The Berman Institute is a world leader in bioethics.
Arising almost a quarter-century ago from an informal bioethics interest group of faculty members dispersed across Johns Hopkins University, the Berman Institute has 42 faculty holding joint appointments at the Hopkins schools of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Arts and Sciences, and Advanced International Studies. They are among the most distinguished scholars in the field.
Global Impact
Through an ever-expanding array of bioethics research, scholarship, and projects, the Berman Institute has a direct, positive impact on the health and well-being of millions of people in developed and developing countries around the world. We have educated and mentored alumni who now hold leadership positions across the field.
We have our own physical home in Deering Hall, a historical landmark on the Hopkins East Baltimore medical campus. A dedicated building for a university bioethics center is rare, and supports our academic community environment.
In 2014, the Berman Institute became the first bioethics center to have an endowed directorship. Our robust endowment, and strong base of donors, provide support for the impactful work of Berman’s faculty.
Funding for the Berman Institute comes from public research grants, private foundations, and philanthropic contributions.
What is Bioethics?
Bioethics is a dynamic, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and often messy discipline. As technology and science advances, we work to make sure people’s needs come first.
Meet a Bioethicist
There is no single path to a bioethics career. Our faculty span the fields of philosophy, science, medicine, nursing, law, public health, and the social sciences.
Our History
Phoebe Rhea Berman believed there was no better place than Johns Hopkins to address the ethical dilemmas raised by advances in medical discovery.
Director
Faculty Leadership
Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH
Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director; Robert Henry Levi and Ryda Hecht Levi Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy
Joseph A. Carrese, MD, MPH, FACP
Core Faculty; Professor
Ruth R. Faden, PhD, MPH
Berman Institute Founder; Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Biomedical Ethics
Gail Geller, ScD, MHS
Core Faculty; Professor
Nancy E. Kass, ScD
Deputy Director for Public Health; Phoebe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health
Cynda Hylton Rushton, PhD, RN
Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics
Jeremy Sugarman, MD, MPH, MA
Deputy Director for Medicine; Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics and Medicine
