[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 76 (Tuesday, April 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 22209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09172]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Request for Comments on Deliberation and Bioethics Education

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues 
is requesting public comment on deliberation and bioethics education.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments must be received by July 20, 
2015. Comments received after this date will be considered only as time 
permits.

ADDRESSES: Individuals, groups, and organizations interested in 
commenting on this topic may submit comments by email to 
[email protected] or by mail to the following address: Public 
Commentary, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 
1425 New York Ave. NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hillary Wicai Viers, Communications 
Director, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. 
Telephone: 202-233-3960. Email: [email protected]. Additional 
information may be obtained at http://www.bioethics.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 24, 2009, the President 
established the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical 
Issues (Bioethics Commission) to advise him on bioethical issues 
generated by novel and emerging research in biomedicine and related 
areas of science and technology. The Commission is charged with 
identifying and promoting policies and practices that ensure ethically 
responsible conduct of scientific research and health care delivery. 
Undertaking these duties, the Commission seeks to identify and examine 
specific bioethical, legal, and social issues related to potential 
scientific and technological advances; examine diverse perspectives and 
possibilities for international collaboration on these issues; and 
recommend legal, regulatory, or policy actions as appropriate.
    The Bioethics Commission is considering two overarching themes of 
its work, deliberation and education, focusing on their symbiotic 
relationship as twin pillars of public bioethics. Democratic 
deliberation has been a guiding ethical principle in the Commission's 
work, informing both its processes and its recommendations. The 
Commission also is committed to supporting bioethics education at all 
levels and across disciplines, through its own pedagogical materials 
and its recommendations for improving and integrating ethics education 
in a range of settings. This new project will explore the relationship 
between deliberation and bioethics education and the importance of 
public engagement in the bioethics conversation. For example, the 
Commission's deliberations not only advise the U.S. federal government, 
but also play a vital role in civic education. Bioethics education 
fosters the scientific and ethical literacy that supports public 
deliberation about science, medicine, public health, and bioethics, and 
helps to prepare students for their role as citizens in understanding 
different perspectives on complex issues that are often the subject of 
public policy debates.
    At its meeting on November 6, 2014, the Commission heard from 
scholars in education, medical ethics, and political philosophy, and 
began its consideration of the relationship between deliberation and 
bioethics education and its own role in promoting both of these to 
advance public understanding of and engagement with bioethical debates. 
For example, in its most recent report, Ethics and Ebola: Public Health 
Planning and Response, the Commission made recommendations regarding 
the importance of public education and deliberation in preparing for 
public health emergencies. The ethical challenges that emerged in the 
U.S. response to the ongoing Ebola epidemic in western Africa 
underscore the need for appropriate forums for public engagement and 
debate on the ethical dimensions of public health decision making.
    The Commission is interested in receiving comments from 
individuals, groups, and professional communities regarding 
deliberation and education in bioethics. The Commission is particularly 
interested in receiving public commentary regarding:
     The role of deliberation and deliberative methods to 
engage the public and inform debate in bioethics;
     Approaches to integrating public dialogue into the 
bioethics conversation;
     Bioethics education as a forum for fostering deliberative 
skills and preparing students to participate in public dialogue in 
bioethics;
     Goals of bioethics education (e.g., empirical training, 
normative foundations, clinical ethics), and the competencies and 
skills bioethics education seeks to foster;
     Methods and goals of designing bioethics education and 
training programs at different levels (e.g., undergraduate foci, 
master's degree programs, terminal degree programs, and professional 
certification);
     Potential training in bioethics across the lifespan at 
different educational levels and settings (e.g., primary/secondary 
education, community education, continuing professional education), and 
the role of education in laying the foundation for constructive public 
deliberation and debate in bioethics;
     The appropriate role of professional standards for 
bioethicists, including core competencies for bioethicists, and 
potential accreditation of bioethics training or education programs;
     Integrating bioethics education across different 
professional contexts, and establishing ``dual competency'' through 
reciprocal training in bioethics and a home or primary discipline 
(e.g., engineering and bioethics, medicine and bioethics, law and 
bioethics).
    To this end, the Commission is inviting interested parties to 
provide input and advice through written comments. Comments will be 
publicly available, including any personally identifiable or 
confidential business information that they contain. Trade secrets 
should not be submitted.

    Dated: April 13, 2015.
Lisa M. Lee,
Executive Director, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical 
Issues.
[FR Doc. 2015-09172 Filed 4-20-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4154-06-P