About CBSSM
The Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine (CBSSM) is supported by the University of Michigan Medical School Dean's Office, the Office of Clinical Affairs, and the Department of Internal Medicine. CBSSM is directed by Dr. Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil. CBSSM was established in July 2010 at the University of Michigan Medical School through the merger of the Bioethics Program with the Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine (CBDSM).
Mission
The mission of CBSSM is to be the premier intellectual gathering place of clinicians, social scientists, bioethicists, and all others interested in improving individual and societal health through scholarship and service.
CBSSM is a multidisciplinary unit integrating bioethics with key social science disciplines. CBSSM acts as a "home" for anyone interested in using empirical social science methods to improve health care decisions and the ethical practice of medicine. The primary research interests of CBSSM faculty focus on five overarching themes:
- Clinical and research ethics
- Health communication and decision-making
- Medicine and society
- Health, justice and community
- Genomics, health and society
CBSSM connects scholars and practitioners across departmental and disciplinary boundaries providing fertile ground for innovation collaborations related to topics such as patient-provider communication, decision aids, over- or under-utilization of services, public or patient preferences, and bioethical issues in medicine. Considering these ethical and human components of medical decisions is the necessary and important final step in translating medical advances into health care practice. Our team includes:
- Social and cognitive psychologists
- Behavioral economists
- Clinicians from many specialties
- Bioethicists
- Decision scientists
- Survey methodologists
- Sociologists
- Public health researchers
Currently, CBSSM is housed in the North Campus Research Complex in Ann Arbor. Faculty investigators, project managers, and research associates are supported by a core administrative and financial staff. CBSSM emphasizes training the next generation of health care providers and interdisciplinary scholars, offering support to junior investigators who can collaborate with seasoned researchers in an umbrella organization.