The Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Boston Children’s Hospital is pleased to invite applications for its Pediatric Ethics Fellowship Program for the AY 2026-2027, starting July 1, 2026. This rigorous, non-ACGME accredited program is designed to equip fellows with the skills necessary to independently provide high-quality pediatric clinical ethics consultations, educate learners and interprofessional teams in pediatric ethics, assume leadership roles within hospital ethics programs, and advance ethics scholarship and research. This fellowship is intended to foster the next generation of pediatric ethics leaders.
Program overview
The fellowship aims to prepare graduates to:
Provide high-quality, ethically rigorous pediatric clinical ethics consultations
Serve as effective educators for trainees, clinicians, and interprofessional teams
Engage in rigorous ethics scholarship and programmatic evaluation
Contribute to institutional ethics infrastructure and policy development
Practice with professionalism, humility, cultural sensitivity, and moral courage
Prepare for and pursue HEC-C certification
We offer both one-year and two-year fellowship options, with the two-year program focusing on advanced scholarship/research, leadership, or subspecialty concentration (for example, palliative care, neonatology, transplant ethics, research ethics) during the second year. The fellowship is led by Program Director and Director of Education, Dr. Christy Cummings, MD, HEC-C; Associate Program Director, Dr. Faye Holder-Niles MD; Associate Director of Education, Dr. Jonathon Marron, MD; and Executive Director of the Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Dr. Mark Mercurio, MD, MA.
Eligibility
Applicants should hold an advanced degree in a pertinent field, such as health care ethics, medicine, nursing, law, or related disciplines. Candidates must demonstrate a strong commitment to developing expertise in pediatric ethics.
Responsibilities
Attend, contribute to, and teach ethics lectures, seminars, and interdisciplinary rounds
Participate in and ultimately lead ethics consultations across inpatient, outpatient, and ICU settings
Facilitate structured deliberation among clinicians, patients, and families
Document consultations in accordance with institutional and professional standards
Contribute to policy development and organizational ethics
Critically appraise ethics literature
Conduct ethics-related scholarship
Disseminate work through presentations and peer-reviewed publications
Funding and compensation
For AY26-27, as this new fellowship launches, we are seeking internal applications only. Fellows are expected to secure their own compensation/financial support through their department or division at Boston Children’s.
Application requirements
Complete the application form online, which will include uploading the following documents:
Letter of Interest (one page) outlining experience and interest in pediatric ethics and career goals
Curriculum Vitae
One letter of recommendation from your division chief or fellowship program director indicating support
Contact information
For more information, contact the Fellowship Program Coordinator, Annabelle Feliz at Annabelle.Feliz@childrens.harvard.edu.
