Module One, the foundational module is held in January or February and covers basic concepts in bioethics, tracing the chain of moral thought from the times of Greek philosophers to Muslims physicians and theologians, and on to the development of contemporary ethical theories. Major topics covered in this module included the philosophical traditions of Greek philosophers, the “Adab Al Tabib” of Al-Ruhawi, and basics of Public Health Ethics, Human Rights, Organizational Ethics, and Health Equity.

The students are introduced to the use of humanities in teaching ethics. The module involves group work on analyzing literary works like Urdu and English poetry, and a painting and they are asked to discuss the ethical message contained within. They also see a movie selected from the CBEC video library and have a discussion on the ethical issues brought out by the film.

A major part of the module is devoted to discussing Islamic viewpoints on contemporary ethical issues that confront the scientific community.  Islamic scholars are invited to facilitate these discussions.

Module One, like subsequent modules also includes a student seminar consisting of presentations made by students on assigned topics which cover areas covered in that particular module. The students are encouraged to make use of the CBEC library and its internet laboratory to help prepare for presentations and seminars.

Module Two is generally held in April of each year, and focuses on Clinical Ethics. Apart from hands-on training in a workshop on how to establish Hospital Ethics Committees and provide Ethics Consultations, students participated in a workshop on communication skills, which is an essential part of consultative work.

This module also explores the ethical issues physician-pharmaceutical interaction, addressing concerns in both clinical work as well as human subject research. The students also watch a movie that brings out the ethical concerns.

As in Module One, students have to make class presentations on subjects dealing with the most pressing ethical issues in the area of clinical ethics. Examples of assigned topics include  “Secular and Religious Perspectives on Abortion,” “Ethical Issues in Genetic Screening and Counseling,” “Definition of Death”, “Euthanasia,” “Withdrawing versus Withholding Treatment,” “Persistent Vegetative State,” “Ethical Dilemmas in Using Patients as Teaching Resource,” “Informed Consent,” “Arguments for and Against Buying and Selling Solid Organs for Transplantation,” "Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Policies,” and “Confidentiality and Disclosure in Medical Practice.” [move to top]

Module Four is held in December. This is the final module of the session and is structured as an examination module.  The panel of external examiners includes internal as well as external examiners, the latter being drawn from Universities from within Pakistan as well as abroad. Anoja Fernando from Sri Lanka and  Sahin Aksoy from Turkey have been external examiners alsong with Manzoor Ahmad, from Islamabad Rehana Kamal from Karachi. The examination included two theory papers composed of short essay questions and composite scenarios requiring ethical analysis. The subject matter involved topics covered in the contact sessions and web based discussions. The oral examination consists of candidates presenting their projects and then answering questions put to them on their projects. [move to top]