Online Program

LI Course
Oral

Partnership: This Institute may be of interest to members of the APHA Ethics Section, the APHA Health Law Section, and the Public Health Leadership Society.

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this course is to provide public health professionals with tools and practical examples to address ethical challenges that commonly arise in the practice of public health. Public health officials regularly have to balance competing ethical and professional obligations (e.g., efficiently but fairly allocating scarce resources, respecting individual rights while safeguarding the public’s health, protecting underserved and marginalized communities while engaging and sharing information in a transparent manner, and ensuring data confidentiality and individual privacy while conducting surveillance). After introducing the basics of public health ethics, the workshop will engage participants in a discussion of case studies on issues that public health officials are likely to face. Developed in consultation with ethicists and public health officials, these cases will illustrate how to use ethics frameworks, such as the Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health, developed by the Public Health Leadership Society. The session will also explore the overlap between ethics and law and will discuss how to build ethics infrastructure within public health organizations.

Session Objectives: Describe the basic concepts of public health ethics and the process of ethical analysis. Explain the complementary roles ethics and law play in public health decision making. Demonstrate how ethics infrastructure can be established in public health organizations.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)