Please Support Us

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 accrediting body, the Council On Program Accreditation for Clinical Ethicist Training (COPACET). Sponsored by the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD) and the Catholic Health Association (CHA), COPACET will operate as a Committee on Accreditation under the guidelines of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

We stand at a critical juncture. After years of preparation, COPACET was officially approved as a member of CAAHEP on October 28, 2024. We are now ready to begin 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.

So far, this project has been funded entirely by contributions ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 from organizations with ethics programs that want this process to succeed, including those that could directly benefit from CAAHEP accreditation: CAAHEP-accredited clinical ethics fellowship programs will be able to apply for CMS reimbursement for certain direct costs such as faculty salaries, fellowship stipends, and supplies. 

How can I help? You can:

– Ask your ethics program or healthcare system to contribute to COPACET (contact me to arrange for organizational donations)

– Make a personal contribution on our Go Fund Me page (see DONATE NOW button above)

– Share this flyer with others in your organization or network and ask them to donate

– Send us ideas for potential funding sources 

– Volunteer to help us with fundraising

Where can I get more information about COPACET?

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

As Chair of the COPACET Board of Directors, I invite you to become involved and spread the word about this important new initiative. 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
Chair
Council On Program Accreditation for Clinical Ethicist Training (COPACET)