Using Medical Ethics Videos for Remote Teaching
Instructors may select material from the list of topics below to complement their own asynchronous or synchronous discussions about ethics topics. Video durations are indicated, and all videos include captions.
For learning resources on best practices for synchronous and asynchronous teaching, see Remote Teaching Best Practices for a resource on what type of learning is better suited to asynchronous or synchronous teaching.
Free access is extended through December 31, 2020, for affiliates (faculty, students, or staff) of colleges, universities, and other noncommercial learning groups. Copyright is retained by the University of Pennsylvania.
Medical Ethics Videos
Clinical Ethics
- Clinical Ethics for Medical Students
- Children's Roles in Medical Decisions
- Duty to Warn (Tarasoff Duties)
- Ethics and COVID-19
- Ethics of Psychiatric Diagnosis at a Distance (The Goldwater Rule)
- Neuroethics
- Rationing Care
Research Ethics
- Ethics of Research with Human Subjects
- Conflicts of Interest in Biomedical Research
- Ethics and Trial Design
ReQuest free Access to Catalog
Clinical Ethics Videos
This series is designed to provide practical knowledge for medical students, doctors, and other clinicians on how to make ethical evaluations in clinical situations related to privacy and patient trust, assessing capacity, medical decision making, end-of-life care, and treatment of minors.

Clinical Ethics for Medical Students
Taught by Steven Joffe, MD, MPH; Joshua B. Kayser, MD, MPH, MBe; Emily Largent, JD, PhD; Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBe; Jennifer S. Myers, MD; Dominic Sisti, PhD
Topics (Faculty, video duration)
Building Trust
- HIPAA (Fernandez Lynch, 7:57)
- Use of Social Media (Largent, 6:56)
- Disclosing Medical Error to Patients and Others (Myers, 6:34)
Medical Decision Making and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
- Ethics of Informed Consent (Joffe, 9:09)
- Assessing Capacity (Joffe, 10:06)
- Surrogate Decision Making (Joffe,8:35)
- Decision Making for Minors (Joffe, 8:24)
End of Life Care
- Right to Refuse or Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment, Part I (Sisti, 9:30)
- Right to Refuse or Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment, Part II (Sisti, 6:23)
- Advance Directives (Largent, 6:23)
- PA 169 and the Patient Self-Determination Act (Largent, 5:48)
- Modeling an Advanced Care Planning Discussion (Kayser, 6:56)
- Definitions of Death (Sisti, 13:48)
Children's Roles in Medical Decisions
Taught by Steven Joffe, MD, MPH
TOPICS (Video duration)
Mature Minors (8:16)
Emancipated Minors (11:26)
Assent (11:36)
Duty to Warn (Tarasoff Duties)
Taught by Dominic A. Sisti, PhD
TOPICS (Video duration)
Tarasoff Duties and the Duty to Warn (6:41)
Legal Differences by State (6:58)
The Appelbaum Model (3:00)
The Appelbaum Model: Case Studies (4:20)
A Conversation with Paul S. Appelbaum (13:45)
Confidentiality (3:35)
Ethics and COVID-19
Taught by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD; Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBe; Jonathan D. Moreno, PhD; Emily Largent, JD, PhD, RN; Jill M. Baren, MD; Lance Wahlert, PhD
TOPICS (Video duration)
COVID-19: Timeline and Severity (Emanuel, 19:04)
Rationing: Scarcity and Principles (Emanuel, 18:33)
Applying Rationing Principles to COVID-19 (Emanuel, 14:02)
FDA Drug Regulation in the Context of COVID-19 (Fernandez Lynch, 21:10)
Implications of COVID-19 for the Field of Bioethics (Moreno, 8:54)
COVID-19, Rationing, and Disability (Largent, 13:02)
Research in Emergency Settings (Baren, 12:42)
Community Health Workers: Social First Responders in the COVID Pandemic (Center for Community Health Workers, 16:27)
Queering the Quarantine (Wahlert, 19:36)
Narrative in an Epidemic (Wahlert, 14:34)
COVID-19: Transmissions, Risks, and Reopenings (Emanuel, 14:59)
Ethics of Psychiatric Diagnosis at a Distance (The Goldwater Rule)
Taught by Dominic Sisti, PhD
TOPICS (Video duration)
The History of the Goldwater Rule, with Jonathan Moreno, PhD (9:28)
The Rationale for the Goldwater Rule, with Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD (7:55)
The Case Against the Goldwater Rule, with Claire Pouncey, MD, PhD (8:15)
Neuroethics
Taught by Jonathan D. Moreno, PhD
TOPICS (Video duration)
Introduction to Neuroethics (6:53)
The History of Neuroethics (8:38)
Incidental Findings (8:26)
Stem Cells (9:49)
Devices (8:08)
Psychochemicals (7:23)
Rationing Care
Taught by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD
TOPICS (Video duration)
Insulin (5:16)
Penicillin (8:18)
Dialysis (8:16)
What is Rationing? What is Resource Allocation? (5:21)
Distinquishing Rationing and Resource Allocation (8:50)
Values and Principles(7:39)
Deontological Principles(9:21)
Utilitarian Principles(8:51)
Complete Lives System(12:01)
The Spanish Flu(6:23)
Vaccine Allocation(9:10)
From Rationing to Resource Allocation(10:34)
Request free Access to Catalog
Research Ethics Videos
This series surveys basic knowledge and skills for making ethical evaluations of research protocols as part of human subjects research. Designed for clinicians and those who require training in the protection of human research participants, it includes an overview of specific ethical guidelines and regulatory requirements.

