Humanitarian Health Ethics

About hhe

The humanitarian health ethics (hhe) research group is a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners collaborating together since 2009 with the aim of helping to clarify the ethical issues that are present in humanitarian healthcare practice. Our research benefits humanitarian and military healthcare practitioners, organizational policy makers, aid agencies and recipients of aid.

Research & Publications

Our research contributes to ethical guidance for global humanitarian healthcare interventions by providing evidence and resources for ethical practice in contexts of acute emergency and prolonged development. Learn more about our research projects, publications and presentations here.

Toolbox

Here you can find the Humanitarian Health Ethics Analysis Tool (HHEAT), a collection of case studies that can be used with the HHEAT and additional resources to mitigate, prepare for and manage ethical challenges encountered in contexts of humanitarian health care provision.

HumEthNet & Reflections

Learn more about and JOIN HumEthNet here.
Access HumEthNet’s newsletter, Reflections, here.

Picturing Humanitarian Healthcare

Picturing Humanitarian Healthcare is a forum with an interactive blog for dialogue, debate, exchange, and reflection concerning the ethical opportunities and challenges of producing images (video, photography, installations, other) in and of humanitarian healthcare crises.

News and Events

Check out the latest news and upcoming events.

And link to these blog categories:

Publication: “As It Is Africa, It Is Ok”? Ethical Considerations of Development Use of Drones for Delivery in Malawi

June 29, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

PhD candidate Ning Wang at the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME), University of Zurich, recently published an articles in the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society entitled: “As It Is Africa, It Is Ok”? Ethical Considerations of Development Use of Drones for Delivery in…

New Publication: Culturally sensitive palliative care in humanitarian action

June 29, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S1478951521000894. Suggested Citation: Schuster-Wallace, C., Nouvet, E., Rigby, I., Krishnaraj, G., De Laat, S., Schwartz, L., & Hunt, M. (2021). Culturally sensitive palliative care in humanitarian action: Lessons from a critical interpretive synthesis of culture…

WEBINAR: REFLECTIONS ON PALLIATIVE CARE FROM EBOLA TO COVID-19

June 9, 2021June 29, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/U5OU5oEp4nk Watch HHE’s Dr. Kevin Bezanson and Prof. Elysée Nouvet’s webinar, hosted with the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM), entitled Life, Death, and Isolation: Reflections on Palliative Care from Ebola to COVID-19. From JUNE…

New Publication: Dying in Honor: experiences of end-of-life palliative care during the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea

May 11, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

LINK: https://rdcu.be/ckfTE CITATION: Nouvet et al. Dying in Honor: experiences of end-of-life palliative care during the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea. Journal of International Humanitarian Action 2021 6(10): 1-17. Open access link ABSTRACT: With no cure and a high mortality rate, Ebola virus…

May 17-20 Virtual Event: Lessons from the Field: Confronting the Challenges of Health Research in Humanitarian Crises

April 26, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

Event Description and Registration Details: https://www.fic.nih.gov/About/center-global-health-studies/Pages/health-research-humanitarian-crises-lessons-launch-event.aspx In association with the “Lessons from the field: Confronting the challenges of health research in humanitarian crises” collection in BMC Public Health and Conflict and Health, Fogarty’s Center for Global Health Studies (CGHS) will host an online launch event May…

Webinar (Mar 31) – Humanitarian ethics: moral purpose and moral hazard (Transformative Disaster Risk Governance Series)

March 26, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

The Transformative Disaster Risk Governance Webinar Series at York University is continuing with a session on Humanitarian ethics: moral purpose and moral hazard. The keynote is Prof. Hugo Slim, followed by a panel discussion with Professors Peter Timmerman and Nergis…

Due Jan 31 – Submissions for Casebook on Ethical Issues in Epidemic Research

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

Jan 27 Webinar: MSF’s Stories of Change as a health promotion method in humanitarian settings

January 18, 2021January 18, 2021by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

Join the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research and Western University (London, Canada) on Wednesday January 27 @ noon for a webinar on “MSF’s Stories of Change as a health promotion method in humanitarian settings” Webinar link is (no registration…

“We Live on Hope…”: Ethical Considerations of Humanitarian Use of Drones in Post-Disaster Nepal

December 14, 2020by Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Network

PhD candidate Ning Wang at the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME), University of Zurich recently published an articles in the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine entitled: “We Live on Hope…”: Ethical Considerations of Humanitarian Use of Drones in Post-Disaster Nepal. This work results…

Current projects:

CLICK HERE for HHE’s COVID-19 Resource Page

Triage and COVID-19: global preparedness, socio-cultural considerations, and communication

Strengthening the ethics of clinical research with and for limited literacy participants in Ebola affected countries: a toolbox

Developing an Ethical Humanitarian Innovation Tool and Resources with the Humanitarian Innovation Fund

Ethics and the closure of humanitarian healthcare projects