Welcome to the Institute for Biomedical Ethics
The Institute for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Basel (IBMB) is a vibrant centre for research on and teaching about ethical issues in medicine and the biosciences. The Institute was founded in 2011 and is affiliated with both the Science and Medical Faculties at the University of Basel – a unique situation for an ethics institute in Switzerland.
The IBMB has over a dozen PhD students and a team of senior researchers and post-docs working on a wide variety of projects in biomedical ethics. The IBMB’s researchers are committed to an interdisciplinary endeavour aimed at finding ethical solutions to dilemmas raised by both new and traditional practices in biomedical ethics, including cutting-edge technologies, organ donation, palliative care, and research in developing countries, to name only a few. Our research combines empirical fieldwork, including interviews with stakeholders and members of the public, and normative, theoretical analysis. IBMB researchers have won several grants from the SNF, SAMW and other major funders and frequently publish in major bioethics, medical and science journals.
IBMB members are also highly involved in teaching, providing ethics courses for undergraduate students and postgraduate scientists and doctors. A variety of courses are open to the public, including the twice-yearly “Contemporary Issues in Bioethics” lecture series that integrates a lively dialogue with visiting speakers.
If you are interested in collaborating with us, are looking for a PhD student or post-doc job, need ethical input on your own project, or would like us to provide ethics related courses/workshops for your students or research team, please get in touch with us!
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Vontobel-Preis für Alter(n)sforschung 2018
Dr. Marcello Ienca and Dr. Tenzin Wangmo receive the prize for their research on "Intelligent Assistive Technology for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias: A Systematic Review", (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 56 (2017), 1301–1340),…How integral is integrity to your research?
What is academic integrity? How do we acquire it? Who sets the rules? These are some of the questions that ethicist Priya Satalkar discusses in her contribution on Sci Five./ News
The determinants of individual health care expenditures in prison: evidence from Switzerland
Prison health systems are subject to increasing pressures given the specific health needs of a growing and aging prison population. Identifying the drivers of medical spending among incarcerated individuals is therefore key for health care…/ Research
The law as a barrier to error disclosure: A misguided focus
Abstract: At the core of the patient safety movement is the open communication about medical errors. It is seen as important that errors are reported so that opportunities for system improvements can be identified and addressed, and…Contact
Institute for Biomedical Ethics
Bernoullistrasse 28 - 2nd Floor
4056 Basel
Switzerland
Tel: +41 61 207 17 86