Bioethics & Health Humanities

The Department of Bioethics & Health Humanities is an inter- and transdisciplinary department, combining bioethics, health law, history of medicine, narrative medicine, medical anthropology, and patient involvement in education, research and consultation.

Research uitklapper, klik om te openen

The focus of our research is on ethical, legal and social aspects (ELSA) of biomedical innovation, technologies, patient participation, global health and end-of-life issues. Other key research topics are medical history and narrative medicine. We perform analytical and empirical (qualitative) research on these topics. 

Committees, moral deliberation and consultation uitklapper, klik om te openen

We participate in many committees both inside and outside the UMC Utrecht. For example, we join the Hospital Ethics Committee (Commissie Medische Ethiek), the Fertility Deliberation group (Beraadsgroep Voortplantingsgeneeskunde), and the Research Ethics Committee in the UMC Utrecht (NedMec). We assist with Moral Deliberation in various Departments at the UMC Utrecht and can be approached for ethical-legal consultation. At the (inter)national level we join various committees as ethicists and lawyers, among others as members of the Health Council of the Netherlands (Gezondheidsraad) or for the World Health Organization (WHO). We are also an official WHO Collaborating Centre for Bioethics.