Based at the University of Oxford, and led by the World Health Organization, Epidemic Ethics is a global bioethics network providing real-time, trusted, contextual support to communities, policy makers, researchers, and responders in relation to the ethical issues arising out of global health emergencies.

Reason for Existence

The nature and complexity of public health emergencies raise distinctive and profound ethical challenges, and yet, no mechanisms exist globally to coordinate and support ethical decision-making during research and public health responses in such contexts. Capacity to develop and implement such support can vary significantly between affected settings locally and regionally.

There is a significant but previously unrealized potential to leverage existing expertise and resources through the creation and support of a global and inclusive network capable of providing real-time, contextual support and advice to researchers, practitioners, and governments in relation to the ethical issues that arise during the development and implementation of public health responses and policies, and in the research undertaken to inform them. This also offers an opportunity to build capacity globally, so that these supports can be provided in a context-sensitive, sustainable manner.

Responding to these needs and opportunity, Epidemic Ethics is a global community of bioethicists and stakeholders involved in public health and research responses to public health emergencies. It brings together the expertise and resources to identify relevant ethical issues and provide real-time, trusted, contextual support to communities, policy makers, researchers, and responders in relation to ethical issues arising out of public health emergencies, including epidemics and pandemics.

Epidemic Ethics is led by the World Health Organization and supported by key partners including the Fogarty International Center, Global Forum on Bioethics in Research, Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres, Oxford-Johns Hopkins Global Infectious Disease Ethics Collaborative (GLIDE), and Wellcome. The network is supported by a Secretariat which rotates periodically, the initial host is the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities and the Ethox Centre at the University of Oxford.

Mission

Epidemic Ethics' mission is to develop a credible, reliable, timely, and accessible global community which provides high-quality advice, support, resources, and capacity strengthening to help respond to ethical issues as they arise and to support ethical decision-making in the context of public health emergencies.

Objectives 

• To support the identification and evaluation of ethical issues arising in policy development, practice, and research.

• To leverage, coordinate and support real-time, contextual ethical decision-making in public health emergencies.

• To build capacity globally and locally to embed ethics in public health  preparedness and response to public health emergencies.

• To conduct empirical and normative research that addresses ethical issues arising from public health emergencies and inform future public health emergency responses.

Strategy 

Epidemic Ethics was a response to the growing awareness among bioethics experts, that ethical expertise, advise and guidance, was too often generalised to the global north, and wasn't reaching decision-makers in low- and middle-income countries. Formulated in early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, it was the impetus to fast-track the network's setup in order to provide contextual support as soon as possible. Since then, the network has grown considerably. We now have 6000 subscriber and 650 registered ethics experts. We conduct a range of activities, including our virtual seminars which discuss real-time ethical priorities and feature a range of multidisciplinary experts. If you are an ethics expert or have expertise in a related area please consider both subscribing to the network and registering as an expert for future colloboration. 

Activities 

Digital community and workspace:

We are developing an effective digital platform to support the Epidemic Ethics community to collaboratively identify and evaluate ethical issues arising in public health emergency preparedness, response and research; and to collaboratively develop high-quality and relevant advice and resources to address them.

Engagement and outreach:

An effective, dynamic and interactive engagement strategy which reaches target audiences and promotes two-way engagement with stakeholders about ethical issues arising in practice and awareness of Epidemic Ethics and associated resources.

Capacity strengthening:

Deliver seminars, training materials, resources and training programmes aimed at supporting ethical decision-making and embedding ethics in public health preparedness and responses to public health emergencies. Implement expert working groups and collaboratively develop capacity strengthening resources on priority topics.

Convening timely ethics support:

Provide access to real time, responsive forums for the discussion of practical ethical issues arising in epidemic research, response, and preparedness.

Knowledge generation

A programme of research which identifies and critically analyses priority ethical issues, and effective approaches to sustainably embed ethics in public health policy, practice and research responses to public health emergencies.

Governance:    

Establish a governance structure, including a steering committee comprised of international experts in bioethics, health research, and public health emergency preparedness and response.

Platform:       

Develop and implement an online platform and social media presence capable of hosting and facilitating all primary activities.

Research: 

 Develop a multi-national collaborative portfolio of conceptual and empirical research to identify and effectively address key ethical issues directly relevant to preparedness and response in public health emergencies.

Networks:

Develop and leverage effective partnerships with relevant networks and research collaborations (e.g., Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Bioethics, Fogarty International Center’s International Bioethics Training programs, Global Forum on Bioethics in Research, WHO Health Emergencies Program, Oxford-Johns Hopkins Global Infectious Disease Ethics Collaborative (GLIDE)).

Community:

Develop, engage and collaborate with a global Epidemic Ethics community, including regional and thematic sub-communities focusing on identified priorities.

Sustainability: 

Develop a model for ongoing funding and hosting of Epidemic Ethics and its Secretariat.

Outreach: 

Going beyond our seminar series, explore new methods to supply trusted sources of information on emerging issues in bioethics in outbreaks.

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To read about our core team click here