Research, education and practice in relation to the ethical aspects of medicine

Our Mission

CEMS aims to respond at a variety of levels to the wide range of needs arising in relation to health and health care within communities around the world. It engages in dialogues about needs and values with key stakeholders, embracing local communities, health professionals, academics and the broader public.

RESEARCH

CEMS conducts a wide range of research into various aspects of medicine and ethics. The following is a sample of the extensive variety of topics we cover: the nature and philosophy of ethics, moral education, the experience of illness, obesity, consent in clinical medicine and research, understanding the language of dementia, conflicts of interest, relationships between health practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry, publication ethics, the nature of the placebo effect, quality use of complementary medicines, professionalism, the nature and practice of Chinese medicine, advance directives, end of life care, responses to psychological trauma in conflict and post-conflict societies, community based responses to HIV, gender based violence in post-conflict settings, ethical aspects of telehealth, spirituality in medicine and health care.

EDUCATION

CEMS engages in a range of educational activities. These include the development and implementation of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, vocational training, provision of on-line teaching resources and support for educational activities in various institutions around the world.

CEMS' activities feature a 5 day Intensive Research Ethics Course Retreat, offered twice a year; an on-line training course for members of Human Research Ethics Committees now offered through Praxis Australia, an organisation of which GR’s Director, Paul Komesaroff is a Founding Director; an on-line clinical ethics resource, and individualised courses for practitioners and researchers with specific educational needs.