DEPARTMENT OF BIOETHICS

< Back

The Department of Bioethics is a division of the Faculty of Public Health, LSMU Medical Academy. As one of the oldest departments within the University, we boast a long-standing legacy that traces back to the academic disciplines of philosophy, logic, ethics, aesthetics, along with various other fields in the social sciences and humanities. Embracing the principles of the humanistic tradition, our Department is dedicated to its integration in the cultivation and development of studies, R&D, and educational activities across an array of social sciences and humanities. Our focus lies primarily in medical professions, including medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, animal science, public health, nursing, psychology, and social work. In recent years, the Department has expanded both in scope and diversity of disciplines offered. Our curriculum now spans from traditional subjects to contemporary fields of study including bioethics, art therapy, sociology, sustainable human development, cultural anthropology, human relations, organisational culture, clinical ethics, professional ethics, among others.

Beginning in 2000, our Department have been coordinating the only first-cycle programme focused on the intersection of social sciences and healthcare, known as Social Work in Medicine. This distinctive programme aims to address the increasing need for social work professionals within the healthcare sector.

The Department of Bioethics has seamlessly integrated into a multitude of the University’s curricula, continuing a humanistic quest embarked upon almost 50 years ago by offering of both mandatory and elective courses, enhancing general university education and diverse fields of study. The Department offers an extensive selection of foundational courses in social sciences and humanities, all dedicated to upholding the University’s humanistic tradition. Our educational approach nurtures the worldview, ethical comprehension, and communication skills of students from diverse disciplines such as medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, nursing, veterinary medicine, and animal science. This is achieved in a manner that values education and the instilling of profound values.

The Department’s general research topic is “Health as a Social, Cultural, and Ethical Value”. The research studies conducted at the Department integrate the application of socio-humanitarian sciences in health care and primarily concentrate on three distinct areas:

Ensuring the protection of human rights and dignity from the beginning to the end of life.
Patient-centred ethics and communication in personal health care.
Social and cultural contexts of human-animal interaction and health care.

Since 2000, the Department has been training PhD students in biomedical sciences in the field of public health. 6 PhD students have obtained the degree of Doctor of Biomedical Sciences in Public Health. The Department also offers postdoctoral studies.

Department of Bioethics

								
								+370 37 327 233							
								
								bioetika@lsmu.lt							
								
								Tilžės g. 18, Kaunas, Lietuva

Prof. Dr. Gvidas Urbonas

Head of Department

										
										+370 37 327 233									
										
										gvidas.urbonas@lsmu.lt									
										
										 Tilžės g. 18, 227 kab.

All contacts