MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice

What MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice does

The MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice is an academic research and education unit within Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, founded in 1977 as the Medical Humanities Program and relaunched under its current name and health-equity mission in 2021. The Center studies and teaches how to build a health system that is respectful, compassionate, and responsive to people's needs so that equity, inclusion, and social justice are available to all. It serves health professionals, medical students, academic researchers, policymakers, and community organizations through scholarly research, public programming, and media consultation. The Center does not develop proprietary technology or commercial products; its offerings consist of educational programming (the twice-per-semester "What's Happening in Bioethics & Social Justice" seminar series, the "Brews and Views" bioscience-and-ethics discussion series co-hosted with the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, and a Recorded Webinars Archive on MSU Mediaspace), an undergraduate Bioethics Minor, and faculty media consultation on topics such as healthcare policy, vaccine hesitancy, abortion law, and racial disparities in medicine.

The Center's research portfolio includes the NIH-funded diabetes adherence project (July 2020-April 2026), the CDC-funded National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE, ~$6M, July 2021-July 2024), the MICHR Primary Care Screening Project, and the Wenner-Gren and Fulbright-funded autism/neurodiversity research led by Assistant Professor Ariel Cascio. Core faculty include Director Sean A. Valles, Associate Director of Academic Programming Karen Kelly-Blake, University Distinguished Professor Leonard M. Fleck, and tenured Assistant Professors Ariel Cascio, Jennifer McCurdy, and Michelle T. Pham, supported by clinical faculty from Henry Ford Health and a small administrative staff. The Center's revenue model is university core funding from MSU's College of Human Medicine supplemented by external research grants from federal agencies (NIH, CDC, MICHR) and private foundations (Wenner-Gren, U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission, Banting/SSHRC). All public programming is free, and the Center's value proposition is its integration of philosophy, medicine, public health, and social justice scholarship rather than any technological or commercial moat.

Name

MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice

Legal name

Center for Bioethics and Social Justice

Website

https://bioethics.msu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice is a 10-person academic research and education unit within Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine that conducts bioethics research, offers public seminars and an undergraduate Bioethics Minor, and serves health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and community organizations through federally funded health-equity research and free educational programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Bioethics Research and Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Bioethics research
• Health equity programs
• Medical ethics education
• Social justice scholarship
• Community health research

Headquarters

HQ city

East Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. University Core Funding: Core operational funding from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine as an academic center within the university system.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Faculty secure external research funding from NIH, CDC, MICHR, and private foundations including the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Active grants include NIH-funded diabetes adherence research (July 2020-April 2026) and CDC-funded NNICE vaccine equity project (July 2021-July 2024).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Center is an academic research and education unit within Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine that conducts bioethics research, delivers ethics education (seminars, webinars, Bioethics Minor), and engages in community outreach focused on health equity and social justice. It produces federally funded research projects, hosts free public seminar series, and provides media consultation on bioethics topics.

Product overview

The MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice is an academic center within the College of Human Medicine that offers educational programming, research programs, and community outreach services. The organization's core offerings include the What's Happening in Bioethics & Social Justice seminar series, the Brews and Views collaboration series with the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, and a Recorded Webinars Archive. Research programs focus on autism, vaccine equity, diabetes care adherence, and cancer screening disparities. The center also supports a university Bioethics Minor and provides media consultation services. These programs and services work together to advance the center's mission of promoting health equity and social justice in healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 378 patients to be enrolled in 16 teams across FQHCs in Michigan for diabetes adherence clinical trial
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hall, Render, Killian, Health & LymancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Hall Render is the nation's largest healthcare-focused law firm. They have partnered with the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice since 2010, supporting the Center's ongoing bioethics outreach events. The firm invites guests from health professions, religious and community organizations, political circles, and academia for discussions spanning bioethics, health law, business, and policy.
• Michigan Public Health InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in NNICE (National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity) representing the national network of Public Health Institutes that support public health practice and translation. One of four pillars in the network structure.
• Community Foundation of Greater FlintcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in NNICE representing local community foundations/philanthropy whose legacy and mission is to lead local fundraising, grant-making and sustainability efforts. One of four pillars in the network structure.
• Community Campus Partnerships for HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in NNICE as grass roots community organization representing community sector. One of four pillars in the network structure designed to address COVID-19 disparities and boost vaccine confidence.
• Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between IQ and the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice began in Fall 2017 on the Brews and Views event series. These moderated discussions address fascinating and provocative areas of bioscience and engineering ethics, engaging researchers and scholars in considering implications for patients, people, animals, and populations.
• Henry Ford HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-hospital health system in metro Detroit. Dr. Karen L. Smith serves as Director of Ethics Integration. Dr. Denise White-Perkins serves as Director of Healthcare Equity Initiatives within the Office of System Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, Department of Family Medicine. Partnership supports clinical ethics services, education, and research collaboration.
• Spectrum Health (now Corewell Health)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborations with faculty at Spectrum Health and University of Michigan under Dr. Tomlinson's leadership, part of the Center's expanding network of partnerships.
• University of MichiganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborations with University of Michigan faculty as part of the Center's network of academic partnerships, particularly for the MICHR Primary Care Screening Project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics: University-based bioethics center offering education, research, and clinical ethics consultation across a large academic medical system. Comparable in scope, faculty model, and interdisciplinary approach.
• The Hastings Center: Independent, nonpartisan bioethics research institute publishing scholarship on health equity, emerging technologies, and policy. Comparable in mission; differs in being independent rather than university-based - faculty here hold Hastings Fellowships.
• Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics: University-based bioethics research institute at Johns Hopkins performing interdisciplinary scholarship and policy engagement. Directly comparable as a peer-tier academic bioethics center with similar faculty and grant model.
• Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics: Interdisciplinary bioethics research center at Stanford School of Medicine with faculty engaged in empirical and conceptual research on health equity, AI in medicine, and clinical ethics. Comparable university-affiliated model.
• Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College: Bioethics institute within a medical college offering graduate programs, research, and clinical ethics services. Comparable smaller-scale university bioethics institute structure.
• Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics: Academic bioethics center embedded in a major research medical school, conducting scholarship, training, and policy work on ethical issues in medicine and health. Closest institutional parallel to the MSU Center.
• NYU Grossman School of Medicine Division of Medical Ethics: University-based bioethics group embedded in an academic medical center offering clinical ethics, research, and education. Comparable institutional structure and focus on health-equity topics.
• Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics: Yale-affiliated bioethics center supporting scholarship, courses, and events across medicine, public health, and the humanities. Directly comparable academic bioethics research center.
• Case Western Reserve Center for Biomedical Ethics: Metrohealth-affiliated bioethics center at Case Western Reserve focusing on clinical ethics consultation, education, and health disparities. Comparable scale and academic-center structure.
• Georgetown Kennedy Institute of Ethics: Premier university-based bioethics institute at Georgetown with a long-running seminar series, library, and policy engagement. Directly comparable in academic bioethics thought leadership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/msu-center-for-bioethics-and-social-justice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about MSU Center for Bioethics and Social Justice