Medical ethics is well established in many German universities, is part of the medical curriculum and, with the Academy for Ethics in Medicine (AEM), has been a closely organized specialist society for more than 30 years. As an interdisciplinary field, it opens up career options for young scientists from various subjects in the humanities and in the life, social, and cultural sciences. Both the variety of topics and the methodological approaches cut across classic technical and faculty structures.

 

The interdisciplinary focus of medical ethics makes our subject appealing, but at the same time it presents a special challenge for young scientists. To date, there are hardly any dedicated university courses in the field of medical ethics. Young researchers mostly find their professional path into medical ethics through a degree outside the field. For many young scientists, a doctorate and/or research activity in the comparatively small discipline of medical ethics means that they have trouble returning to their original field of expertise. This significantly reduces long-term perspectives in scientific research and teaching. The professional and methodological interdisciplinarity of medical ethics also represents a particular disciplinary challenge for researchers.

 

In order to address these characteristics of the discipline, the “Young Medical Ethics Network” (JMED) seeks to offer young researchers in the field of medical ethics a platform. We would like to contribute to the disciplinary and methodological exchange, professional development, and networking of young medical ethicists. Here, it is not just a matter of developing a better understanding of medical ethics; rather, our research topics, possible careers, and university experience should also be discussed.

 

The Young Medical Ethics Network strives to promote research- and subject-specific discussions, as well as the opportunity for career development under the guidance of professional trainers. It is aimed at post-doctoral and advanced doctoral researchers in the field of medical ethics or those more generally whose research focus examines norms within the life sciences, health care, medicine, and nursing. This includes such different specialist and sub-fields as bioethics, philosophy, medical sociology, medical humanities, medical law, theology, nursing sciences, public health, etc.