European Information Network - Ethics in Medicine and Biotechnology
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European Information Network - Ethics in Medicine and BiotechnologyA project of the European Commission,Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Programme |
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| Date: | 19.02.2004, 14:00h to 21.02.2004, 13:00h |
| Location: | Center for Intersisciplinary Research, University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany |
| Keywords: | Disease - Gene therapy - Genetic research/engineering - Genetic testing/counselling - Genome analysis |
| Details: | The post-genome era has launched a discussion about a changing comprehension of health and disease as well as about new approaches of prevention and therapy. But which consequences can be drawn from this knowledge and how can this knowledge be responsibly translated into policies and practice? Now already it becomes obvious that the inclusion of genetic information into health promotion and health prevention measures - the original tasks of public health - will be one of the most important challenges for the future. The necessity of weighing up benefits and risks of predictive genetic tests, the necessity of assessing the benefit of preventive strategies as well as the necessity of analysing complex new problems (such as for example the commercialising of predictive genetic tests, the availability and equal access to these services as well as potential discrimination) support the idea that public health should urgently get involved and moreover take a leading role. This is the task of Public Health Genetics. The multi-disciplinary task of Public Health Genetics comprises a variety of disciplines. These are in particular sociology, economic sciences, ethics, demography, jurisprudence, basic sciences such as biology/genetics, demography, (environmental, social and occupational) medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, psychology, political sciences, management sciences, communication sciences and educational theory. Which services have to be ensured at which levels? How must institutions be structured? When translating the findings of Public Health Genetics into policies and practice it is above all the following three key disciplines which play an important role in this context: 1. Genetic epidemiology: Which status does the 'genetics' risk factor have when evaluating the interactions of environmental factors and genetics with regard to certain diseases? Which role does the susceptibility of the individual play for infectious diseases, pharmaceuticals, noxious agents at the workplace, risky ways of life etc.? 2. Social ethics/ Medical sociology: What is the society's comprehension of solidarity, freedom and equality when dealing with health and disease? Which dimensions of equality such as for example equal needs or participation for all can be put forward for the implementation of services? 3. Social policy/Economy: In view of the fact that the risk term undergoes changes, do we have to redefine the relationship between solidarity and the individual's own risk in social policy? To which extent should the resources of society be used for the health sector and other areas of life? Compared with the USA and other European countries such as Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands, Public Health Genetics has up to now neither been established nor institutionalised in Germany. Thus public health not only runs the risk of ignoring pioneering developments which are presently taking place in these countries but it also risks being isolated from international discussions in this field and thus being a less attractive cooperation partner in international research. One of the first aims of the planned research group is thus to cluster competences already available from these disciplines into a target-oriented discussion. For this purpose a national as well as international interdisciplinary cooperation network and long-term collaboration establishing new structures will be set up. |
| Organizer: | Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung, Universität Bielefeld , Bielefeld , Germany |
| Contact: | Frau Marina Hoffmann Address: -conference office-, Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung, Universität Bielefeld, Wellenberg 1, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany Tel: +49 - (0)521 ? 1 06 27 98 Fax: +49 - (0)521 - 1 06 60 24 Email: marina.hoffmann@uni-bielefeld.de |
| Webpage: | http://www.public-health-genetics.org/ |
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