Workshop on Vulnerability in Healthcare

A joint event of the Centre de Recherche en Ethique (CRE) and the Institute for Social Health and Policy (IHSP).

Poster (.pdf)

Description:

In recent years, the notion of vulnerability has become a key concept in contemporary bioethics. It is used in medical research and healthcare to describe those groups and individuals who are in need of special protection and additional attention. However, often it remains unclear what properties the vulnerable share, who they are, why they are vulnerable, and how their vulnerability should be addressed, rectified or diminished.

But the use of vulnerability is not restricted to the domain of bioethics: many researchers are currently exploring whether vulnerability is also a fruitful concept for other domains, such as disaster management and political theory.

The aim of this interdisciplinary workshop is to bring together scholars working on vulnerability, to exchange about their work and the general state of research on vulnerability, to explore the usefulness of vulnerability theories in different domains, and to discuss open questions that need to be addressed in the future.

Participation in the workshop is open to the public and free of charge, but for administrative reasons inscription is necessary by writing to Angela Martin: angela.martin@mail.mcgill.ca.

Program:

First Part: Defining and Applying Vulnerability to Different Domains

9:30 – 9:45: Opening – Angela Martin, PhD, McGill and CRE

9:45 – 10:45: Prof. Dany Rondeau, Université du Québec à Rimouski: « Extension et diversification des usages de la vulnérabilité.”

10:50 – 11:50: Frédérick Armstrong, McGill: « Multiculturalism and Vulnerable Groups: Toward a Vulnerability-based Justification for Multicultural Policies »

*** Lunchbreak *** 

Second part: Putting Vulnerability into Practice – Case Studies

13:00 – 14:00: Evelyne Durocher, PhD, Western University: Understanding and addressing vulnerability: Applying a feminist lens to examine perspectives of Haitian and expatriate healthcare providers and decision-makers following the 2010 Haiti earthquake

14:10 – 15:10: Matthew Hunt, PhD, McGill: Targeting vulnerability? Reflections arising from the evaluation of an action-research project on selective user fee exemptions for healthcare

15:10 – 15:40: Break

15:40 – 16:40: Prof. Christine Straehle, University of Ottawa: « Trust and Vulnerability in Medical Ethics – the case of end of life care »

16:40 – 17:00: Closure « Vulnerability – where to go from here ? »– Angela Martin

*** Dinner with speakers **