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Press release from the University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD)

The German Ethics Council is an expert committee that advises parliament and government on social and, in particular, medical and bioethical issues. Eva Winkler, Heisenberg Professor of Translational Medical Ethics at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg of the University of Heidelberg, has now been appointed to the council. As Managing Director at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, she heads the Section for Translational Medical Ethics at the NCT Heidelberg and the University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD). This covers the entire range of ethical issues related to the translation of research results into patient care. Professor Winkler holds a doctorate in medical ethics and is a specialist in hematology/oncology. She works as a senior physician in the Department of Medical Oncology at UKHD.

On October 14, 2024, the German government officially appointed 14 new members of the German Ethics Council. The law stipulates that the committee must consist of 26 members. Among them is medical ethicist and oncologist Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Eva Winkler from the Medical Faculty Heidelberg of the University of Heidelberg, the University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD) and the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg.

The German Ethics Council deals with controversial issues that are particularly relevant to our society in the life sciences and with regard to health care. With its statements and recommendations, it provides orientation for society and politics. The members are appointed by the President of the German Bundestag.

The German Ethics Council was constituted on April 11, 2008, on the basis of the Ethics Council Act, succeeding the National Ethics Council established by the German government in 2001. To date, the German Ethics Council has prepared 24 comprehensive statements, including on the topics of anonymous infant relinquishment, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, genetic diagnostics, patient welfare, big data and artificial intelligence. It has thus established itself as a source of advice for politicians, but also for the general public.

“A great honor! I look forward to this exciting task and to being able to contribute my expertise in a very practical ethics for research and patient care. In particular, the ethically well-accompanied transfer of knowledge and new treatment approaches from research into care is important to me,” says Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Winkler.

“We warmly congratulate Professor Eva Winkler on being appointed to this socially and politically important office,” says Professor Dr. Dr. Jürgen Debus, UKHD's Chief Medical Director. ”Modern medicine constantly raises ethical questions that need to be examined and discussed from many angles. Professor Winkler will scientifically examine the ethical dimension of the topics of artificial intelligence and data in the life sciences and medicine. On the one hand, these offer enormous development opportunities for research and clinical practice and thus opportunities for patients. On the other hand, developments in these areas are so rapid that they must be repeatedly examined from an ethical point of view. We wish Professor Winkler every success in her work at the German Ethics Council.”

Personal details

Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Eva Winkler received her doctorate in the field of cancer research at the University of Heidelberg and in medical and health ethics at the University of Basel (Switzerland). She also received her medical ethics training as a fellow at the Division of Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School and as a faculty fellow at the Center for Ethics and the Professions at Harvard University/Kennedy School of Government. The main research areas of her section are: research ethics, clinical ethics and ethical issues in health policy. Eva Winkler is also the scientific director and spokeswoman of EURAT (an interdisciplinary platform for ethical and legal aspects of translational medicine). She is also the chair of the Central Ethics Committee for Medical Research at the German Medical Association (BÄK) and deputy chair of the medical ethics society “Academy for Ethics in Medicine” (AEM).

Further information on the internet

Section for Translational Medical Ethics at the NCT Heidelberg and the UKHD

German Ethics Council

This press release can also be found online in the UKHD Newsroom.

Heidelberg University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine: Internationally Renowned Patient Care, Research and Teaching

Heidelberg University Hospital (Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, UKHD) is one of the largest and most prestigious medical centers in Germany. The Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University (Medizinische Fakultät Heidelberg, MFHD) belongs to the internationally renowned biomedical research institutions in Europe. Both institutions have the common goal of developing new therapies and implementing them rapidly for patients. Heidelberg University Hospital and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University employs around 14.500 employees and is committed to providing trainings and qualifications. Every year, around 86,000 patients and more than 1.100.000 outpatient cases are treated in more than 50 clinical departments with almost 2.500 beds.

Together with the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the German Cancer Aid, the UKHD established the first National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg. The goal is to provide care at the highest level as an oncology center of excellence and to rapidly transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the hospital. In addition, the UKHD operates in partnership with the DKFZ and the University of Heidelberg the Hopp Children’s Cancer center Heidelberg (KiTZ), a unique and nationally known therapy and research center for oncological and hematological diseases in children and adolescents.

The Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed) is one of the top medical training programs in Germany. Currently, there are about 4.000 future physicians studying in Heidelberg.

Dr. Stefanie Seltmann
Press Officer
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel. +49 6221 56-5052
Stefanie.Seltmann@uni-heidelberg.de

Julia Bird
Deputy Press Officer
Tel. +49 6221 56-7071
Fax. +49 6221 56-4544
julia.bird@med.uni-heidelberg.de