Postviral Ethics - Radboud Center for Philosophy and Society & Post Covid Network Nederland, Monday 3 February 2025

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Post Covid Network Nederland and the Radboud Center for Philosophy and Society are hosting a workshop on Post-COVID ethics. The main language of this event is English.

Theme of the workshop
Long Covid entails a range of often severely disabling symptoms that persist for more than 3 months after infection, and often results in patients being partially or wholly home- and/or bedbound for months and even years on end. Long Covid is, however, not only a growing medical problem (as the number of patients increase due to reinfections) but also raises many urgent ethical questions about medical interactions, social relations and political policies and legal rights. This one day international conference, organized by Platform 3 Ethics of the Post Covid Network Netherlands (PCNN) in cooperation with the Radboud Research Center for Philosophy and Society (RCPS) will therefore shed light on some of these broader ethical questions arising from post-viral chronicity.

More precisely, it will address the fact that patients are often faced with the charge that they cause or sustain their illness through illness-maintaining thoughts, whilst the invisibility of their illness also contributes to a lack of social and political (institutionalized) solidarity – particularly in a post-pandemic context. Furthermore, patients who become activists for their cause often encounter the challenge of being regarded as difficult, radicalized or even hysterical. At the same time, for children, which constitute a particularly vulnerable group, this continued isolation and lack of medical care might not only be even more detrimental than for adults, but also accumulate into a violation of their human rights. Lastly, the question of Long Covid also raises the question of our future, tainted as this may be with post viral chronicity, as well as the question of our relation to animals.

Hence, this international one day conference will particularly explore ethical questions pertaining to psychologization, visibility and solidarity, activism, critique, Long Covid children as well as the future of post-virality in the context of climate change and in relation to non-human beings (such as animals).

Online participation
Please note that this is a hybrid conference, whereby post viral patients are given the opportunity to attend online. All other interested and able bodied professionals situated in the Netherlands are expected to participate in person – though please note that capacity is limited (so early registration is advised). Professionals located outside the Netherlands may also attend online.

Safety note
Please also note that we will provide HEPA filters and ventilate the room as much as possible. We will also provide FFP2 masks. Those who have illness symptoms are requested to attend online or wear a FFP2 mask inside the conference room at all times.

Programme
09.00 – 09.30 Arrival

09.30– 09.45 Welcome

Speakers: Prof. Dr. Anske van der Bom (Leiden University Medical Centre, Leader of PCNN) and Prof. Dr. Vivienne Matthies-Boon (Leader of PF3 Ethics PCNN and Head of the Department of Ethics and Political Philosophy, Radboud University)

09.45 – 11.15 On Psychologisation: Interdisciplinary perspectives

Speakers: Ms Ronja Buechner (University of Leipzig), Prof. dr. George Schomerus (University of Leipzig), Dr Paula Muhr (University of Zurich), Prof. dr. Naomi Head (Glasgow University) and Vivienne Matthies-Boon (Radboud University)
Moderator: Tom Molmans (Stichting Long Covid)

11.15– 11.30 Coffee break

11.30 – 12.30 On the Invisibility of Long Covid: A Lack of Institutionalised Solidarity?

Speaker: Prof. dr. Tamar Sharon (Radboud University)
Moderator: Prof. dr. Vivienne Matthies-Boon

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 14.30 On Patient Activism and Critique

Speaker: Dr Charlotte Blease Uppsala University/Harvard Medical School and Patient Group “Niet Hersteld” (“Not Recovered”)
Moderator: Dr Guilel Treiber

14.30 – 14.45 Coffee Break

14.45 – 15.45 On the Rights and Ethics of Long Covid children

Speaker: Dr Vivek Bhatt (NYU Liberal Studies (USA) and patient organization “Kinderen met Long Covid” (“Children with Long Covid”) – Moderator: Dr Marcel Becker (Radboud University)

15.45 – 16.00 Coffee Break

16.00 – 17.00 Postviral Chronicity: An Issue of Animals and Planetary Health?

Speakers: Dr Eva Meijer (University of Amsterdam) and Dr Ernst Jurgens, MD (C-Support/MKBasics.nl)
Moderator: Dr Carmen Dege

17.00 – 17.30 Closure – PF3 Ethics