Heidi Mertes is an Associate Professor in Medical Ethics at Ghent University and is associated with both the department of Philosophy and Moral sciences (Faculty of Arts and Philosophy) and the department of Public Health and Primary Care (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences). She is a founding member of the Bioethics Institute Ghent and of the interdisciplinary METAMEDICA platform (www.metamedica.ugent.be) at Ghent University. She is currently a member of the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics, the chair of the Belgian Federal Commission for medical and scientific research on Embryo’s in vitro and of the Ethics Committee of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). She also serves on the board of directors of the non-profit organisation “De Maakbare Mens”, which inspires societal debates on healthcare related topics.
Her academic research focusses on the ethical implications of innovations in healthcare, with a particular focus on reproductive medicine, genetics, embryonic stem cell research, AI, big data and ethical challenges at the intersection of these different domains. She has, for example, published articles on the ethical issues related to egg freezing, genetic parenthood, embryo research, stem cell derived gametes, germline genome editing, incidental findings in genomics, genetic screening in the context of reproduction, mHealth, AI etc. She has received several grants from the Research Foundation – Flanders, from Ghent University’s Special Research Fund and from the European Commission. In 2020, she was awarded an ERC Starting Grant for her project DIME, focusing on the impact of disruptive innovation in healthcare on medical ethics and on shifting responsibilities in healthcare. Since 2024, she is complementing the findings of that research with a translation to education through the Erasmus+ grant EthicAI4CARE, with several European partners.
Next to her research, she teaches courses in bioethics, medical ethics and applied ethics to aspiring health care professionals, scientists and (moral) philosophers.
Domains of expertise
- Bioethics
- Medical Ethics
Selected projects & research platforms
Several innovations in health care disrupt the traditional model of de doctor-patient relationship and exchange more specialized and qualitative medical care for more accessible or cheaper care. Examples include mobile health apps, medical chatbots based on generative AI, direct to consumer genetic testing, a smartwatch giving you medical advice or a decision support system giving your physician medical advice.
Given that medical ethics are tailored to ‘traditional’ medicine in which the healthcare provider is a central figure that is now increasingly sidelined, we should be critical about its current ability to cope with these changes. The EU-funded DIME project is investigating whether the discipline of medical ethics is sufficiently equipped to guide new, disruptive innovations in healthcare towards their great potential in terms of improving patients’ access to good quality healthcare, while also safeguarding patients/users for the risks that come with them, not only in terms of health, but also in terms of infractions against firmly rooted values such as patient autonomy, the duty of care, confidentiality or privacy.
https://www.dime.ugent.be/
Selected publications
- Segers, S., & Mertes, H. (2022). The curious case of “trust” in the light of changing doctor–patient relationships. Bioethics, 36(8), 849-857
- Mertes, H., Lindheim, S. R., & Pennings, G. (2018). Ethical quandaries around expanded carrier screening in third-party reproduction. Fertility and sterility, 109(2), 190-194.
- Mertes, H., & Pennings, G. (2011). Social egg freezing: for better, not for worse. Reproductive biomedicine online, 23(7), 824-829.
Work details
- Heidi.Mertes@ugent.be
- Blandijnberg 2, 9000 Gent
- www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-mertes-651a8084
- https://research.ugent.be/web/person/heidi-mertes-0/en
- ORCID number: 0000-0003-3029-2158