Dr. phil. Zümrüt Alpınar Segawa

Postdoctoral research fellow

Institute for Ethics, History and Philosophy of Medicine

OE 5450

Hannover Medical School
Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1
D-30625 Hannover
Phone: +49 511-532-4220
Fax: +49 511-532-5650

Email: AlpinarSencan.Zuemruet@mh-hannover.de 

 

Research Foci:

  • Interculturality in bioethics
  • Cultural sensitivity and social diversity in healthcare
  • Empirical ethics
  • Ethics of dementia-related diseases
  • Ethics of transplantation medicine

 

Academic Degrees

Doctoral Degree
Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, Switzerland, May 2015
Dissertation Title: “Organ Selling, Human Dignity and its Violation: A Critical Assessment of the Role of Dignity in the Contemporary Debate on Commercialization of Organs”
Supervisor: Dr. Holger Baumann

Master’s Degree
Department of Philosophy, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, August 2009
Dissertation Title: “Expansion of Rawls’s Theory of Justice as Fairness to Health Care”
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayhan Sol

Bachelor's Degree 
Department of Philosophy, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey, June 2006

 

Research Experience

Postdoctoral research fellow in “Intercultural dementia care in culturally diverse settings: An ethical analysis informed by a qualitative study with the Turkish immigrant community in Germany” at the Institute for Ethics, History and Philosophy of Medicine, Medical School Hannover, Germany, June 2023 until now.
PI: Dr. Zümrüt Alpınar Segawa
Funding: DFG (German Research Foundation)

Postdoctoral research fellow in “Intercultural dementia care in culturally diverse settings: An ethical analysis informed by a qualitative study with the Turkish immigrant community in Germany” at the Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, January 2023 until June 2023.
PI: Dr. Zümrüt Alpınar Şencan
Funding: DFG (German Research Foundation)

Postdoctoral researcher in “HiGHmed: Heidelberg – Göttingen – Hannover Medical Informatics”, Subproject “Ethical and Social Implications of Big Data Supported Medicine from Stakeholders Perspectives” at the Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, June 2021 until December 2022.
PI: Prof. Dr. Silke Schicktanz (Universitätsmedizin Göttingen)
PI: Prof. Dr. Eva Winkler (Universität Heidelberg)
PI: Prof. Dr. Daniel Strech (Charité Berlin)
Funding: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research – BMBF.

Project coordinator and postdoctoral researcher in “Stakeholders’ Attitudes towards Prodromal Dementia Diagnosis: Psycho-Social and Ethical Implications in Cross-Cultural Comparison” at the Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, January 2018 until June 2021.
PI: Prof. Dr. Silke Schicktanz (Universitätsmedizin Göttingen)
PI: Prof. Dr. Perla Werner (University of Haifa, Israel)
Funding: German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF).

Postdoctoral researcher in “Mind the Risk: Ethical, Psychological and Social Implications of Risk Information from Genetic to Related Technologies”, at the Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, January 2018 until December 2019.
PI: Prof. Dr. Silke Schicktanz (Universitätsmedizin Göttingen)
Funding: Riksbankens Jubileumsfonds for the Humanities and Social Sciences).

Associate researcher at the Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary, AB, Canada, November 2015 until December 2017.

Research assistant in “Human Dignity and Autonomy – The Limits of Self-Ownership” of the Network Project “Human Dignity in Practical Contexts” at Center for Ethics, Zürich, Switzerland, August 2011 until July 2014.
PI:Dr. Holger Baumann
Funding: UFSP Ethik and SNF.

Research assistant – Performed archival research in systematizing academic works of Prof. Dr. Yaman Örs (retired), Faculty of Medicine, University of Ankara, Turkey, January 2008 until July 2010.

 

Memberships of Working and Research Groups

2022 – Current
European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action, “Ethics in Dementia” (EDEM CA21137, Management Committee Member and Working Group Member (2022 – 2026)

2021 – Current
Participating Scholar, Interdisciplinary Research Group on “Public Health and Migration from a Global and Interdisciplinary Perspective”, Centre for Global Migration Studies (2022 – 2024)

2022 – Current
The German Academy of Ethics in Medicine (AEM), Working Group on “Medical Ethics and Islam”

2020 – Current
The German Academy of Ethics in Medicine (AEM), Working Group on “Cultural Diversity in Healthcare”

 

