![]() | Bianca Jansky |
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03.02.2025-27.02.2025
Augmented mental Health: An empirical bioethics study of the use of augmented and virtual reality technologies in psychiatry
Within the proposed project, I have four main objectives
- Firstly, I will explore and map the ethical, legal and social aspects of the use of VR/AR technologies in psychiatric settings. I will focus on clinical studies, commercial developments, and DIY approaches to gain an in-depth understanding. This part will result in a literature review, to be published as a peer-reviewed journal article.
- In a second step, building on the results of 1) and the analysis of empirical data collected before my Brocher residency, I will empirically retrace the lived experiences of both patients and health professionals with V/AR technologies in practice. This part will result in a peer-reviewed journal article for a social sciences audience.
- The third objective of my time at Brocher, is to make use of the unique local situatedness of the Brocher foundation. I will seek out to connect with two stakeholder groups during my stay. Firstly, I will seek out a collaboration with the WHO’s department of ethics and social determinants of health to translate the findings of my study into policy recommendations. Here I already have a contact with Andreas Reis. Secondly, the Virtual Medical Centre of the university hospital of Geneva is one of the leading hospitals in implementing V/AR technologies in clinical practice worldwide. I will use my time at Brocher to connect with the V/AR research group.
- Lastly, I aim to connect with other scholars during my time at Brocher, which will help me to expand my professional network. A residency at Brocher gives me the opportunity to discuss my work with renowned scholars in bioethics and seek feedback from them. This will help my career goal to become an internationally established bioethicist and STS scholar.