Health Ethics Alliance

In 2015, the Ethics Centre became the founding member of the Health Ethics Alliance (HEA). The HEA is a multi-partner ethics service providing clinical, organizational and research ethics support to the members of the alliance. Alliance member organizations are supported by Ethicists embedded in or consulting to our partners- thereby creating a community of practice that promotes inter-organizational collaboration and common ethics support.

Partners

• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (founding member)
• North York General Hospital
• West Park Healthcare Centre
• Oak Valley Health
• Toronto West Home and Community Care LHIN
• Grey Bruce Health Services
• Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto (academic partnership)

Team

Sally Bean MA, JD
Director, Health Ethics Alliance & Policy
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Toronto West CCAC
sally.bean@sunnybrook.ca
Phone: 416-480-6100 x65081

Maria MacDonald, JD, MHSc (Bioethics)
Ethicist
West Park Healthcare Centre
Michael Garron Hospital
maria.mcdonald@westpark.org
Phone: 416-469-6580 ext 3509

Kevin Reel, MSc, OT Reg (Ont)
Senior Ethicist
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
kevin.reel@sunnybrook.ca
Phone: 416-480-6100 ext. 67178

Max Smith, PhD
Consulting Ethicist
max.smith@utoronto.ca

Monique Visser, MBE, RN
Ethicist
North York General Hospital
Monique.Visser@nygh.on.ca
Phone: 416-766-6000 ext.3482
Oak Valley Health
mvisser@msh.on.ca
Phone: 905-472-7373 ext.6937

Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals

Mission

Providing comprehensive ethics services to enhance the quality of ethical decision-making.

Vision

The Health Ethics Alliance is a leading provider of ethics services across the healthcare continuum to its partners, collaborators, clients, and allies across Canada.

Our ethics services constitute an influential, integral and visible part of organizational decision-making and actions. We strive to reflect collective organizational and professional values, and enhance ethical decision-making capacity throughout our diverse organizations and communities.

Strategic Goals

• Enhancing implementation of Patient & Family-Centred Care, Person-Centred Care etc.
• Building Ethics capacity
• Facilitating preventative Ethics (i.e. identifying trends and implementing proactive measures)
• Innovating delivery of Ethics services
• Influencing changing healthcare environments

Strategic Ethics Advisory Group

A unique benefit of the Health Ethics Alliance is that senior level leaders from all partner agencies have an opportunity to meet twice annually to discuss issues common to all health care organizations, share ideas, and create common strategies to address important ethical issues.

We believe this is a leading best practice in health care ethics services.

Interested in joining the Health Ethics Alliance?
If you are interested in learning more about the Health Ethics Alliance call Sally Bean at the Ethics Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: 416-480-6100 x 65081

Fellowships

The Health Ethics Alliance invites applications for a paid (annual stipend) academic fellowship in combined Clinical, Organizational and Research Ethics.

The fellowship is a collaborative effort supported academically by the UofT Joint Centre for Bioethics that offers learning opportunities and experiences in several of our partner institutions. The Fellow will spend one-year supporting ethics programs, primarily at Sunnybrook’s Bayview Campus.

The objective of this fellowship is to train individuals to be competent practicing healthcare ethicists. Our expectation is that Fellows who successfully complete this program could work as a bioethicist in any healthcare setting.

The fellowship is designed to enhance core knowledge and skill competencies in consultation, policy development, teaching, research ethics, research, and other organizational/clinical ethics program initiatives.

Please check this site for posting of future fellowship opportunities.

Eligibility Requirements:

The ideal candidate will hold a graduate degree in a field relevant to bioethics (e.g. philosophy, bioethics, theology, or medical science.) The candidate should also have undertaken significant course work in ethics, including, but not limited to bioethics, and have some previous experience in applied clinical or organizational ethics.