Hostos Institute of Bioethics

 

The Hostos Institute of  Bioethics (HIB) was founded on June, 1995 and is one of the research and service centers located under the Deanship of Academic Affairs of the Medical Sciences Campus (MSC).  The main mission of HIB is to promote a bioethical culture within the mission and goals of the MSC. To operationalize its mission the Institute has conducted activities of teaching and research in areas such as bioethics and its humanistic origins in history, philosophy, history of health sciences and professions, critical thinking, and its relevance for the education of health professionals.  As part of its community projection and services, the HIB has promoted public understanding of the social relevance of bioethics by organizing several academic congresses, public conferences, participation in radio and television interviews, publications in professional journals, training of members that compose the ethics committees of several public and private hospitals, and by offering consulting services .

 One of the achievements of HIB has been that during the years 1998 through 2000, it was the recipient of a $187,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington.  This grant was utilized to make possible the training of 32 university professor (from mainland USA and Puerto Rico) in the contents and method of bioethics.  International scholars participated in the teaching process during the months of June and July of the 1998, 1999 and 2,000 summer sessions.  Among those prominent scholars were Edmund Pellegrino, Diego Gracia Guillén, Javier Gafo, Baruch Brody, Joseph Fins --all of whom spent a week sharing their knowledge and experience with the participants. The proceedings of those summer training sessions were published in a book titled Humanities and the Health Science .

Afterwards, more than 100 university professor and other professionals has been trained in Bioethics as a result of the activities held by the Institute.

Another great achievement of the HIB was the successful organization of the Fourth Congress of FELAIBE (Federación Latinomericana y del Caribe de Instituciones de Bioética) that took place at the Wyndham Conquistador Hotel in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, during the days of 24^th thru 27^th of September in 2003.  This congress is still remembered as one of the best academic events for its intellectual quality and ulterior institutional impact on the university acceptance of bioethics.

Professor Leonides Santos y Vargas, the Director of HIB since its creation, has authored several publications such as the following: (1993) (Editor and author) Bioética: Perspectiva humanística de las profesiones de la salud; (2001) (Editor and author) Humanities and the Health Sciences; (2006) Bioética Crítica.

He has also published articles such as: (1994) “Bases filosóficas de la bioética”; (1996) “Reflexión bioética en torno a pacientes renales”; (1996) “Implicaciones éticas del modelo de cuidado dirigido”; (1997) “Implicaciones éticas de las nuevas tecnologías reproductivas” ; (1997) “La justicia sanitaria como prioridad para América Latina”; (1998) “Bioética y sociedad”; (1999)  “Necesidad de la enseñanza de la bioética como una disciplina crítica”; (2001) “Meditación sobre el Genoma Humano”; (2001) “Aproximación casuístico-inductiva a la Bioética”; (2003) “Valuación Bioética del Proyecto Genoma Humano”; (2004) “Hacia una bioética hostosiana”; (2009) “Ética y diversidad humana”; (2010) “Bioética y Pueblo”.

If you need detailed information about our Institute, please call

Mrs. Zoraida Braña
Administrator
787 758 3910; 787 758 25252, Ext 2080.