Project Description

Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies constitute a rapidly developing and growing field of study. These technologies are increasingly becoming an integral part of human lives and essential tools in promoting healthy lifestyle, disease prevention and disease management.

The overall goal of the international and interdisciplinary project META is a thorough analysis of ethical, legal and social aspects of these technologies. The project is funded by the German Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF) and investigates the possibilities, benefits, risks and challenges of mHealth as well as broader aspects of the digital transformation on individual, population and global levels. Building on multi-disciplinary research findings, the team also offers consultancy to various mHealth stakeholders with the aim to support responsible, socially sustainable and user-centric innovation in mHealth. The Project Portfolio 2019 can be found here.

The META Team: Niels Nijsingh, Tanja Greiderer, Jake Ephros, Eva Späh, Bianca Jansky, Tereza Hendl, and Verina Wild; October 2019, ©Yves Krier

The vibrant META team involves scholars from various disciplines, currently including philosophy, applied ethics, sociology, law, medicine, epidemiology and public health. The project will span across more disciplines over time. In the team, we discuss our results from a broader, interdisciplinary perspective, and we work on joint projects. For example, we are developing a user-friendly website for the public, policy, research & development and the private sector. In focused individual projects, we conduct empirical, conceptual and normative research. These projects span across various spheres of mHealth, with our methods dynamically evolving and adapting to capture novel technologies and the new possibilities and challenges they bring about. Collaborating partners bring in additional ideas and projects. Our international Advisory Board supports us virtually and in personal meetings.
Results of the project are disseminated in academic publications and presentations and will also soon be featured on our new user-friendly META website. The BMBF-funded project runs from April 2018 to March 2024. Project lead: Verina Wild

Consultancy to mHealth stakeholders:

Through the exploration of ethical, legal and social aspects of mHealth, the META team is developing a unique expertise in the field. As part of the inquiry, we are identifying opportunities for mHealth to become more inclusive, informed by lived experiences of diverse target groups and beneficent to a wide cohort of users. Building on interdisciplinary research findings, the team provides consultancy to mHealth stakeholders, such as state institutions, private sector and NGOs. For more information about META team consultancy, please send an email to project leader Verina Wild: v.wild@lmu.de

Pictures taken at the BMBF-kick off Workshop in Berlin, September 20, 2018

Left picture: Tereza Hendl, Katharina Eisenhut, Felix Machleid, Bianca Jansky, Ela Sauerborn, Verina Wild, Niels Nijsingh; Right picture: Verina Wild