MetaMedica

The MetaMedica platform aims to facilitate interdisciplinary academic research and integrated education in health law, health privacy law, and medical ethics. MetaMedica supports scholars, patients, healthcare providers, legal professionals, ethicists, policymakers and other stakeholders in navigating healthcare innovation and evolution, driven by . , as well as the proliferation of health-related data and new models for processing and protecting these data.

Key scientific and digital developments lead to role-changes in healthcare, the proliferation of health-related data and new data protection and research data management frameworks. In view of these evolutions, the Metamedica Platform conducts and facilitates interdisciplinary academic research and provides integrated education in health privacy, health law and biomedical ethics relevant for patients, clinicians, policy makers, lawyers, ethicists, and other stakeholders. Particular topics of interest include predictive genetic research, precision medicine, trustworthy AI, big data, and electronic health records.

The three steering members represent three faculties at Ghent University. Tom Goffin, associate professor in Health Law, represents the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Griet Verhenneman, assistant professor in Health Privacy Law represents the Faculty of Law and Criminology and Heidi Mertes, associate professor in Medical Ethics represents the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.

They were recently joined by several PhD students and a postdoctoral researcher. You can meet them here.

 

On February 6th 2020 the METAMEDICA platform was officially launched. You can find pictures of our opening symposium here.

Vacancy Doctoral Fellow

To strengthen the Metamedica team, we are looking for a motivated PhD researcher (100%)(m/f/x) who wants to start a doctoral project on legal questions at the intersection of traditional data protection law and classical health law. We are seeking someone with a strong interest in law, technology, and the broader context of medical innovation, health data governance, and patient rights who holds a Master’s degree in Law and is eager to contribute to interdisciplinary academic research in this evolving field.

 

Your job
• You conduct research at the intersection of health privacy, data protection and traditional health law. You have the opportunity to shape your project based on your interests under the supervision of your supervisors, Prof. Dr. Griet Verhenneman and Prof. Dr. Tom Goffin. You complete your candidacy by including a short research proposal (see below) describing the research topic of your interest and how you would like to shape your research during your four-year assignment.
• You work in a team of researchers affiliated with the Metamedica platform within the Faculty of Law and Criminology and the Faculty of Medicine. You contribute to the activities of the research group and the Metamedica platform.
• You write a PhD thesis and publish and present your (interim) research results at (inter)national conferences and study days.

 

More information: Doctoral fellow — Ghent University
Or contact us directly: griet.verhenneman@ugent.be or tom.goffin@ugent.be

Upcoming event

18 September 2025 – The European Health Data Space – Challenges, difficulties and opportunities

Where: to be determined

When: 5 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.

Description: Since the approval of the European Health Data Space Regulation, experts have examined the challenges, difficulties, and opportunities it creates for the European Healthcare sector. Several of these experts will take the stand during this symposium.

Info & Registration

 

New Blogposts:

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Metamedica-members in the news

Tom Goffin

Heidi Mertes

Griet Verhenneman

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