Today's Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine (IGEM) was founded in 1972 as the "Institute for the History of Medicine and Medical Sociology" within the Faculty of Medicine at the Technical University of Munich.
At the Institute of History and Ethics in Medicine, we advance ethical practice and theory in medicine, biomedical technology, and public health, driven by the belief that embedding ethics is essential for shaping the future of healthcare, science, technology, society, and the environment. Our mission encompasses both theoretical and empirical methods to foster ethical, transparent, and interdisciplinary research, education and policy.
The employees The Institute's research and teaching focuses on the ethical, theoretical and historical dimensions of medicine, such as:
- Is artificial intelligence suitable as a decision-making aid for doctors?
- Can robots be used in nursing care?
- What forms of solidarity can modern medicine build on?
- How can bio-databases be used for diagnostics?
- What traces did National Socialism leave behind in medicine?
These questions are only a small part of the diverse range of topics covered by the Institute for the History and Ethics in Medicine at the Technical University of Munich.