PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD NOW OPEN!

COPACET is inviting public comments on its proposed Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Clinical Training Programs in Clinical Ethics.

These standards will be used by COPACET and site visit teams to assess whether clinical ethics fellowship programs meet the requirements for accreditation.

We are seeking feedback on the Standards from a wide range of communities of interest including clinical ethics practitioners, educators, and students; employers that hire clinical ethicists; administrators of healthcare delivery organizations and training programs; healthcare professionals; national societies; and the public.

How to Submit Comments:

Comments will be collected through the COPACET Feedback Form (see below) between October 1 and October 30, 2025.

The Feedback Form divides the Standards document into multiple sections, which allows us to organize the feedback and automatically generate a spreadsheet so that we can review all the comments on the same topic together. This process will help us ensure that the review process is as efficient as possible and no comments are overlooked. To maintain consistency and accuracy, we will only be accepting comments submitted through the online form.

The Feedback Form contains more information about COPACET, the Standards, and the feedback process. Once you read this information, you will be able to view the Standards document.

WHAT IS COPACET?

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.

what is copacet's mission?

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.

who are copacet's sponsoring organizations?

COPACET has two sponsoring organizations: the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD) and the Catholic Health Association (CHA).

where can i find more information?

An FAQ document is avalable here. It includes details about COPACET, CAAHEP, and accreditation.

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 formative 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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PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD NOW OPEN!

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A Message from the President

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