Effy Vayena: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Name | Prof. Dr. Effy Vayena |
| Field | Bioethics |
| Address | Dep. Gesundheitswiss. und Technol. ETH Zürich, HOA H 12 Hottingerstrasse 10 8032 Zürich SWITZERLAND |
| Telephone | +41 44 632 83 01 |
| effy.vayena@hest.ethz.ch | |
| Department | Health Sciences and Technology |
| Relationship | Full Professor |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 376-0303-00L | Colloquium in Translational Science (Autumn Semester) Does not take place this semester. | 1 credit | 1K | A. Alimonti, V. Falk, J. Goldhahn, K. Maniura, R. M. Rossi, S. Schürle-Finke, G. Shivashankar, E. Vayena, V. Vogel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Current topics in translational medicine presented by speakers from academia and industry. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Getting insight into actual areas and problems of translational medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Timely and concise presentations of postgraduate students, post-docs, senior scientists, professors, as well as external guests from both academics and industry will present topics of their interest related to translational medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | No compulsory prerequisites, but student should have basic knowledge about biomedical research. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 376-1661-00L | Ethics of Life Sciences and Biotechnology  | 3 credits | 2V | A. Blasimme, E. Vayena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This semester course enables students to recognize, anticipate and address ethical issues in the domain of health sciences and their technological application. The students will acquire the necessary theoretical and analytic resources to develop critical thinking skills in the field of applied ethics and will practice how to use such resources to address concrete ethical issues in health sciences | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | This course is tailored to students who want to become familiar with the analysis of ethical issues in all the different domains of life sciences and biotechnology. The course aims at equipping students with the necessary knowledge and analytic skills to understand, discuss and address the ethical aspects of science and technology in the domain of human health. The specific learning objectives of this course are: A. Identify ethical issues in in life sciences and biotechnology. B. Analyze and critically discuss ethical issues in life sciences and biotechnology. C. Become aware of relevant legal and public policy frameworks. D. Distinguish different ethical approaches and argumentative strategies in applied ethics. E. Recognize how ethical issues relate to different accounts of technology and innovation. F. Develop a personal and critical attitude towards the ethical aspects of life sciences and their technological application. G. Autonomously anticipate ethical issues. H. Propose and communicate solutions to ethical challenges and dilemmas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course starts off with an introductory lecture on ethics as a discipline and an overview of the most relevant approaches in the domain of applied ethics. The students will also be introduced to current theoretical accounts of technology and will start to appreciate the relevance of ethics especially with respect to new and emerging technologies. Usable analytic tools will also be provided, thus enabling the students to engage with the discipline in a practical way from the very onset of the semester. The course will continue with thematic sessions covering a broad variety of topics all of which are relevant to the different study tracks offered by the department. In particular, the course will cover the following domains: digital health technologies and medical AI; food, nutrition and healthy longevity; biomedical engineering; genetics; neuroscience and Neurotechnologies; medical robotics; disability and rehabilitation; environmental ethics. The course will also include sessions on cross-cutting ethically relevant aspects of health sciences and technologies, namely: access to innovation, translational research, and the relation between science and public policy. All the topics of the course will be illustrated and interactively discussed through many case studies, offering the students the opportunity to prepare and present them, and to use them in individual as well as group exercises. Throughout the course, the students will have multiple opportunities to experiment with ethical argumentation and to practice their evolving skills. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 376-1664-00L | Ethics in Drug Development | 3 credits | 2V | A. Blasimme, M. Andreoletti, E. Vayena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course provides a thorough exploration of drug development and involved ethical issues as well as critical analysis of ethical challenges and practical skills to resolve them. It includes elements of drug discovery, preclinical and clinical research ethics, alternative regulatory pathways and ethics of drug pricing and develops a solid grasp of ethical complexity as well as practical skills. