HealthGovMatters

HealthGovMatters is a FP7 ‘Science in Society’ collaborative project funded by the European Commission (2009-2012). It investigates the development of innovative medical technologies in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria. In the UK, HealthGovMatters is run by Dr Monica Bonaccorso (principal investigator). The respective European partners are Zeppelin University - Dr. Jacquelyne Luce, project coordinator and principal investigator in Germany - and ICCR, Dr Liana Giorgi, principal investigator in Austria.

In recent years, more attention has been paid to the importance of innovative and pioneering medical/scientific research and its social, cultural, legal and ethical implications for various public(s). Advances in the fields of cloning, genetic testing, nano-medicine, and stem-cell research have generated great concern but also significant anticipation about new diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities for the near future. What role do the politics of public concern and anticipation play in the development of new medical technologies and their social entailments? How does the representation, practice and experience of medical innovation relate to the way new techniques are explored, applied and governed?

We aim to understand how decisions about novel diagnostic and therapeutic applications are made and implemented across different European sites, with a specific focus on emerging fields at the intersection of neuroscience and genetics. We are interested in medical applications that might have a major impact on patients suffering from severe, often incurable, disorders – and have a particular interest in how these may be tailored to women and children.

In the UK we are focusing on new imaging techniques, computer implants and pharmaceuticals currently undergoing significant and promising developments. We intend to visit key laboratories, research and clinical settings to learn how they operate and what advances they foresee in the medical arena. We will be conducting formal and informal interviews and observations with diverse social actors (including patient organizations and advocacy groups) as these play a major participatory role in the social enactment of medical innovation.