Medical Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine

Our interdisciplinary research focuses on health care, in its widest sense. We anticipate on new technologies (e.g. e-health, CRISPR-CAS, big data, NIPT), we pay attention to daily practices in health care (e.g. new screening methods, the demand for euthanasia, shared decision making), and to social issues such as equitable access to health care. Our research is focused on three main topics:

● Technological developments in medicine from a humanities perspective (Prof Maartje Schermer, dr Timo Bolt)

● (In)justices and inequalities in health care (Prof Maartje Schermer, dr Timo Bolt)

● Clinical ethics & research ethics (Prof S. van de Vathorst, dr E. Kompanje)

Secretariat

Principal Investigators

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  Dr. T.C. (Timo) Bolt

  Associate professor of medical history

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  R.E. (Ruben) Verwaal

  Assistant Professor

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  N. (Noortje) Jacobs

  Assistant professor in the history of medicine

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  J. (Jilles) Smids

  Postdoctoral researcher & lecturer

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  J.G.M. (Hannie) Aartsen

  Assistant Professor in medical ethics and education coordinator

Project Leaders

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  G. (Gert) van Dijk, MD

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  Dr. L.L.E. (Ineke) Bolt

  Assistant Professor

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  Prof. M.H.N. (Maartje) Schermer

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  A.F. (Floor) Haalboom, PhD

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  Prof. S. (Suzanne) van de Vathorst

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  E.M. (Eline) Bunnik, PhD

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  L.A. (Laura) Hartman

  Researcher and lecturer

Phd Students

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  C.H.C. (Charlotte) Bomhof

  PhD candidate

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  D. (Dide) de Jongh

  PhD candidate

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  M.J. (Max) Rensink

  PhD student

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  S.A.L. (Sietske) van Till

  PhD student

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  N.D.M. (Nicolien) Dinklo

  PhD Student

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  F.R.R. (Florian) van der Zee

  PhD student

Technological developments from a medical humanities perspective 

(Prof Maartje Schermer, dr Timo Bolt)
New technologies pose new questions, and often lead to emotional responses, from hope to fear and repulse. Will artificial intelligence lead to dehumanization or will it improve care? Will gene-editing result in more health, or in eugenics? Are we all becoming patients and is our mobile phone a surveillance instrument? We investigate these hopes and fears from a historical, philosophical and ethical perspective. The aim is to formulate well considered recommendations for the acceptable use of these technologies.

(In)justices and inequalities in health care

(Prof Maartje Schermer, dr Timo Bolt)
Inequalities in health between groups exist, and our research investigates whether (and why) these inequalities are unjust. We currently focus on inequalities between groups of pregnant women, and inequalities in the access to expensive new treatments (e.g. new drugs).

Clinical ethics & research ethics

(Prof S. van de Vathorst, dr E. Kompanje)
Whether or not to stop treatment, how to recognize overtreatment, when is treatment medically futile, how to deal with patients who demand treatment or who refuse treatment; the daily practice of health care is riddled with ethical questions. We support health care workers in their decision making by doing research into these ethical questions, and by supporting them in their decision making through moral deliberation.

Research with human subjects is supported through our membership of the METC and the CCMO, by teaching various courses on research integrity, and by research into research ethics.

Technological developments in medicine from a humanities perspective

Risk prediction, screening, early diagnostics in ethical and historical perspective

• The ethical implications of engineering improved patient-specific iPSC-derived models for predictive diagnostics in neurodegenerative disease. Ethics workpack of  the research project NWA/ORC CureQ: Predict, Delay & Cure polyglutamine(Q) caused neurodegeneration, 2022-2026 (PI dr. Ineke Bolt).

•  IDM-screen scale: a ZonMW project on informed decision making in cancer screening (with VUmc and RIVM, 2019-2022, PI: dr. Ineke Bolt).

• EPAD: an IMI project on early prevention of Alzheimer’s disease – ethics workpackage. (2016-2020, PI: prof.dr. Maartje Schermer).

• Epigeomewise: ethical legal and societal issues of new assays for DNA-methylation in cancer screening. (NWO-MVI, 2018-2020, PI: dr. Ineke Bolt).

• FORCEE: a EU project on epigenetic cancer screening – ethics workpackage. (PI: prof.dr. I. de Beaufort).

• Ethical issues in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) (ZonMw. November 2015 – spring 2020, PI: dr. Eline Bunnik).

