Teaching

Educating Across a Lifetime

At the intersection of history, ethics, and medicine, the Department of Medical History and Bioethics prepares students to think critically about the human dimensions of health care. From undergraduate seminars and graduate study to health sciences and medical education, our faculty bring rigorous scholarship and real-world perspective to learners at every stage — equipping future physicians, researchers, and public health professionals at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to build meaningful careers and contribute to a more just and humane future for medicine and society.

Research

Scholarship Without Borders

Our faculty are nationally recognized scholars whose work shapes how we understand medicine’s past and navigate its ethical future. Through published books, peer-reviewed journals, documentary film, and interdisciplinary collaboration across the University, MHB’s research informs policy, practice, and public discourse. From the ethics of artificial intelligence and digital health to climate change, biotechnology, surgical ethics, and the cultural dimensions of global health, our faculty bring diverse and deep expertise to the most pressing questions at the intersection of medicine and society.

Service

Living the Wisconsin Idea

True to the founding principle that the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state, MHB is deeply committed to service. Our faculty contribute expertise to ethics committees, university governance, community organizations, and public institutions — extending the impact of UW–Madison far beyond campus. MHB faculty bring a rare combination of historical perspective, philosophical rigor, and bioethical expertise directly to the classroom and clinics — offering guidance that no other discipline is uniquely positioned to provide at the moments that matter most.