As strong divisions increasingly shape public conversations about vaccines and public health, the ability to engage respectfully across disagreement has become essential for pandemic readiness. To support this, the Bridge Research Consortium partnered with Ethics Bowl Canada to integrate vaccine- and therapeutics-related case studies into Ethics Bowl competitions, creating mediated spaces for deliberative dialogue among young people and emerging scientists.
Unlike traditional debates, the Ethics Bowl model rewards listening, nuance, and reflection. Participants work in teams to explore ethically complex scenarios, respond constructively to critique, and refine their views through dialogue. In a context where views on vaccines can be highly polarized among young people in Canada, this approach supports engagement with competing values without defaulting to entrenched positions.
In 2025, the BRC developed two cases for the National Ethics Bowl Championship, which was attended by over 100 high school students across Canada:
Public Health Measures on Farms | Les mesures de santé publique dans les exploitations agricoles
Family Disagreement about Vaccines | Désaccord familial sur les vaccins
Photos: Jeffrey Senese/Ethics Bowl Canada
This model was then adapted into a training event for graduate students in science and bioengineering, in partnership with RAMP-UP. In 2026, BRC also co-hosted a Day of Dialogue for PROGENITER graduate students and team members.
Together, these experiences show how structured dialogue can strengthen trust, civic capacity, and less divisive pathways between science and society — well before the next pandemic emerges.
