CENTRES CLINICAL ETHICS CONFERENCE 2027

Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Singapore
28 & 29 January 2027

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 is organised around four areas of clinical ethics likely to shape healthcare over the next decade. The programme moves from broad agenda-setting questions to practical challenges, including defining ethical boundaries, managing relationships and trust, responding to exceptional situations, considering contested frontiers, navigating complex systems, and strengthening governance for sustainable care. 

Each day begins and ends with plenary sessions that bring all participants together. Between these sessions, participants may choose from parallel sessions across the four tracks, either following one track throughout the conference or moving between tracks according to their interests. The four plenaries frame the conference as a whole by setting the agenda, highlighting cross-cutting issues, and connecting the parallel tracks to wider questions of trust, digital transformation, mental health, and future care.

Tracks

A.  Palliative & End-of-Life Ethics

Palliative care, end-of-life decision-making, assisted dying, later-life mental health, law and policy.

B. AI & Digital Health

AI advice, learning health systems, data access, AI-related harm, monitoring and governance

C. Genomics / Precision Medicine

Genetic information, family communication, consent, the right not to know, innovative therapies and equity.

D. Children & Young People 

Mature minors, adolescent help-seeking, youth mental health, refusal, contested care and transition.

Who Should Attend

Clinical Ethics Committee (CEC) chairpersons and members, doctors, nurses, medical social workers, allied health professionals, lawyers, academics, care workers and policy makers.

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 Plenary 1

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
A1: Palliative care under pressure B1: Clinical reliance on AI advice C1: Trust and responsible use of genetic information D1: Mature minors, assent/dissent and parental involvement
12.15pm to 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm to 3.00pm
A2: Disagreement over “do everything” treatment B2: Learning health systems and embedded evaluation C2: Cascade testing and family communication D2: Adolescent help-seeking and first contact
3.00pm to 3.20pm Afternoon Tea
3.20pm to 4.00pm
A3: Discharge or transfer against medical advice B3: Emergency access and auditability C3: The right not to know genomic information D3: Youth mental health risk and escalation
4.00pm to 5.00pm Plenary 2

From Bedside Notes to Shared Records: Ethical Responsibilities in Digital Health Information Systems

Programme - Day 2

*Programme details are subject to change

Time Programme
8.30am to 9.00am Registration
9.00am to 10.00am Plenary 3

Public Trust, Lived Experience and CoDesign: What ‘Good’ Looks Like for Next Gen Care
10.00am to 10.30am Morning Tea 
10.30am to 12.15pm
A4: Assisted dying as a contested frontier B4: Responsibility after AI contributes to patient harm C4: Consent for genomic testing under uncertainty D4: Refusal of preventive interventions
12.15pm to 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm to 3.00pm
A5: Psychiatric complexity in later-life and palliative care B5: Monitoring deployed AI and deciding when to pause or stop C5: Fair access to innovative genome therapies D5: Contested gender-affirming care
3.00pm to 3.20pm Afternoon Tea
3.20pm to 4.00pm
A6: Practical end-of-life law and policy B6: Institutional standards for AI deployment and governance C6: Financing & prioritisation in precision medicine D6: Transition to adult services
4.00pm to 5.00pm Plenary 4

Mental Health in the Real World: Access, Confidentiality and Fairness at Home, School and Work

Continuing Professional Education

All participating doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are eligible for MME CME/CPE points. Approval is currently pending. 

Conference Venue

Shaw Foundation Alumni House (SFAH)
11 Kent Ridge Dr
Singapore 119244 (Map)

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

Visitor Parking Available

Guests arriving by car can park directly opposite the road at Car Park 15.

Limited complimentary carpark coupons are available.

Registration Form

Contact Persons

Ms Sabikun Nahar Luna

  sn.luna@nus.edu.sg
  +65 6601 5891

Ms Gayathriy

  gayathriy@nus.edu.sg
  +65 6601 5515