Associate Professor Cindy McCarthy, DHCE, director of the Bioethics Certificate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has received a $10,000 Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad) Faculty-Led Program Global Pillars Grant to help support students participating in a new study abroad program.
The grant will help offset the cost of the three-week, three-credit Bioethics: Comparative Analysis of Amsterdam and Milan program, with funding divided evenly among participating students.
Offered through a collaboration between Pitt Public Health and the David C. Frederick Honors College, the program will immerse students in the ethical, legal and cultural dimensions of healthcare and public health in the Netherlands and Italy. Through lectures, discussions with local experts and cultural experiences, students will compare approaches to topics including end-of-life decision-making, vaccination, mental health, human subjects research and organ donation, with a focus on patient autonomy across cultures.
"We're honored to receive this grant, which will help make this international learning experience more accessible to students," McCarthy said. "The program will give students the opportunity to explore how different cultures approach complex bioethical issues while learning directly from experts in Amsterdam and Milan."
The study abroad program begins in May 2027 and fulfills experiential learning and global experience requirements. Additional details will be available this fall.
-Clare Collins