Effects of new technologies on health care and medical research

• Ethics of e-health during and after the corona pandemic: lessons from the pandemic, 2020-2022(PI  prof.dr. Maartje Schermer).
  

• Accountability in post-World War II health care systems (Descartes Centre/Wellcome Trust, 2019-2022, PI: dr. Noortje Jacobs).

• Public gatekeepers of authoritative science (ZonMW/Descartes Centre, 2019-2020, PI: dr. Noortje Jacobs).

• Health and disease as practical concepts: a pragmatist approach to the conceptualization of health and disease (NWO open competition, 2020-2024, PI: prof.dr. Maartje Schermer).

• Ethical and Legal issues of Personalised Medicine (ELSI-PM) (ZonMw program Personalised Medicine 2018 –2020: PI: dr. Eline Bunnik).

Health inequalities in a diverse society

• Forensisc psychiatry (NIFP/Pieter Baan Centrum, 2018-2020, PI: dr. Timo Bolt). 

• Deinstitutionalization of mental health care (GGZ Nederland/Stichting Leerstoel Geschiedenis van de Psychiatrie, 2019-2020,PI: dr. Timo Bolt).

• Studying the History of Health in Port Cities (NWO-funded European SHiP-network, 2017-2020, PI: dr. Floor Haalboom).

• Environmental history of food, globalization, and health (Rachel Carson Center, 2019-2020, PI: dr. Floor Haalboom). 

• Ethical access and reimbursement models for expensive new cancer treatments. (KWF project, 2020-2024 PI: dr. Eline Bunnik).

• Improving the health agency of vulnerable mothers-to-be: taking empowerment seriously. (ZonMw, november 2019- november nov 2022, PI: dr. Hafez Ismaili M'hamdi).  

• A loyalty program to motivate vulnerable women to engage in preconception care, (sept 2018- sept 2021, PI: dr. Hafez Ismaili M'hamdi).

• Ethics of chaining to an individualized prognosis based guideline on the limits of neonatal viability, (jan 2020- jan 2024, joint PI: dr. Hafez Ismaili M'hamdi).
  
  

CureQ

The ethical implications of engineering improved patient-specific iPSC-derived models for predictive diagnostics in neurodegenerative disease

What does your meat eat? A global environmental history of Dutch livestock feed (1954-2020)

What does the meat on your plate eat? Huge amounts of feed from all over the world made Dutch factory farming possible. I research historical changes in the origins of that feed and its global consequences for societies and environments. This is critical for present-day debate about the health and environmental impacts of the livestock industry.

Timo Bolt

Gert van Dijk

Noortje Jacobs

Maartje Schermer

Floor Haalboom

Suzanne van de Vathorst

Eline Bunnik

Hafez Ismaili M'Hamdi

We offer support for moral case deliberation for clinical departments. More info will follow.
If you want do request this support get in touch with the secretariat:

secretariaat.mefg@erasmusmc.nl
Telephone: 010-7043062  

Consortia:

EPAD

FORCEE

The Netherlands: 

Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and Humanities, Utrecht University: Link to website

Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (Dutch Journal of Medicine): Link to website

Trefpunt voor Medische Geschiedenis in Nederland: Link to website

Abroad:

Institut für Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin, Tübingen:Link to website

McGill University Quebec, The Center for Genomics and Policy (CGP).

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, University of München: Link to website

SHiP-network: Link to website

2019-09-17 Blog:
The first prosecution of a Dutch Doctor since the euthanasia act of 2002

2019-08-12 NRC:
De digitale dokter weet niet wie hij voor zich heeft

2018-12-21 Volkskrant: 
Wat we hebben geleerd in 2018: de individuele patiënt krijgt meer aandacht

2018-11-26 Volkskrant:
83 duizend doden in tien jaar: dit mankeerde er aan de controle van medische hulpmiddelen

2018-07-26 NPO radio:
De kennis van nu: medische experimenten op mensen waren niet altijd met toestemming

2017-09-18 Volkskrant:
Bij infectieziekten stelt overheid belang van boer boven volksgezondheid

Dr Floor Haalboom, medical historian, was awarded a prestigious Veni-grant by NWO. Her historical research will investigate an important present-day problem, namely the worldwide health and environmental impact of Dutch ‘factory farming’. The research is titled: ‘What does your meat eat? A global environmental history of Dutch livestock feed (1954-2020)’. Haalboom will conduct this research at the Department of Medical Ethics, Philosophy and History of the Erasmus MC, from July 2021 until July 2025.