Ethics in Research and Business

Workshop (WS 01)
Monday, October 20

„Health is not everything, but without health everything is nothing“. This famous aphorism from the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer explains why the health industry is measured by higher ethical standards than most other industries. The question of ethics spans many topics including animal welfare, clinical trials and access and pricing policy for medicines by pharmaceutical companies. Global economic inequalities and increasing possibilities for medical treatment and new advances in medical and information sciences urge a comprehensive ethical agenda in the industry as never before.

In the workshop, international experts will discuss the most current and future ethical questions in research and development as well as in overall business.

Climate Change and Infectious Diseases
Workshop (WS 05)
Monday, October 20

The connection between climate change and a growing threat from infectious diseases like malaria, cholera or dengue is widely accepted. Still, the extent of the spread and containment of infection will depend on an integrated policy response and joint action between health, environment and other policy sectors. Ecological health strategies will grow in importance, as will systems thinking and trans-disciplinary approaches. Experience shows that the integrated control of disease transmission not only saves lives and creates better health outcomes but can also generate significant co-benefits to local economies.

The workshop will explore these challenges and reflect on how global health strategies must be adapted.
(pic: Wikimedia Commons)

Demographic Change

Workshop (WS 20)
Wednesday, October 22

Populations are no longer stable; people move for many different reasons, including: situations of conflict, to gain better access to resources, because of changes in the environment, and extreme poverty. More than ever, health professionals, from the preventive to the rehabilitative ends of care, need to have a good understanding of the populations they serve; the demographic and epidemiological profiles; and the most effective interventions to address the diversity of individuals and their health states. The complexity that this ecological perspective introduces requires new and innovative designs to monitor populations.

In this workshop, international experts will raise some of these issues for discussion and consider possible solutions.