Our Mission

American medicine becomes more scientific and technical day by day. As scientific technology advances and medical successes increase, sophisticated diagnostic capabilities and more effective therapy unquestionably benefit patients. Yet, ironically, even with its vast technological and scientific expertise, modern medicine risks losing sight of its primary mission - the care of the whole patient as a unique person. Technical competence is not enough to fulfill this mission. Medicine must also respect the dignity of patients, their personal values and goals, and their place within family, community and culture.

Questions frequently appear that challenge the long-standing ethics of medicine. For centuries, the words of the Hippocratic Oath, “act for the benefit of the sick and prevent harm and injustice,” have ruled the ethics of physicians. Today, it is often difficult to know what a “benefit” is and how “harm” can be prevented. Is the patient benefited by medicine’s ability to sustain life after a patient has permanently lost consciousness or when disease has ravaged the body beyond repair? Rapid innovations in treatment promise to cure disease, but often unknown harms lurk in the promising treatments. With ever expanding treatment possibilities, delivering their benefits in a fair and just manner is a challenge that must be addressed.

To this end, the mission of the Program in Medicine & Human Values is to serve California Pacific's patients through a broad ethics consulting process that will assist patients, families and practitioners in making difficult and emotion-laden decisions. We will coordinate the medical care delivered to a particular patient with the values and life goals of that patient. The Program will support clinical excellence and benefit all patients who come to our Medical Center, as physicians and staff are trained to treat the patient as a unique individual. The Program will also concern itself with research in biomedical ethics.



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Our Staff

The Program has a staff of nine with two co-directors, a clinical ethicist, research staff, academic affairs staff, and support staff. Read more information about our staff. .



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Our History

Established in March, 2004 by William S. Andereck, M.D., California Pacific’s Program in Medicine & Human Values (PMHV) grew from the shared interests and concerns of the Department of Medicine, the hospital Medical Ethics Committee and the medical and nursing staff with ethical issues in the biomedical sciences and clinical medicine. At California Pacific, we have a heightened awareness of the ethical challenges faced by the medical profession and the threats that can undermine the trust of patients and research subjects.

Challenges in biomedical ethics arise from complex, interdependent factors: the constant development and deployment of new technologies ; the increased influence of business on medical care; the changing economics of health care in the United States and the economic pressures exerted on patients, health care providers and institutions; the way the law in its many guises—case law, regulation, and legislation—is affecting medicine; the advent of new diseases such as HIV/AIDS and the potential resurgence of “conquered” diseases, like tuberculosis, in new resistant forms; and the major demographic shifts occurring in our society, particularly in terms of the aging of America and our increased ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity.

The California Pacific Program in Medicine & Human Values plays a unique role among ethics centers nationally, because it engages not only in traditional philosophical inquiry about ethics, but fuses it with the daily work and service of a community hospital. We know of very few institutions with programs like ours. The Program is also embarking on ground-breaking interdisciplinary research projects on moral questions arising from the complex relationships among medicine, science and society. Our research draws on and extends the scientific, clinical and educational strengths of the hospital, and aims to play a key role in shaping health policy. We are committed to exploring and promoting trustworthy and compassionate approaches to the practice of medicine in an environment of rapid socioeconomic and technological change.


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Giving to the Program

Our Program is entirely funded by grants, gifts, and donations. It is because of the generosity of our donors that we have been able to help many patients and families, as well as clinicians and community members. Your help will also ensure that our program continues to make a difference in the lives of our friends, family, and patients. To make a gift to the Program, please contact the CPMC Foundation at the address and phone numbers below. Please specify that you want your gift to go to the Program in Medicine & Human Values.

California Pacific Medical Center Foundation
PO Box 7999
San Francisco, CA 94120-7999

Phone:(415) 600-4403
Fax: (415) 600-6438


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