion rooms where community members reflect on cases and share their views, exploring guidance for action. One ethicist participates in each discussion room, providing expert knowledge on the matter.
Where are we based?
The Forum for Global Health Ethics is an initiative hosted and coordinated by the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME) at the University of Zurich, a member of the Global Network of Collaborating Centres for Bioethics at the World Health Organization (WHO).
Submit a case
Join our community by sharing an ethically challenging case in global health! We invite you to describe a real-world case of which you have knowledge or experience. You don’t need to have training in healthcare nor be an ethicist.
Your case should address an ethical challenge in connection to a global health topic in no longer than 400 words in length. Please describe the situation and provide relevant contextual and background information. Exclude information that could identify individuals, groups, organisations, or countries.
*If you are a registered member, submit your case directly in a Discussion Room. Cases submitted by members who are not registered will be reviewed by our moderator before appearing on the website.
Submission terms
By submitting written material (cases and comments) to the Forum for Global Health Ethics you retain ownership of your material, but you give us the right to use it.
By submitting your written material to the Forum for Global Health Ethics, you represent and warrant that: (1) the material is original work and is not copied; (2) it does not violate the rights of any third party; (3) it does not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use; and (4) is not in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations. Further, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to use your written material as well as to host, store, transfer, display, reproduce, and distribute it.
Also, you grant us permission to edit and/or modify the written material and to publish it in all media, either print or digital. We may use the written material for promotional and dissemination purposes, or as part of third-party promotional use, and you certify that the Forum for Global Health Ethics is not required to make any payment to you or any third party for any promotional use. We reserve the right to remove written material at any time in our sole discretion.
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Contact
globalhealthethics@ibme.uzh.ch
Institute for Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME)
Winterthurerstrasse 30
8006 Zurich
Switzerland