The second half of the twentieth century has seen unprecedented progress in medicine and the biological and behavioral sciences. Advances in medical diagnosis and treatment have improved and extended the lives of countless individuals, while advances in science continue to unlock the secrets of human functioning and thought. Increasingly, however, these advances raise troubling questions not amenable to scientific answers. Should fetal tissue be used to develop new treatments for devastating illnesses? Under what conditions should trials of new vaccines against HIV be permitted to go forward? May organs be harvested from people who are not "brain dead" but who have no prospect of regaining cognitive function?

Other questions concern issues of fairness in both access to health care services and exposure to health risks. Society can not afford to provide everything that is medically beneficial to everyone who might need it. What criteria should be used for determining what medical interventions should be paid for, and by whom? Is age an appropriate criterion for rationing decisions? How should health professionals respond to financial constraints on medical practice? Should patients consent to the rationing policies of employers and insurance companies, and if so, how? 

Established in 1995, The Institute seeks answers to these questions by promoting research in bioethics and encouraging moral reflection among a broad range of scholars, professionals, students, and citizens. The Institute serves the entire Johns Hopkins University and Health System and provides an intellectual home for faculty in all divisions whose research advances bioethical inquiry and whose teaching enables students and trainees to advance their understanding of bioethics in their personal and professional lives. This interdivisional approach reflects the Institute's position that bioethical issues transcend narrow disciplinary concerns, and that fruitful discourse requires broad based scholarly exchange. In addition to its distinguished School of Arts and Sciences, Hopkins has internationally renowned Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, each of which makes a distinctive and vital contribution to the Institute's mission. The Institute builds on existing ethics courses and educational programs in these various schools and enhances the work of several committees on ethics throughout the University and Health System. 

In Washington D.C., the Genetics and Public Policy Center, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, helps policy leaders, decision makers, and the public better understand the rapidly evolving field of human genetics. To inform genetic policy decisions, the Center surveys public attitudes about genetics issues, conducts analyses of the existing regulatory landscape, monitors the transition of genetic applications into clinical practice, and posits options and likely outcomes of key genetics policies.

The Berman Institute of Bioethics brings the moral dimensions of health policy, medical care, and the biological, behavioral, and social sciences to the forefront of scholarship and practice. It prepares the next generation of leaders in bioethics; promotes research at the intersection of ethics, law, medicine, science, and global health; and provides service to the government and the private sector.