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | This course is tailored to D-HEST students who want to become familiar with pharmaceutical development and its ethical implications. By the end of this course, students will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the ethical complexities and challenges in drug development. They will be equipped with the knowledge and analytical skills to navigate ethical reasoning and contribute to the responsible advancement of pharmaceutical research. The specific learning objectives of the course are: • Discuss relevant legal and public policy frameworks in drug development, ensuring an understanding of the broader regulatory context within which policy and regulatory decisions are made. Recognize and identify ethical dilemmas inherent to drug development, fostering a heightened awareness of ethical considerations across various stages of the process. • Identify and discuss ethical issues in drug development in light of recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence. • Critically analyze ethical challenges within drug development, enabling them to discuss complex issues, evaluate competing ethical perspectives, and form reasoned judgments. • Understand the ethical theories and principles that underpin drug regulation. • Evaluate the ethical implications of alternative pathways, such as Accelerated Approval and Compassionate Use, equipping students to assess potential benefits, risks, and societal consequences. • Assess the ethical dimensions of drug pricing decisions and their impact on equity and accessibility, encouraging thoughtful reflection on the broader societal implications of pricing strategies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | - Principles of biomedical ethics and how they relate pharmaceutical innovation - Introduction to drug development, with a focus on the Swiss regulatory ecosystem - Current trends and impediments to effective drug development, including the use of AI in drug discovery - Translational medicine and its ethical implications - Ethical Aspects of pre-clinical research, including animal replacement technologies like organoids and organ chips - Ethical aspects of clinical research - Special regulatory pathways: expanded access / compassionate use - Special regulatory pathways: accelerated approval - Drug development and public health. emergency use of new drugs - Drug pricing: introduction to its regulatory and ethical aspects | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 389-7000-00L | Ethics and Scientific Integrity for Doctoral Students in Health Sciences and Technology Only for doctoral students D-HEST. | 1 credit | E. Vayena, A. Blasimme | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course allows D-HEST PhD students to fulfill the requirements of the mandatory training in ethics. The students will acquire the necessary theoretical and analytic resources to develop critical thinking skills in the field of applied ethics and will practice how to use such resources to address concrete ethical issues in health sciences. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The course aims at equipping students with the necessary knowledge and analytic skills to understand, discuss and address the ethical aspects of science and technology in relation to human health. The specific learning objectives of this course are: - Identify ethical issues in in life sciences and biotechnology. - Analyze and critically discuss ethical issues in life sciences and biotechnology. - Become aware of relevant legal and public policy frameworks. - Distinguish different ethical approaches and argumentative strategies in applied ethics. - Recognize how ethical issues relate to different accounts of technology and innovation. - Develop a personal and critical attitude towards the ethical aspects of life sciences and their technological application. - Autonomously anticipate ethical issues. - Propose and communicate solutions to ethical challenges and dilemmas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | This course allow the students to autonomously decide among a broad list of topics specifically designed to be aligned with the scientific interests of D-HEST doctoral programs. The course has three components: 1) Students will watch pre-recorded material that will be made available on Moodle. 2) Students will attend an introductory lecture on the ethics of science, technology and innovation. 3) Students will choose two lectures to attend from a list of thematic lectures that will take place throughout the semester. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0745-00L | Ethics Workshop: The Impact of Digital Life on Society Open to all Master level / PhD students. | 2 credits | 2S | E. Vayena, A. Blasimme, J. Sleigh, to be announced | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This workshop focuses on understanding and managing the ethical and social issues arising from the integration of new technologies in various aspects of daily life. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | - Explain relevant concepts in ethics. - Evaluate the ethical dimensions of new technology uses. - Identify impacted stakeholders and who is ethically responsible. - Engage constructively in the public discourse relating to new technology impacts. - Review tools and resources currently available that facilitate resolutions and ethical practice. - Work in a more ethically reflective way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The workshop offers students an experience that trains their ability for critical analysis and develops awareness of responsibilities as a researcher, consumer and citizen. Learning will occur in the context of three intensive workshop days, which are highly interactive and focus on the development and application of reasoning skills. The workshop will begin with some fundamentals: the nature of ethics, of consent and big data, of AI ethics, public trust and health ethics. Students will then be introduced to key ethical concepts such as fairness, autonomy, trust, accountability, justice, as well different ways of reasoning about the ethics of digital technologies. A range of practical problems and issues in the domains of education, media, society, digital health and justice will be then considered. These domains are represented respectively by unique and interesting case studies. Each case study has been selected not only for its timely and engaging nature, but also for its relevance. Through the analysis of these case studies key ethical questions (such as fairness, accountability, explainability, access etc.) will be highlighted and questions of responsibility and tools for ethical practice will be explored. Throughout, the emphasis will be on learning to make sound arguments about the ethical aspects of policy, practice and research. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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