The National Bioethics Bowl was first held in 2008 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Organized under the umbrella of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH), the event was, by ASBH rules, run by undergraduate students. The inaugural competition coincided with the 11th National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference (NUBC), which featured keynote speakers and student poster presentations, allowing participants to attend both events. From this point forward, the NUBC and National Bioethics Bowl operated jointly, until 2016 when ASBH discontinued the conference (see below).
Philosophers Michael Mathias and Bob Baker served as faculty sponsors for the 2008 competition, which included 11 cases and 6 teams. Bob Ladenson and Patrick Croskery, founders of the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, enthusiastically supported the new initiative. The following year, Harvard University hosted the competition in Cambridge, MA, with 12 teams competing and bioethicist Peter Singer delivering the keynote address.
The Bowl continued to grow until 2016, when ASBH discontinued the NUBC, placing the Bowl’s future in jeopardy. With no host in place for the 2017 national competition, Jennifer Parks (Loyola University Chicago), Gregory Pence (University of Alabama at Birmingham), and Marcia McKelligan (DePauw University) formed an informal emergency executive committee to secure a host for the 2017 season. Richard Greene and Rachel Robison-Greene of Weber State University graciously offered to host the 2017 competition, ultimately drawing 15 teams and ensuring a future for the bowl. An executive committee of current and former coaches was formed around that time to provide some stability and to formalize rules and procedures for future competitions.
From 2018 to 2021, the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw served as the “home” for the organization, managing website, registration, and administrative issues. In 2020 the Bowl’s future became imperiled again, when Covid required Northeastern University, that year’s host institution, to cancel it. To save the competition from being cancelled for a second year due to Covid, Oklahoma State University agreed to host the 2021 competition as the first-ever virtual National Bioethics Bowl.
Today, the Bowl continues without an official sponsor, sustained by the work of the executive committee and the dedicated coaches from colleges and universities across the country.
| Year | Host School | Champions | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Union College | National Hispanic University | University of Miami |
| 2009 | Harvard University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Miami |
| 2010 | University of Puget Sound | University of Denver | University of Miami |
| 2011 | Duke University | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Georgetown University |
| 2012 | University of Denver | DePauw University | Georgetown University |
| 2013 | Georgetown University | Georgetown University | University of Denver |
| 2014 | Loyola University Chicago | Loyola University Chicago | Georgetown University |
| 2015 | Florida State University | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Samford University |
| 2016 | Case Western Reserve University | Loyola University Chicago | Georgetown University |
| 2017 | Weber State University | University of Portland | Georgetown University |
| 2018 | University of South Alabama | University of Portland | DePauw University |
| 2019 | University of South Alabama | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Georgetown University |
| 2020 | Northeastern University (canceled) | ||
| 2021 | Oklahoma State University (virtual) | Macalester College | San Jose State University, University of Alabama at Birmingham (tied) |
| 2022 | Westminster University | Loyola University Chicago | Northeastern University |
| 2023 | Northeastern University | Georgetown University | University of Maryland Baltimore County |
| 2024 | Baylor University | Stanford University | Georgetown University |
| 2025 | Westminster University | Georgetown University | University of Portland |
| 2026 | University of Pittsburgh |