Prague, Czech Republic, 25-28 AUGUST 2027

Emerging Bioethical Challenges in a Changing World
Prague, 25–28 August 2027

Call for Abstracts

  

 

39th ESPMH Conference

This conference is organized by the European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Healthcare and the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague.

Bioethics faces increasingly complex challenges. Armed conflicts, humanitarian crises, climate change, emerging infectious diseases, erosion of the rules-based international order and growing geopolitical instability are placing profound pressure on health systems, human rights and international solidarity. At the same time, advances in medical technology, including AI, gene editing, metabolic drugs, robotic-assisted surgery, wearables and remote monitoring, are transforming medicine and healthcare. Yet advanced therapies and preventive interventions are unevenly accessible, with much of their development and supply concentrated in high-income countries. Against this background, the conference invites contributions that critically examine emerging bioethical challenges in a changing world. Abstracts addressing any of the issues mentioned in the headings below from a philosophical and/or ethical perspective will be favored, although work on other topics can also be submitted.

Main Topics of the Upcoming Conference

Global crises, displacement and vulnerability

  • Geopolitical instability and the ethics of international cooperation
  • Armed conflict and the protection of health workers, medical facilities and patients
  • Climate change and intergenerational responsibility
  • Forced displacement, migration and access to healthcare
  • Cross-border responsibilities towards vulnerable populations
  • Emerging infectious disease threats and pandemic preparedness

Democratic norms, human rights and bioethics

  • Democratic backsliding and political polarisation.
  • Human rights, the rule of law and the right to health
  • Professional integrity and dual loyalty in politically contested environments
  • Academic freedom, scientific integrity and political interference

Equitable access and global health justice

  • Algorithmic bias, discrimination and fairness in healthcare
  • Technological innovation and unequal access to healthcare
  • Intellectual property and the right to health
  • Capacity-building, technology transfer and equitable access to innovation

Global bioethics and cross-cultural dialogue

  • Moral pluralism and cross-cultural approaches
  • Postcolonial critiques and epistemic justice
  • Global solidarity, shared responsibility and the governance of global health

Research ethics and global exploitation

  • One Health in global health research
  • Ethical standards in international clinical trials
  • Data sovereignty and the ethics of data governance
  • Post-trial access obligations
  • Fair benefit-sharing

Beyond individual autonomy

  • Critiques of individualistic conceptions of autonomy
  • Relational autonomy and collective approaches to healthcare decision-making
  • Vulnerability, dependency and relationality in care

Researchers wishing to present a paper at the conference are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 500 words in Word format  by 1 March, 2027. to Bert Gordijn, Secretary of the ESPMH []. Please include the proposed paper title, the author’s name(s), and contact email address. Accepted abstracts will be scheduled for oral presentation.

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