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

  1. Werner, P., Ulitsa, N., Alpinar-Sencan, Z., Shefet, D., Schicktanz, S. (2024). "Identifying Stigmatizing Language Used by Israelis and Germans With a Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, Their Relatives, and Caregivers of People With Alzheimer’s Disease". Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000596
  2. Alpinar-Sencan, Z.*, Schicktanz, S.*, Ulitsa, N. Shefet, D., Werner, P. (2022). "Moral motivation regarding dementia risk testing among affected persons in Germany and Israel". Journal of Medical Ethics. 48: 861-867. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106990 (*Joint first authors) 
  3. Werner, P., Ulitsa, N., Shephet, D., Abojabel, H., Alpinar-Sencan, Z., & Schicktanz, S. (2021). "Fear about Alzheimer’s disease among Israeli and German laypersons, persons with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder and their relatives: A qualitative study". International Psychogeriatrics, 33(10): 1019-1034. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220003397
  4. Lohmeyer, L., Alpinar-Sencan, Z., Schicktanz, S. (2021). “Attitudes towards Prediction and Early Diagnosis of Late-Onset Dementia: A Comparison of Tested Persons and Family Caregivers”. Aging and Mental Health. 25(5): 832-843. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1727851
  5. Alpinar-Sencan, Z., Schicktanz, S. (2020). “Addressing Ethical Challlenges of Disclosure in Dementia Prediction: Limitations of Current Guidelines and Suggestions to Proceed”. BMC Medical Ethics 21(33). doi: 10.1186/s12910-020-00476-4
  6. Alpinar-Sencan, Z., Lohmeyer, L., Schicktanz, S. (2020). “Planning Later Life with Dementia: Comparing Family Caregivers’ Perspective on Biomarkers with Laypersons’ Attitudes towards Genetic Testing of Dementia Prediction”. New Genetics and Society. 39(1): 52-79. doi: 10.1080/14636778.2019.1637719
  7. Alpinar-Sencan, Z. (2017). “Ethics in the Light of Scientific Philosophy: Understanding Yaman Örs’s Methodological Approach”. Turkish Journal of Bioethics. 4(3): 118-124.
  8. Alpinar-Sencan, Z., Baumann, H., Biller-Andorno, N. (2017). “Does Organ Selling Violate Human Dignity?”. Monash Bioethics Review. 34(3): 189-205. Published online on July 11, 2017. doi: 10.1007/s40592-017-0070-x
  9. Alpinar-Sencan, Z. (2016). “Reconsidering Kantian Arguments Against Organ Selling.” Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. 19(1): 21–31.  Published online on January 31, 2015. doi: 10.1007/s11019-015-9623-z
  10. Alpinar-Sencan, Z. (2014). “A Social Understanding of Dignity: A Promising Approach in the Organ Selling Debate.” Bioethica Forum. 7(4): 148–54.
  11. Alpinar, Z., Civaner, M., Örs, Y. (2010). “Rationing Healthcare: Should Life-Style Be Used as a Criterion?” The Anatolian Journal of Cardiology. 10 (4): 367–71. doi: 10.5152/akd.2010.097
  12. Civaner, M., Alpinar, Z., Örs, Y. (2010). “Why Would Opt-Out System for Organ Procurement Be More Fair?” Synthesis Philosophica. 50(2): 367–76.
  13. Alpınar, Z. (2007). “Evrimde Olanaklılık” (Possibility in Evolution).  TMMOB Türkiye Jeoloji Mühendisleri Odası, Haber Bülteni. Nisan-Mayıs-Haziran, No: 2, 38-39. 

Refereed Book Chapters

  1. Alpinar-Sencan, Z. (2023) “Provision of Healthcare for Culturally Diverse Populations: Insights from a Qualitative Study on Dementia Care with the Turkish Immigrant Community in Germany”. In: Social Diversity and Access to Healthcare for Minority Groups in the Context of Hospital and Clinical Healthcare, M.  Ramšak, P. Łuków, A. Muzur, F. Steger (eds.). Applied Ethics – Medicine Series. Freiburg: Karl Alber Verlag, 155-77.
  2. Alpinar-Sencan, Z. (2021). “Selling Organs: Dignity as a Further Concern”. In: S. L. Hansen, S. Schicktanz (eds.). Ethical Challenges of Organ Transplantation: Current Debates and International Perspectives. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 209–25.
  3. Biller-Andorno, N., Alpinar, Z. (2014). “Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism”. In: H.A.M.J. ten Have, B. Gordijn (eds.). Handbook of Global Bioethics. Dordrecht: Springer, 771–83. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-2512-6_122

Edited Books

  1. Örs, Y. (2011). Bir Bilimsel Felsefeci Olarak Yaman Örs’ün Yaklaşımıyla Etik’in Anlamı ve Anlmasızlığı  (The Meaning and Meaninglessness of Ethics From The Perspective of a Scientific Philosopher Yaman Örs).  Z. Alpınar (Ed.). Ankara: Efil Yayinevi.

