Interdisciplinary Social Ethics Workshop “Public Responsibility for Health” at Goethe University Brings Together International Perspectives.
What does it mean to understand health as a human right – and what responsibilities does this imply for the state, society, and the individual? These questions were at the center of the workshop “Public Responsibility for Health”, held on May 8–9, 2025, at Goethe University Frankfurt. The workshop was organized by Prof. Dr. Christof Mandry (Professor of Moral Theology and Social Ethics) and Victoria Dichter (Social Ethics in Healthcare Unit), who together curated a diverse program for interdisciplinary exchange with researchers from ethics, political science, sociology, and health sciences.
The starting point was the idea that social and ecological conditions – such as the impacts of climate change, global pandemics, or structural disadvantage – play a central role in shaping population health. Against this backdrop, the concept of public responsibility for health was discussed not only from legal, but also from ethical and practical perspectives: Who, exactly, bears responsibility – and to what extent?
Multiple Dimensions of Public Responsibility for Health
After an introduction by Christof Mandry, Johannes Ulrich (University of Geneva) opened the workshop with a lecture linking the traffic safety strategy “Safe Systems” to Paul Ricœur’s concept of responsibility.
The first day featured talks on current issues in health policy and ethics: Tabea Ott (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg) analyzed the role of digital technologies and new actors in the healthcare system, while Arne Dreßler (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) discussed responsibility in mass screening programs. Mara Köhler (Karl Landsteiner Private University for Health Sciences) examined the shifting responsibility between state and private actors in Austria’s COVID-19 testing infrastructure, and Benjamin Roth (Goethe University) proposed a more sustainable policy approach in his presentation on late-stage health technology assessments.
A highlight of the first day was the evening lecture by Markus Frischhut (MCI Innsbruck), who addressed European health policy: What responsibilities do EU institutions bear – and where are the limits of their authority?
Health as a Social and Political Task
The second day of the workshop focused on international and civil society perspectives. In her keynote, Rochelle Burgess (University College London) emphasized that mental health must be understood not only clinically, but as a social and political responsibility – particularly when it comes to marginalized communities.
Alma Ionescu (University College London) illustrated civil society engagement through community-based mental health projects in Uganda. Victoria Dichter advocated for a cooperative understanding of public responsibility in suicide prevention for men, while Niklas Petersen (University Medical Center Göttingen) highlighted the tension between individual and state responsibility in dementia prevention.
Several unconventional topics also opened up exciting new perspectives: Max Tretter (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg), for instance, addressed state responsibility in relation to gambling mechanisms in digital games (“loot boxes”), while Nils Montabon (Police of North Rhine-Westphalia) explored the role of police as potential public health actors.
In the third keynote, Michael Knipper (Justus Liebig University Giessen) called for a reevaluation of public responsibility in light of migration, inequality, and the human right to health. Maik Paap (Justus Liebig University Giessen) reinforced this perspective in the context of healthcare for asylum seekers.
Interdisciplinary Dialogue as Key
The workshop impressively demonstrated how complex the issue of public responsibility for health is – and how important it is to foster exchange between disciplines and international perspectives. At a time when health challenges are increasingly global and socially shaped, questions of accountability, governance, and justice are gaining both political and ethical relevance.
Featuring 15 presentations, lively discussions, and broad participation from international early-career researchers and seasoned experts, the workshop was not only a scholarly success but also a catalyst for further debate at the intersection of health, ethics, and policy. The event strengthened the international network and visibility of the Social Ethics in Healthcare Unit – and was made possible through the support of Goethe University’s Friends and Sponsors, Stiftung zur Förderung der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Beziehungen der Goethe-Universität [Foundation for the Support of Goethe University’s International Research Relations], and the GRADE Center RuTh.
Victoria Dichter, Social Ethics in Healthcare Unit
