The Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC), SIUT was inaugurated on October 8, 2004 in Karachi, recognizing the need for ethics related education and research in Pakistan that are relevant and responsive to local cultural and social realities. CBEC remains the only such centre in Pakistan today.
CBEC’s primary objective is to serve as an academic and intellectual resource for Pakistan, facilitating the development of individuals sensitive to indigenous issues and with the capacity to impart ethics education to healthcare communities and beyond. The faculty of the centre undertakes constructively critical research that explores the role of cultural and religious norms and socioeconomic realities in shaping value systems prevalent in society. Through its perspectives, CBEC aims to enrich the predominantly philosophical and secular discourse in contemporary bioethics, and to network with regional and international professionals and institutions involved in similar efforts.
CBEC conducts workshops, seminars, and conferences many of which are open to the public, both on-campus and in universities around Pakistan. Its formal programs include a one year Postgraduate Diploma in Biomedical Ethics (PGD), instituted in 2006, and a two year MA in Bioethics (MBE) that graduated its first class in the fall of 2011. Additionally, CBEC offers Certificate Courses in Clinical Ethics and Research Ethics since 2014. All three programs have an international student body and faculty.
Vision
To be the leading academic and intellectual resource for Pakistan and the region, fostering a culturally grounded understanding of bioethics and contributing towards global bioethics discourse.
Mission
- CBEC-SIUT is committed to advancing ethics education and research that is relevant and responsive to Pakistan’s local cultural and social realities. Our mission is to:
- Develop expertise in biomedical ethics within the healthcare field and the wider academic community through formal degree programs including the Postgraduate Diploma in Biomedical Ethics and Master’s in Bioethics.
- Research the role of cultural, religious, and socioeconomic factors in shaping value systems, undertaking constructively critical scholarship that reflects the Pakistani context.
- Enrich the predominantly philosophical and secular discourse in global contemporary bioethics by contributing perspectives rooted in local cultural and religious contexts.
- Engage the public and professional communities in ethics discourse through workshops, seminars, and conferences, both nationally and internationally.
- Network with regional and international professionals and institutions engaged in bioethics, fostering an exchange of ideas while maintaining a local and culturally attuned approach to bioethics.