Refereed Conference Papers

  1. Alpinar, Z. (2012). “Bir Bilimsel Felsefeci Olarak Yaman Örs’ün Etik ve Biyoetik’e Yaklaşımı” (A Scientific Philosopher’s Approach to Ethics and Bioethics). In: Y. I. Ülman, S. V. Genç (eds.). Biyoetik Araştırmaları, (Bioethics Studies). Türkiye Biyoetik Derneği Yayın No. XVI, ISBN: 978-975-7041-07-8, Istanbul, 101–08. 
  2. Alpinar, Z., Sol, A. (2007). “Fairness by Inequity in Transplantation and General Health Care.” The First International Congress on Medical Ethics and Law (Antalya, Turkey, 17-20 October 2007). In: A. Demirhan Erdemir, Ö. Özcel, Z. Zeytin, H. Öztürk Türkmen, S. Erer, H. Erkin and E. Atıcı (Eds.). Problems of Medical Ethics and Law in Organ and Tissue Transplantation. Istanbul: Nobel Matbaacılık, 731–39.

Reviews

  1. Alpinar, Z. (2008). “Sempozyum: Bilinc, Yasam ve Olum” (Consciousness, Life and Death Symposium). Turkiye Biyoetik Dernegi, e-bulten, Spring, No: 14, 11-14. 

Book Reviews

  1. Zümrüt Alpinar-Sencan. Review of: Markets Without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests. (2016) Brennan J., Jaworski, P. M.: New York: Routledge. In: Bioethica Forum, January 2021, 14(1), pp. 112-113. doi: 10.24894/BF.2021.14014
  2. Zümrüt Alpinar-Sencan. Review of: Potentiality. Metaphysical and Bioethical Dimensions. (2014) Lizza J. P. (ed.): Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. In: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, March 2017, 20(1), pp. 153-157.  Published Online on September 21, 2016. doi: 10.1007/s11019-016-9733-2
  3. Zümrüt Alpinar. Review of: Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Responsibility. The New Language of Global Bioethics and Biolaw. (2012) Barilan Y. M.: Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. In: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, May 2013, 16(2), pp. 317-322. Published Online on February 23, 2013. doi: 10.1007/s11019-013-9476-2

Translations

  1. Sober, E. (2009). Philosophy of Biology. A. Sol, C. Yağız, D. Sugorakova, E. Keskin, G. Akbay, M. Elgin, O. Aslan, Ş. Yalçın, Z. Alpınar (Trans.), Ankara: İmge Yayınevi.

 

Presentations

Refereed Conference Presentations – In German

  1. Frankfurt am Main 2022. Einwilligung und Teilnahme an datenintensiver Medizinische Forschung: Expert*innen-Perspektiven im deutschsprachigen Kontext. Annual Conference of the German Academy of Ethics in Medicine [Jahrestagung 2022 der Akademie für Ethik in der Medizin (AEM)], Evangelischen Akademie Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Alpinar-Sencan, Buhr & Schicktanz) (Sept.)

