Four students from the College of Medical and Dental Sciences recently attended the 13th World Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics and Healthcare Law in Jerusalem, organised by UNESCO. They were accompanied by Dr June Jones, Head of the University of Birmingham Unit of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics.
Final year medical students Sam Calmonson, Naomi Collier and Gemma Skilton presented research conducted with Dr Jones during their intercalation in Healthcare Ethics and Law. Sabena Jameel also presented her PhD research on medical wisdom and Rehnuma Hossain presented her research on complex consent in reconstructive surgery.
When asked what the students gained from this experience, Dr Jones commented: “We gained insight and experience from the United Nations, World Medical Association and colleagues on the frontline of very challenging conflict zones about the delivery of culturally sensitive health care for vulnerable patient groups.
“Our horizon has been raised beyond local needs to consider healthcare on a global stage, recognising need for change and the importance of international ethical standards that hold governments and providers accountable.
“It allows us to take our place in framing the future as we move into an increasingly technological and personalised and delivery of healthcare, in a world where many people struggle for basic healthcare needs to be met.”
The conference brought together over 600 clinicians and researchers from across the world, providing a truly global perspective of the ethical issues faced in different healthcare settings
It was noted that the medical students presented to an excellent standard, demonstrated a detailed knowledge of their research and answered audience questions with clarity and insight. They were great ambassadors for themselves and the University of Birmingham.