University of Alberta's Dossetor Health Ethics Centre

[Guest guest]

Please take a moment to learn more about the University of Alberta's

Dossetor Health Ethics Centre. This establishment is an extremely vital

component of disseminating information towards health care ethics. I have just

received news that continuation of the Centre may be in peril. Please show your

support by writing to the following personnel stated below.

Thank you,

Velvet ,

Administrator for Tetrasomy 18p Canada

http://www.tetrasomy18p.ca/

" 's Syndrome "

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Subject: Dossetor Health Ethics Centre

Greetings,

Because of the current economic turbulence at the University of Alberta, the

future of the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre has become uncertain. As many

of you know since its conception in 1985, the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre

has been involved in health ethics education, research and community engagement.

Today's advancing technologies, societal changes and economic challenges have

transformed the health care system thus the growing need for education and

research in health ethics. The Dossetor Health Ethics Centre has definitely

made contributions and continues to play an increasing role in helping to shape

health care ethics.

The Dossetor Health Ethics Centre has made many contributions in discovery,

interpretation and dissemination of knowledge in the area of health ethics. We

promote ethical engagement, mutual respect and critical reflection. We use these

ideals to guide how students are taught, how we care for patients, how we work

with colleagues and health care professionals, and how we interact and maintain

the highest moral standards. Our faculty members teach and mentor students

(undergraduate and graduate), medical residents and fellows, and postdoctoral

fellows across many faculties (Medicine and Dentistry, Nursing, Public Health,

Rehabilitation Medicine, Educational Psychology, etc.) at the University of

Alberta. Furthermore, faculty members make important contributions to health

ethics through their research. Some health ethics research areas that we

investigate are: clinical practice, compassion, disability ethics, human rights,

mental health, moral distress, health policy, gender issues, public health,

relational and reproduction ethics and neonatology-perinatology.

One of the Centre's outstanding achievements has been reaching out to the

community. We have reached out to scholars, students, health care practitioners,

clinical ethics committee members, health care administrators, patients and

their families, media and the general public. Our health ethics seminars,

workshops and symposia are presented to full capacity attendance. Through our

collaboration with Alberta Health Services almost every seminar and workshop is

teleconferenced to health care facilities across Alberta. For the first time in

2010 one of our health ethics seminars will be connected to both the Ontario's

and Alberta's teleconferencing networks. This truly is making health ethics

education accessible which engages the community not only at the provincial

level but nationally too. In addition our newsletter, " Health Ethics Today " has

a distribution list of 9000, which includes distribution to all medical doctors

across Alberta. Furthermore, the media has increasingly contacted the

Dossetor Health Ethics Centre to discuss health ethics topics that are in the

forefront of the news. Some of these topics touch every Albertan and at times

extend to every Canadian.

The Dossetor Health Ethics Centre helps support the Clinical Ethicist and

the Clinical Ethics Committee for the University of Alberta Hospital, Stollery

Children's Hospital and Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. Through the

clinical ethics service we have created a partnership with Alberta Health

Services to provide an ethical delivery of health care to the community. We also

provide health policy consultation in areas such as assisted reproduction,

disclosure, end-of-life issues, stem cell, organizational ethics, pandemic

planning, and UNICEF.

As is evident the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre has many achievements and

makes numerous contributions to the University of Alberta, Alberta Health

Services and the greater community. The members of the Dossetor Health

Ethics Centre have aimed for excellence in health care ethics and would like to

continue to do so.

Unfortunately, the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre has been officially

notified that the University of Alberta will discontinue funding for the Centre

in 2010. Thus, within a few months the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre could

cease to exist. If you would like to express your concern and show your support

for the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre's continued existence, we urge you to

please contact the President of the University of Alberta, the Dean of the

Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and the Dossetor Health Ethics Centre

before 9 April 2010. Their addresses are as follows:

1. Indira Samarasekera

President, University of Alberta

President's Office

3-1D1 University Hall

Edmonton, AB

Canada T6G 2J9

Office (780) 492-3212

email: indira.samarasekera@...

2. Dr. Philip Baker

Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

University of Alberta

2J2.02 WC Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre

Edmonton, AB

Canada T6G 2R7

Office (780) 492-9728

email: philip.baker@...

3. Dossetor Health Ethics Centre

University of Alberta

5-16 University Terrace

Edmonton, Alberta

Phone: (780) 492-6587

Fax: (780) 492-0673

E-mail: dossetor.centre@...

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Dossetor Health Ethics Centre