Department of Bioethics - Te Pokapū Matatika Koiora

You are warmly invited to the Department of Bioethics Seminar 2026.

Join our monthly seminar series for engaging discussions on bioethics. The seminars are open to all University of Otago staff and students, as well as members of the public.

We look forward to seeing you there!

📢 New paper: BITC101 – Bioethics in Aotearoa
Starting Semester Two 2026, the Department of Bioethics is excited to launch BITC101 Bioethics in Aotearoa — a brand-new undergraduate paper exploring the big ethical questions at the heart of life and health sciences.
🌏 What makes this paper special? It's a genuine collaboration between the Department of Bioethics and Kōhatu – Centre for Hauora Māori, bringing together Western bioethical perspectives and Māori traditions to explore ethical issues in the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
🎓 Paper details:
📘 18 points | Semester 2, on campus in Dunedin
📍 Lectures: Tues & Wed, 12:00–12:50pm
📍 Tutorials: Thursday (choose a stream)
Whether you are majoring in Arts, Science, Health Sciences, or just curious about the ethical dilemmas shaping science and technology today, this paper can be added to most degrees to offer a first introduction to bioethics.
👉 It is not too late to enrol! Find out more and check your enrolment options: https://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/papers?papercode=BITC101

Search for papers

🎓 Enrol now in Bioethics postgraduate papers for the second semester at the University of Otago!

You can take individual papers or work towards a postgraduate certificate, diploma, or Master. We run the following papers in semester two, all online through distance teaching:

📚 BITC 404 – Ethics and Health Care
Dive deep into contemporary issues in bioethics: from the beginning and end of life to genetics and resource allocation.
🔗 https://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/papers?papercode=BITC404

🏥 BITC 405 – Bioethics in Clinical Practice
Explore methods and cases in clinical ethics: informed consent, confidentiality, decision making for children, ethical challenges of electronic health record use, and much more.
🔗 https://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/papers?papercode=BITC405

💻 DIGH 707 – Digital Health Information Governance and Ethics
Wearables, AI scribes, remote monitoring,... technology plays a crucial role in healthcare. This paper examines the ethical challenges posed by the use of digital health technology.
🔗 https://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/papers?papercode=DIGH707

We'd love you to join our programme! This is of interest to a wide range of graduates, including, but not limited to, healthcare professionals, lawyers, philosophers, people working in IT/digital health, social scientists, teachers, researchers, and anyone curious about where advances in science and medicine are leading us.

Postgraduate study, Bioethics Centre, University of Otago, New Zealand Postgraduate study opportunities include single papers taken for a Certificate of Proficiency, diplomas and masters' degrees, and doctoral research.

The Department of Bioethics warmly invites you to Otago Bioethics Seminar 2026. This monthly seminar series is open to all University of Otago staff and students, and the public.

We had a lovely evening talking with Health Sciences First-Year students about their study options in Bioethics! Lots of interest in our brand-new BITC 101 Bioethics in Aotearoa paper that will be launched in semester 2, as well as in our Minor in Bioethics. There were no mandarins left at the end of the evening, and yes, all chocolate fish were also gone 😊

Our Bioethics colleague Tania Moerenhout will be speaking about the ethical considerations of using AI in health care and research at the panel discussion of this meeting hosted by the University of Otago in partnership with the AI in Health Research Network. This event is for researchers, the digital health community, and clinicians working at the intersection of AI and health – it would be great if you could join us there!

REGISTER HERE:
https://lnkd.in/esNUWr32

Join us at the Otago Open Days – Sunday 3 May & Monday 4 May!

The University of Otago is welcoming prospective students to explore their study options, attend information sessions, and tour the campus. Come and find out about the Minor in Bioethics: a unique opportunity to add a bioethics qualification to almost any degree at Otago.

We will be presenting at the following times:

Sunday 3 May | 1:30 pm | Burns 2
Monday 4 May | 9:30 am | Archway 4

We look forward to meeting you at the Otago Open Days!
https://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/subjects/bioethics

The Department of Bioethics warmly invites you to the Otago Bioethics Seminar of 2026. This monthly seminar series is open to all University of Otago staff and students, as well as the public.

The Department of Bioethics warmly invites you to the first Otago Bioethics Seminar of 2026. This monthly seminar series is open to all University of Otago staff and students, and the public.