CENTRES Clinical Ethics Conference 2027
28 – 29 January 2027
Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Singapore
Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Singapore
Registration opening soon!
About the Conference
Clinical Ethics Priorities for the Next Decade – Palliative Care, AI & Digital Health, Genomics, Children & Young People
This two-day CENTRES Clinical Ethics conference brings together healthcare professionals, ethicists and policymakers to examine the most pressing ethical challenges shaping clinical practice and research in the coming decade. The programme focuses on four key domains where complex ethical issues are expected to evolve significantly.
Through a combination of plenary sessions and parallel discussions, the conference explores critical areas including ethical boundaries in practice, consent and communication across care networks, decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty, and the evolving responsibilities of healthcare professionals and institutions within changing clinical, technological and legal landscapes.
This two-day CENTRES Clinical Ethics conference brings together healthcare professionals, ethicists and policymakers to examine the most pressing ethical challenges shaping clinical practice and research in the coming decade. The programme focuses on four key domains where complex ethical issues are expected to evolve significantly.
Through a combination of plenary sessions and parallel discussions, the conference explores critical areas including ethical boundaries in practice, consent and communication across care networks, decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty, and the evolving responsibilities of healthcare professionals and institutions within changing clinical, technological and legal landscapes.
Programme
DAY 1
*Programme details are subject to change
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 8.30am to 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.00am to 9.15am | Opening Address |
| 9.15am to 10.00am | Clinical Ethics Priorities 2027–2037: What We Must Get Right (and What Happens If We Don’t) |
| 10.00am to 10.30am | Morning Tea |
| 10.30am to 12.15pm | [4 Parallel Sessions] Defining Boundaries for Ethical Practice A. Palliative Care Under Pressure: Proportionality, Suffering and ‘Doing Enough’ B. Clinical AI as “Advice”: Bias, reliability, accountability – what clinicians can and should not outsource C. Genetic Information in Precision Medicine: Building Trust, Sustaining Uptake, and Ensuring Equity D. Mature Minors: Competence, assent/dissent, and thresholds for parental involvement |
| 12.15pm to 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm to 3.00pm | [4 Parallel Sessions] Relational Ethics – Consent, Communication, and Trust Across Care Networks A. Families, Fear and ‘Do Everything’: Ethics of Disagreement in Palliative Care. B. Learning Health Systems & ‘Silent’ Evaluation: Ethics of Embedded Trials, Consent and Oversight. C. Cascade Testing & Family Communication: Confidentiality vs prevention & refusals to inform. D. Counselling Without Parental Consent: Ethical practice when consent seeking may cause harm or deter help seeking. |
| 3.00pm to 3.20pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3.20pm to 4.00pm | [4 Parallel Sessions] Going against the grain – What to do when ordinary processes are complicated by risk, urgency, or exceptional circumstances? A. Discharge and ‘Unsafe’ Transfers against Medical Advice: Ethics, Capacity and Accountability. B. ‘Break Glass’ and Beyond: Sensitive Notes, Emergency Access and Auditability. C. The Right Not to Know in Genomic Medicine: Refusal, Deferral and Respectful Care. D. Youth Mental Health: Confidentiality, Consent and Safe Escalation. |
| 4.00pm to 5.00pm | From Bedside Notes to Shared Records: Ethical Responsibilities in Digital Health Information Systems |
DAY 2
*Programme details are subject to change
| Time | Mode |
|---|---|
| 8.15am to 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.00am to 10.00am | Public Trust, Lived Experience and Co‑Design: What ‘Good’ Looks Like for Next‑Gen Care |
| 10.00am to 10.30am | Morning Tea |
| 10.30am to 12.15pm | [4 Parallel Sessions] Contested frontiers – Law, ethics, and professional responsibilities in evolving areas of practice A. Practical Ethics of Introducing Assisted Dying into a future “Super-Aged” Singapore. B. From “Decision Support” to “Liability Sink”: Medical Legal Accountability for AI-assisted Medical Incidents. C. Consent for Genomic Testing in the Real World: Uncertainty, and Expectations. D. Prevention Under Fire: Vaccines, Vit K and the Ethics of Refusal. |
| 12.15pm to 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm to 3.00pm | [4 Parallel Sessions] Contextualising the discussion – Of complex therapies, settings, and systems A. Palliative Psychiatry & Later‑Life Mental Health: Capacity, risk, and best‑interests decision‑making. B. After Go‑Live: Drift, Bias Creep and When to Pause/Stop Use. C. Navigating Equity in Access to Innovative Genome Therapy: Lessons from [select treatments in Singapore] (E.g., CAR T, CRISPR-based Sickle Cell Disease Treatment, etc). D. Gender-Affirming Care for Young People: Contested Decisions, Safeguarding and Clinical Responsibility. |
| 3.00pm to 3.20pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3.20pm to 4.00pm | [4 Parallel Sessions] Good governance, policy, and practices for sustainable care A. End‑of‑Life Law & Policy: What Healthcare Professionals Need Now (and What to Park as a Watching Brief) B. Ethical Deployment of AI: Justification, Transparency and Safe Use in the Care Pathway. C. Equity and Prioritisation in Precision Medicine: Who benefits, who pays, and what is fair? D. Transition to Adult Services: Confidentiality, continuity, and supported autonomy at the boundary. |
| 4.00pm to 5.00pm | Mental Health in the Real World: Access, Confidentiality and Fairness at Home, School and Work |
Conference Venue
11 Kent Ridge Dr
Shaw Foundation Alumni House (SFAH)
Singapore 119244 (Map)
Shaw Foundation Alumni House Directory (Webpage)
Shaw Foundation Alumni House (SFAH)
Singapore 119244 (Map)
Shaw Foundation Alumni House Directory (Webpage)
Public Transport Information
Nearest MRT Station: Kent Ridge (CC24)
Take Exit B
→ Take Bus 200 from Kent Ridge Stn Exit B bus stop
→ Opp Heng Mui Keng Terrace
→ short 5-minute walk to Shaw Foundation Alumni House
Nearest MRT Station: Kent Ridge (CC24)
Take Exit B
→ Take Bus 200 from Kent Ridge Stn Exit B bus stop
→ Opp Heng Mui Keng Terrace
→ short 5-minute walk to Shaw Foundation Alumni House
Parking Information
Guests arriving by car can park directly opposite Kent Ridge Guild House at Car Park 15.
Guests arriving by car can park directly opposite Kent Ridge Guild House at Car Park 15.
Registration opening soon!