The European Society For Philosophy Of Medicine And Healthcare

EUGENIJUS GEFENAS

Eugenijus Gefenas was born in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1959. In 1983 he graduated from Medical Faculty of Vilnius University. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Institute of Philosophy , Sociology and Law in 1993. At present Dr. Eugenijus Gefenas is an associate professor and director of the Department of Medical History and Ethics at the Medical
Faculty of Vilnius University and an adjunct professor in the Center for Bioethics and Clinical leadership of the Graduate College of Union University (USA) where he is a co-director of the Advanced Certificate Program in Research Ethics in Central and Eastern Europe. He is also a chairman of Lithuanian Bioethics Committee. His international activities include the membership in the Council of Europe Bioethics Committee (CDBI), International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (IBC) as well as European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care. During the period of 2000-2004 he was a member of the European committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The areas of his professional interest include such issues as teaching and development of bioethics in the transition society, ethical and philosophical problems of biomedical research, ethical aspects of health care reform and resource allocation as well as other bioethical issues.

GERRIT KIMSMA

Gerrit K.Kimsma, 60, married to Marga Winants, two daughters, age 28 and 24. University associate in medicine and philosophy, practicing family medicine since 1976 and teaching medical ethics and philosophy to medical students and medical ethics to Post Graduate Training for Family Medicine at the Vrije Universiteit at Amsterdam since 1970. Publications since 1975 in numbers of about 100 articles in journals, books and papers, about 60 presentations in Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, France), USA and Australia.

Book publications since 1987, starting with 'Medicine between Dream and Drama',(with HAMJ ten Have), last major book publication with Thomasma, Kushner and Ciesielski called 'Asking to Die. Inside the Dutch Euthanasia Debate.' , Kluwer Academic Publications, Dordrecht/London/Boston, 1998, with ethical and legal discussions, interviews with families where euthanasia took place, and interviews with physicians who describe their experiences )

Past or present functions, amongst others:

• President of the Dutch Society for Philosophy and Medicine (1981-1988),
• Co-founder and Treasurer European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care, 1987- present.
• Member of the Ethics Committee of the Royal Dutch Medical Society, 1986- 1998.
• Member of the Research Review Committee, Academic Hospital Vrije Universiteit, 1986-present.
• Associate-Editor of the journal 'Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics'.

Present additional scientific advisory functions:

• Co-editor of the edition 'Ethics and Law in Medicine',
• Board Member of 'Cambridge Quarterly of Health Care Ethics',
• Board Member of 'Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. A European Journal'
• Board Member of 'International Library of Law and the New Medicine'.
• Board Member International Dictionary of Bioethics, Cambridge University Press

Present involvement in the Dutch euthanasia climate:

• Teacher of Sterbehilfe and euthanasia programs at the Vrije Universiteit for interns and postgraduate family medicine physicians
• member of the Amsterdam Program of Support and Consultation Euthanasia Amsterdam (SCEA) since 1997 (for the legally required second opinions)
• Program developer and instructor of the Support Consultation Euthanasia Netherlands (SCEN), supported by the Dutch Ministry of Health Care and the Dutch Medical Society, to develop regional networks of qualified consultants for euthanasia requests.
• Member of one of the five law based institutional Regional Euthanasia Evaluation Committees, of the Committee of South-Holland/Zeeland.