Soutien éthique dans le domaine de la santé en Suisse romande : quels défis et quelles possibilités de collaboration ?

Cette pré-conférence entend mettre en contact toutes les structures de soutien éthique dans les institutions de santé à travers la Suisse romande. Que ce soit des commissions d’éthique clinique dans les hôpitaux, des structures de conseil éthique des établissements médico-sociaux ou socio-éducatifs ou de leurs faitières, ou des personnes qui travaillent de manière indépendante pour apporter un soutien éthique au système de santé : tous sont invités à partager leurs expériences, leurs défis et leurs approches. Nous aimerions également explorer des pistes de collaboration dans le futur.

Room: Lecture hall “César Roux”, CHUV (400 places)
Chair: Pr Philippe Conus, Président de la Commission d’éthique du CHUV
Public: Open to all French-speaking bioethicists
Language: French
Registration: Not required

 
Symposium for Young Researchers: My Thesis in 180 seconds and Meet the Editors 

This pre-conference is organised for young researchers (doctoral students and postdocs until 3 years after the PhD) to meet and network. 

In the first part, 12 researchers are invited to present in 180 seconds (3 minutes) each his or her project in the form of a catchy, succinct elevator pitch. It will offer young scholars the opportunity to practice their public speaking skills and learn how to explain complex ideas clearly and concisely to a wide audience. The best three presentations, ranked by an experienced jury of two bioethicists and a journalist, will be awarded.

In the second part, attendees will get the chance to network with long-serving editors of bioethics journals who will explain tricks and tips how to get your papers published. Zoe Fritz, associate editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics and clinical ethicist from Cambridge, UK, and Peter Angelos from the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Ethics and director of the MacLean Center at the University of Chicago, will share their experiences from these two major journals of the field. They will answer all questions you may have and provide precious insights journal choice, peer review, and other publication-related aspects.

Room: Lecture hall “Auguste Tissot”, CHUV (150 places)  
Organization: Solenne Blanc, Kevin Dzi, Morgane Romero (PhD students, UNIL-CHUV) 
Experts: Zoe Fritz (Cambridge, UK) and Peter Angelos (Chicago, USA), editors Béatrice Schaad (Lausanne), Manuel Trachsel (Basel), Nancy Berlinger (Hastings Center), jury for “My tesis in 180 seconds”
Public: Doctoral students and postdocs until 3 years after the PhD
Language: English
Registration: Required (via registration for the ICCEC 2025 congress)

 Swiss Society of Biomedical Ethics: Developing Education and Certification in Clinical Ethics – Learning from Experiences

Teaching of clinical ethics has become an essential part of the formation of any healthcare professional (HCP). Already in medical school, future doctors are exposed to ethical challenges in their profession. This teaching of ethical knowledge, skills and attitudes should be substantiated in the ensuing specialised medical training. The prohibitive workload of young doctors, the scarcity of well-trained staff and the lack of an “attractive” curriculum has made it however difficult to achieve this goal in Switzerland. This has led us to reformulate a list of core competencies in clinical ethics mostly as “entrustable professional activities” with an orientation towards their practical adaptability. In the first half of the workshop, we will present to you our activities and invite you to bring forward your experiences and projects.

Beside these core competencies in Clinical Ethics, there is a growing need for a standardised training in Ethics Support. This professionalization is demonstrated by the successful certification programs in Germany and the USA. The Swiss Society of Biomedical Ethics, taking the particularities of the Swiss healthcare system into consideration, created in 2023 a Task Force with the mandate to develop a certified curriculum for Ethics Support in healthcare. Our aim is to offer a basic and an advanced level course for any health care professional with an interest to become involved in Ethics Support. Preliminary results of this work will be presented in the second half of the workshop.

We invite you to discuss with us these two important Swiss national projects, based on your experiences, with the aim of firmly establishing clinical ethics in health care institutions.

Room: Lecture hall “Alexandre Yersin” (150 places) 
Chair: Oswald Hasselmann, President of the Swiss Society of Biomedical Ethics
Public: Open to all ICCEC participants interested in the Swiss situation, especially members of the Swiss Society of Biomedical Ethics (SGBE/SSEB), members of the AEM and the network BENE
Language: English
Registration: Not required

 
Personnes âgées, soignants, robots : repenser la place du corps vulnérable dans le domaine des soins gériatriques 

L’apparition récente des nouvelles technologies, en particulier de la robotique dans l’espace soin en gériatrie, réinterroge le socle anthropologique et éthique qui a été pensé ces quarante dernières années. Car s’il y a réellement une urgence, comme l’a fait remarquer l’Observatoire suisse de la santé (Monod-Zorzi, et al, 2017), de développer des mesures concrètes permettant de faire face de manière efficiente aux conséquences du vieillissement de la population, le type de moyens proposés peut poser de nombreuses questions. Un des objectifs de notre projet est celui de repenser la place du corps humain, depuis la perspective de l’expérience vécue, dans le domaine du soin en gériatrie, en particulier dans les établissements médicaux-sociaux (EMS) ; les besoins de la recherche se situant, d’après nous, dans la nécessité d’une réflexion philosophique-anthropologique sérieuse, mais aussi éthique, sur la place ou la présence des corps humains (et/ou non-humains) et des valeurs (bienfaisance, bientraitance, droit au bonheur) que cette réflexion implique. Cette table ronde clôt le projet et présente ses résultats au travers de trois conférences.  

Room: Lecture Hall “Jequier-Doge” (60 places)
Chair: Stéphanie Perruchoud, Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en éthique, UNIL
Public: Open to interested French-speaking bioethicists
Language: French
Registration: Not required

 
Reflection on Health Justice and the Ethical Practice of Medicine 

Justice is a foundational tenet in clinical ethics, yet the field has not sufficiently prioritized addressing the systemic and structural racism deeply rooted in our healthcare system. Addressing discrimination and health inequity generally requires attention to the most marginalized and vulnerable patients, whose health outcomes are often compromised by social, legal, political, and financial barriers. We will discuss how healthcare systems and health policies perpetuate discrimination based on race, gender, age, or psychiatric diagnosis, leading to unequal access to care, under- or overtreatment, and even stigmatization. We will explore how clinical ethics can address discrimination, integrate justice considerations into clinical decision-making, and identify social determinants of health to promote a diverse, inclusive, and just healthcare culture, ensuring access for those most in need. 
This session will feature an interactive discussion on health justice, led by the Early Career Bioethicists Network (ECBN). The ECBN is committed to empowering early career bioethicists to share their opinions, thoughts, and ideas, bringing fresh perspectives to traditional bioethical issues. Our network aims to promote interdisciplinary exchange, peer support, and networking opportunities.

Room: Placide Nicod (35 places)
Contact: ecbn@bioethics.ch
Public: open to all Early Career bioethicists
Information about ECBN (Early Career Bioethicists Network) here
Language: English
Registration: Registration is needed to participate to this workshop, please send a mail to ecbn@bioethics.ch