Penn–Oxford Graduate Student Symposium

 

Each April, the Master of Bioethics Program and Oxford’s Ethox Centre co-host the Penn–Oxford Graduate Student Symposium, a one-day event that brings together graduate students and faculty from both universities at Oxford's Ethox Centre. This year’s symposium took place on April 24, 2026.

From our 2026 recipients:

• "Thank you to the MBE program for the opportunity to be part of the Penn–Oxford Conference. It was an intellectually rewarding and challenging experience. Presenting my work pushed me to think more critically, and the feedback I received was both thoughtful and helpful. I also really valued learning about the range of papers others are working on, which sparked new ideas for how I can approach ethical analyses. Beyond the academic side, getting to explore the beautiful Oxford campus in the spring with the Penn cohort made the whole experience even more memorable." --Amrutha Chethikattil
• "Presenting my work at Oxford allowed me to receive feedback from bioethicists with diverse areas of expertise and implement it into my research project. By engaging with other presentations, I was able to learn more about the current topics of interest and debate within the field and came away inspired by the work they were doing. Staying at Oxford also allowed me to explore the historic campus with the rest of the cohort. Overall, it was a deeply enriching experience, and I am very grateful to the Penn MBE program for providing me with this opportunity." --Amishi Mahajan
• "I was honored and thankful to have represented the Master of Bioethics program at Oxford’s Ethox Centre for the 2026 Penn-Oxford Graduate Student Symposium. Learning from and engaging in discussion with DPhil candidates, postdocs, and faculty from Oxford’s Ethox Centre, as well as Professor Matt McCoy and fellow Penn MBEs, was inspiring. Their thoughtful feedback will influence my clinical and research priorities in medical school and beyond. It was such a beautiful time of year to visit the historic campus of Oxford. Gaining exposure to scholarship in bioethics outside of the U.S., at the University of Oxford, was a wonderful example of the distinctive opportunities Penn’s MBE provides its students."               --Merjan Lijerón Ozisik

Penn–Oxford Graduate Student Symposium: 

This symposium offers three MBE students the opportunity for an all-expense paid trip to the University of Oxford to present and receive feedback on their capstone research project. In addition to sharing their work, selected students will:

• Engage with faculty and graduate students at Oxford’s Ethox Centre.
• Serve as a commenter on an Oxford graduate student’s paper.
• Attend a post-symposium dinner in Oxford.

2027 Application details:

Current MBE students who have completed or are currently enrolled in BIOE 6050 or BIOE 6000 are eligible to apply. Eligible submissions may be co-authored with a faculty member. To be considered for the 2027 symposium, students must submit an abstract of their research paper. Application deadline will be announced in September 2026. Submissions will be reviewed by a faculty selection committee, and three students will be selected to represent Penn at the symposium.

The MBE program will cover all travel and lodging costs of the symposium for the 3 selected students.

This event provides a unique opportunity to share and receive feedback on your bioethics research and network with international colleagues.

MSME students are not eligible for this program.