New project on philosophy of consumer medicine

Sara Green (PI) and Olivia Spalletta (post.doc) have received funding from the Carlsberg Foundation for their project proposal on Consumer Medicine: Philosophical and Ethical Implications (COPE).

The COPE project will investigate the epistemic, social, and ethical implications of Consumer Medicine (CM), such as self-tests and wearables that promise to help users optimize and take control of their health.

COPE is an empirically informed philosophical analysis of how CM and data-intensive practices impact healthcare practice, our understanding of health, and our expectations of medicine. Combining methodologies from philosophy of science and medical anthropology, COPE critically analyzes assumptions underlying political and commercial visions of CM, as well as lived experiences of CM in primary care and the everyday lives of users.

The COPE project relies on empirical research methodologies, including qualitative interviews, ethnographic observations, and document analysis.

COPE is financed by a Semper Ardens Accelerate grant for newly appointed tenured associate professors to establish an independent research group or research environment. The COPE project will hire a PhD student in the new year and organize activities for an international research network covering diverse disciplines including HPS, general practice, STS, medical anthropology, political science, and health communication. In addition to academic research articles, the COPE project also aims to develop outreach materials including an interactive podcast.