Refereed Conference Presentations – In English

  1. Basel 2022. Provision of Dementia Care: Insights from a Qualitative Study with the Members of the Turkish Immigrant Community in Germany. 16th World Congress of Bioethics, University of Basel, Switzerland. (July)
  2. Basel 2022. “Being Well Informed” as the Basis for “Good Care”: Moving towrads Standards for Counseling for Dementia Prediciton and Early Diagnosis in Germany. 16th World Congress of Bioethics, University of Basel, Switzerland. (Alpinar-Sencan & Perry) (July)
  3. Berlin 2021. Moral Motivation Regarding Dementia Risk Testing Among Affected Persons in Germany and Israel. Annual Conference of the German Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (DGPPN), CityCube, Berlin, Germany. (Alpinar-Sencan & Schicktanz) (Nov.)
  4. Online (Erlangen-Nürnberg) 2021. Hearing Diverse Perspectives to Improve Future Practices in Dementia Medicine: A Comparative Analysis of Attitudes towards Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Dementia Across Stakeholder Groups in Germany. Annual Conference of the German Academy of Ethics in Medicine [Jahrestagung 2021 der Akademie für Ethik in der Medizin (AEM)], Friedrich-Alexander University,  Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. (Sept.)
  5. Online (Göttingen) 2020. What Lies Beneath? Moral Motivation Regarding Predictive Biomarker Testing and Preclinical Diagnosis Among Affected Persons in Germany and Israel. Internationales Online Symposium, “Dementia Prediction and Risk Reduction: Socio-Cultural Insights, Ethical Reflections and Future Developments”, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. (Alpinar-Sencan & Ulitsa) (Dec.)
  6. Göttingen 2019. Challenges of Dealing with Dementia Prediciton – Various Stakeholders’ Perspectives. Wintzer-Workshop, “Demenz-Prävention und Pflege im wohlfahrtsstaatlichen Wandel” [Dementia Prediction and Care in a Changing Welfare State], Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. (Perry & Alpinar-Sencan) (Dec.)
  7. Göttingen 2019.  Can Collective Interests Outweigh Individual Interests? Considering Digntiy’s Function and Autonomy’s Significance in Organ Selling Debate. Annual Conference of the German Academy of Ethics in Medicine [Jahrestagung 2019 der Akademie für Ethik in der Medizin (AEM)], Alte Mensa, Göttingen, Germany. (Sept.)
  8. Barcelona 2018. Early Dementia Diagnosis and Planning Later Life: Preliminary Results of an Empirical-Ethical Study. 28th Alzheimer Europe Conference, Hotel Barcelo, Barcelona, Spain. (Alpinar-Sencan, Lohmeyer & Schicktanz) (Oct.)
  9. Amsterdam 2018. Reflections on Prognosis and Early Diagnosis of Dementia: Preliminary Results of an Empirical-Ethical Study with the Affected and Laypersons. EACME (European Association of Centers of Medical Ethics) Annual Conference, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (Alpinar-Sencan, Lohmeyer & Schicktanz) (Sept.)
  10. Naples 2013. Violating Dignity by Offering Organs For Sale? A Critical Evaluation of Dignity in The Current Debate. UNESCO Chair in Bioethics 9th World Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics and Health Law, Royal Continental Congress Centre, Italy. (Nov.)
  11. Zurich 2012. Social Justice and the Commercialization of Organs. Meeting The Authors: Ruth Faden and Madison Powers, University of Zurich, Switzerland. (June)
  12. Istanbul 2011. Ethics and Bioethics in Prof. Yaman Örs’s Scientific Philosophy. EACME (European Association of Centers of Medical Ethics), 25th Annual Conference, Istanbul, Turkey. (Sept.)
  13. Istanbul 2010. Bir Bilimsel Felsefeci Olarak Yaman Örs’ün Etik ve Biyoetik’e Yaklaşımı (A Scientific Philosopher’s Approach to Ethics and Bioethics), The VI. Congress of Medical Ethics, “Biyoetik’te Yeni Ufuklar”, The Dedeman Hotel, Turkey. (Nov.)
  14. Rijeka 2008. Rationing Healthcare: Should Life-Style Be Used as a Criterion? The IX. World Congress of Bioethics. Grand Hotel Bonavia, Croatia. (Alpinar, Civaner & Örs) (Sept.)
  15. Antalya 2007. Fairness by Inequity in Transplantation and General Health Care. The 1st International Congress on Medical Ethics and Law: Problems of Medical Ethics and Law in Organ and Tissue Transplantation. The Falez Hotel, Turkey. (Alpinar & Sol) (Oct.)

Invited Talks and Presentations

  1. Heidelberg 2022. Stakeholders’ Attitiudes towards Dementia Risk Testing and Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease: Insights from a Cross-Cultural Study. Hybrid Symposium on Genetic Counseling in European Universities – The Case of Neurodegenrative Diseases, Network Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany. (Alpinar-Sencan & Ulitsa) (Dec.)
  2. Göttingen 2022. Presentation of a Pilot Study on Intercultural Dementia Care. Klausurtagung, Centre for Global Migration Studies (CeMig), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. (Oct.)
  3. Berlin 2022. Einwilligung und Partizipation in Big-Data-Forschungsprojekten: Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede verschiedener Akteursperspektiven aus ethisch-empirischer Sicht. (in German) MII Sympoisum 2022, DBB Forum, Berlin, Germany. (Schicktanz & Alpinar-Sencan) (Oct.)
  4. Turku 2013. Violating Dignity by Offering Organs for Sale: Not Necessarily? Invited Speaker, University of Turku, Section of Philosophy, Finland. (Aug.)

Webinar

  1. 2022. Challenges of Disclosure in Dementia Risk Prediction: Insights from Various Stakeholders’ Perspectives in Germany. “Global Implementation of Blood-Based Biomarkers (BBB) in AD: Part II: Gaps and Opportunities”, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Webinars, Alzheimer’s Association. (Available at: https://training.alz.org/research-webinars/) (Alpinar-Sencan & Perry) (March, 10)

 

Outreach

  1. Alpinar-Sencan, Z. (2022). „Wollen Sie oder lieber nicht? Ein Internationales Gemeinschaftsprojekt untersuchte die Einstellung der Interessenvertreter zu Prädiktiven Tests und einer frühzeitigen Diagnose der Alzheimer-Krankheit“. [Would you or rather not? An international collaborative project examined stakeholders’ attitudes towards predictive testing and early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease]. Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine in Göttingen, Blog Post (in German), July 26. 
  2. Alpinar-Sencan, Z., Schicktanz, S., Ulitsa, N., Werner, P. (2021). “Would you or rather not? Affected persons in Germany and Israel have mixed opinions regarding predictive testing and early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.” In: Journal of Medical Ethics, Blog Post, August 9.