Ethics of Personalised Medicine

In recent times, the phrase ’personalised medicine’ has become the symbol of medical progress and a label for better health care in the future. However, a controversial debate has developed around whether these promises of better, more personal and more cost-efficient medicine are realistic. This book brings together leading researchers from across Europe and North America, from both normative and empirical disciplines, who take a more critical view of the often encountered hype associated with personalised medicine. Partially drawing on a four year collaborative research project funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research, the book presents a multidisciplinary debate on the current state of research on the ethical, legal and social implications of personalised medicine. At a time when future health care is a topic of much discussion, this book provides valuable policy recommendations for the way forward. This study will be of interest to researchers from various disciplines including philosophy, bioethics, law and social sciences.

"Contributors to this volume—who include researchers from across Europe and North America, from both normative and empirical disciplines—present a multidisciplinary debate on the current state of research on the ethical, legal, and social implications of personalized medicine."Law and Social Inquiry Journal

Jochen Vollmann M.D. Ph.D. is Professor and Director at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine and Chair of the Centre for Medical Ethics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. Professor Vollmann’s research interests include informed consent and capacity assessment, mental health ethics, end-of-life decision making, advance directives, personalised medicine, medical professionalism, clinical ethics committees, and clinical ethics consultation. Verena Sandow MA. is a researcher in medical ethics and applied ethics at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. She works in the field of human medical research and research ethics. Sebastian Wäscher MA. is a researcher in medical ethics, with a focus on social science aspects at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. His research interests are questions at the end of life, empirical ethics, personalised medicine and qualitative research methodology. Jan Schildmann M.D. MA. is a medical ethicist and physician. He is researcher at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. His research covers topics in clinical ethics (i.e. end-of-life decisions, ethics support services), research ethics (i.e. personalised medicine, conflict of interest) and methodological aspects of empirical medical ethics.