COPACET is the Council On Program Accreditation for Clinical Ethicist Training – a 501(c)(3) organization and Committee on Accreditation (CoA) that was formed under the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the largest accrediting association for health care training programs in the U.S.
COPACET's mission is to promote the highest levels of professional competence of clinical ethicists through:
• development and promotion of professional training standards;
• encouragement of excellence in training program development; and
• review and evaluation of clinical ethicist training programs.
COPACET has two sponsoring organizations: the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD) and the Catholic Health Association (CHA).
Here are some highlights:
- April 2024: CAAHEP approves clinical ethics as its 32nd allied health discipline
- September 2024: COPACET is established as a legal entity
- October 2024: CAAHEP approves COPACET as its latest Committee on Accreditation
- November 2024: COPACET is recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization and public charity
- January 2025: COPACET holds its first Board meeting, appoints officers, and approves COPACET Committees and plans for 2025
- April 2025: COPACET convenes 2-day in-person Board meeting in Houston
- September 2025: COPACET completes first draft of its proposed Standards and Guidelines for Accreditation
- October 2025: Public comment period for COPACET’s proposed Standards and Guidelines
- November-December 2025: COPACET revises Standards and Guidelines based on comments received
- January 2026: COPACET’s Board of Directors formally approved proposed Standards and Guidelines document
- January-February 2026: COPACET’s sponsoring organizations review and approve the proposed Standards and Guidelines
- March 2026: COPACET formally submits proposed Standards and Guidelines to CAAHEP’s Standards Committee for review
- April 2026: COPACET submits revised proposed Standards and Guidelines
- July 2026: COPACET submits revised proposed Standards and Guidelines
COPACET has developed proposed Standards and Guidelines through a multi-stage, stakeholder-engaged process. Draft standards underwent public comment, were revised based on feedback, approved by COPACET's Board of Directors and sponsoring organizations, and submitted for review within the CAAHEP process. At the same time, COPACET has been developing the infrastructure necessary to support accreditation, including policies, procedures, application materials, fee schedules, resources, tools, communication materials, and other operational components. COPACET plans to launch the accreditation process soon after its proposed Standards and Guidelines are formally approved by CAAHEP.
An FAQ document is avalable here. It includes details about COPACET, CAAHEP, and accreditation.
Support Our Cause!
Your tax-deductible donation will support an accreditation process for clinical ethics fellowship programs that is robust, evidence-based, fair, transparent, and stakeholder-informed -- and that will shape the future of clinical ethics training for years to come.
A Message from the President
Dear Members of the Clinical Ethics Community,
Efforts to develop an accreditation process for clinical ethicist training programs are now under way!
In October of 2024, we officially formed a new nonprofit accrediting organization called COPACET (Council On Program Accreditation for Clinical Ethicist Training). Sponsored by the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD) and the Catholic Health Association (CHA), COPACET is a Committee on Accreditation under the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
We stand at a critical juncture. After years of preparation, we are now in the process of crafting accreditation standards that will shape the future of clinical ethics training for years to come. But we cannot complete this work alone. Establishing an accreditation process that is robust, evidence-based, fair, transparent, and stakeholder-informed will require countless hours of research, consultation, and collaboration from experts across the country. While our team is dedicated and passionate, the financial burden of this endeavor is significant. We need your help.
To support our work, please:
– Make a personal tax-deductible donation to: https://app.autobooks.co/pay/copacet or click on the DONATE NOW button above
– Make an in-kind contribution of administrative support, fundraising, or website design
For more information about COPACET:
– An FAQ document is avalable here. It includes details about accreditation, CAAHEP, and COPACET.
– Contact: support@copacet.org
On behalf of COPACET's Board of Directors, I invite you to become involved and spread the word about this important new effort. During this critical phase, broad input and participation from the clinical ethics community will be vital to the initiative’s success.
Thank you for your engagement and support in shaping the future of clinical ethics accreditation.
Ellen Fox, MD, HEC-C
President
COPACET
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