Ethics of Research with Human Subjects
Taught by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD; Steven Joffe, MD, MPH; Emily Largent, JD, PhD; Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBe
Ask your institution to accept this Penn MEHP Online course to meet the NIH and other requirements for human subjects protection training.
TOPICS (Faculty lecturer, video duration)
History and Rationale of Research Ethics
- A History of Ethics in Medical Research (Emanuel, 9:12)
- The Rationale of Research Ethics and the Nuremburg Code (Emanuel, 9:45)
- Key Documents: The Belmont Report (Emanuel, 8:44)
Eight Principles of Ethical Research
- Eight Principles of Ethical Research (Emanuel, 13:32)
- The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment (Emanuel, 6:48)
- The Ethics of Tuskegee, Part I (Emanuel, 6:31)
- The Ethics of Tuskegee, Part II (Emanuel, 6:35)
The Common Rule and Related Ethical Considerations
- The Common Rule (Emanuel, 12:37)
- IRB Oversight of Research (Emanuel, 7:25)
- Assessing Research Risks and Benefits (Emanuel, 11:42)
- Informed Consent Under the Common Rule (Emanuel, 7:32)
- Ethics of Informed Consent, Part I (Emanuel, 6:16)
- Ethics of Informed Consent, Part II (Emanuel, 5:51)
- Therapeutic Misconception (Joffe, 8:44)
- Coercion and Undue Inducement (Emanuel, 11:29)
- Exploitation (Emanuel, 5:33)
- The Ethics of Payment (Largent, 8:51)
- Research with Data and Specimens (Fernandez Lynch, 11:45)
Additional Regulations and Guidance
- FDA Regulated Research, Part I (Fernandez Lynch, 7:27)
- FDA Regulated Research, Part II (Fernandez Lynch, 8:06)
- Privacy and HIPAA Compliance (Emanuel, 7:33)
- Navigating Conflicts of Interest (Emanuel, 9:46)
International Ethics Guidelines
- The Declaration of Helsinki (Emanuel, 8:41)
- CIOMS (Fernandez Lynch, 10:27)
- ICH Guidance: E6, E8 (Fernandez Lynch, 8:26)
Conflicts of Interest in Biomedical Research
Taught by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD
TOPICS (Video duration)
Financial Conflicts of Interest (8:11)
How Conflicts of Interest Can Lead to Harms (10:54)
The Effects of Conflicts of Interest on Research (10:12)
Safeguarding Against Conflicts of Interest (5:33)
Federal Policies for Disclosing Conflicts of Interest (10:32)
Ethics and Trial Design
Taught by Steven Joffe, MD, MPH
TOPICS (Video duration)
Research vs. QA/QI (8:07)
Observational Research Design (6:18)
Interventional Research Design (4:54)
Randomization (9:00)
Blinding and Placebos (8:13)
First-in-Human Trials (9:25)
Cluster Randomization (9:11)
Comparative Effectiveness Research (9:24)
Request free Access to Catalog
Additional Resources
For existing online medical ethics courses, with readings and quizzes as well as lectures, consider Penn MEHP Online Education’s Continuing Education offerings.
Contact
If you have questions, please contact Laura C. Hart, Director of Online Educational Initiatives, through MEHP Teaching Resources.