Members of the Bioethics Commission

The 24 members of the Bioethics Commission represent the fields of medicine, molecular biology and genetics, law, sociology, philosophy, theology and psychology.

The members of the Commission are appointed for a period of three years. They may be reappointed. The Federal Chancellor appoints the Chairperson of the Commission as well as two Vice Chairs from among the members. When the term of office expires, the Commission shall proceed with its activities until the newly appointed Commission convenes.

Meetings of the Commission are convened by the Federal Chancellor or the Chairperson as necessary, but at least every three months.

Christiane Druml

UNESCO – Chair on Bioethics of the Medical University of Vienna. Director of the Josephinum – Ethics, Collections and History of Medicine. Key researcher of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases (LBI-RUD). Former Vice-Rector of the Medical University of Vienna (2011-2015), Former Member of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (2008-2015), Member of the National Health Council.

Chair of the Austrian Bioethics Commission

Markus Hengstschläger

Professor for Medical Genetics, Head of the Centre for Path Biochemistry and Genetics at the Medical University of Vienna, Head of the Institute for Medical Genetics at the Medical University of Vienna.

First Vice Chair of the Austrian Bioethics Commission

Peter Kampits

Professor Emeritus for Philosophy at the University of Vienna, retired Professor for Medical Ethics at the Donau University of Krems, former Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Education Studies at the University of Vienna, former Head of the Research Platform for Ethics and Science at the University of Vienna, former Deputy Director-General of the ICU Dubrovnik, Member of the European Society for Philosophy, Ethics and Health Care (ESPMH), Member of the Supervisory Board at the private Foundation Sigmund Freud, Member in several Ethics Commissions at Austrian hospitals and other institutions (for example University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Academia Superior).

Second Vice Chair of the Austrian Bioethics Commission

Matthias Beck

Associate Professor for Moral Theology with a specification for Medical Ethics, Expert at the German Bundestag. Memberships: Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) in Brussels, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Academy for Medical Ethics, European Society for Catholic Theology (ESCT/ET), International Association for Moral Theology and Social Ethics, Association of Bioethicists in Central Europe (BCE), Member of the "Pontifical Academy for Life" in the Vatican.

Alois Birklbauer

Professor for Criminal Law at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz since October 2009, Head of the Department for Practice of Criminal Law Sciences and Medical Criminal Law. Member of several socio-political commissions (Commission for Victims Protection Upper Austria, Commission for Criminal Law Execution Upper Austria, Advisory Council for Human Rights BMI) and parliamentary committees (Commission of enquiry for the reform of the criminal law sanctions, Sub-Committee for the reform of the code of criminal procedure).

Andrea Bronner

Psychoanalytic Association of Vienna, Specialist in Psychiatry and Neurology. Vice Chair of the Psychoanalytic Association of Vienna.

Christian Egarter

Associate Professor for Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna, former Head of the Department for Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine.

Thomas Frühwald

Specialist for Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. Board Member of the Austrian Society for Geriatrics and Gerontology. In 2008 conferment of the title "Professor". In 2010, Ignatius Nascher Award for Geriatrics of the City of Vienna. Member of the Vienna Advisory Council for Bioethics and Medical Ethics. Member of the Advisory Council for Geriatrics at the Federal Ministry of Health.

Ludwig Kaspar

Specialist in Internal Medicine (Cardiology and Intensive Medicine), Medical Head of the Health Website Netdoktor.at GmbH, former Head of the Healthcare Centre Sanatorium Hera, former Speaker of the Austrian Hospital and Healthcare Services Platform (Austrian Association for Public Economy and Non-profit-making Sector, VÖWG) and Member of the Steering Committee of HOSPEEM, Brussels.

Lukas Kenner

Professor of Experimental and Comparative Pathology and Deputy Director of the Institute of Pathology at the Medical University of Vienna, Head of the Department of Laboratory Pathology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and Deputy Head of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research in Vienna.

Maria Kletecka-Pulker

General Manager of the Institute for Ethics and Law in Medicine at the University of Vienna, Academic Staff Member at the Medical University of Vienna, Member of the Board of the Austrian Patient Safety Foundation. Specialist in Medical Law.

Ursula Köller

Professor for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics at the Medical University of Vienna, Head of the Institute for Laboratory Medicine (Serology and Infection Diagnostics) at the Hietzing Hospital with Neurological Centre Rosenhügel.

Johannes Gobertus Meran

Professor for Internal Medicine, Head of the Department Internal Medicine at the Barmherzige Brüder Hospital of Vienna, Editor of "Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift" (International Medical Journal founded in 1851 in Vienna), Professor for Pastoral Medicine at the Philosophy-Theological College of Heiligenkreuz, Member of the Board of the Austrian Society of Hematology and Oncology.

Stephanie Merckens

Lawyer, expert for bioethics and biopolitics

Siegfried Meryn

Professor Emeritus of the Medical University Vienna. Professor of Internal Medicine, secondary specialization in gastroenterology and hepatology. Chair of the Advisory Board on Health of the ORF, Director of the non-profit Foundation "CAPE10, Haus der sozialen Innovationen", founder of the initiative "Nein zu krank und arm" ("No to sick and poor"), which is committed to providing quick and unbureaucratic help to sick people experiencing poverty and to mobilizing public support by acting as a mouthpiece for those affected by poverty.

Christina Peters

Professor of Paediatrics and specialist in paediatric hematology-oncology. Deputy at the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation at St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna. Member of the Austrian Health Council, the Scientific Committee for Genetic Testing and Gene Therapy, the Scientific Board of AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety), and the Leading Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Vienna. Deputy Spokesperson of the Austrian Society for Haematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation. Former Head of the Paediatric Diseases Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (2008-2014), Member of the European Network of Paediatric Research at the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Barbara Prainsack

Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Vienna. Director of the interdisciplinary Research Platform "Governance of Digital Practices" at the University of Vienna. Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), the Advisory Body of the European Commission.

Walter Schaupp

Professor of Moral Theology, Department of Catholic Theology, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, for many years Member of the Ethics Committee of Euro Transplant and of the Clinical Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Graz.

Andreas Valentin

Consultant in Internal Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine, and Cardiology; Head of the First Department for Internal Medicine at the Clinic Donaustadt (Wiener Gesundheitsverbund), Past President of the Federation of Austrian Societies for Intensive Care Medicine (2018-2021); Vice President of the Austrian Society for Internal and General Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine; Visiting Professor at the Medical University of Vienna (Josephinum).

Klaus Voget

Former Head of the District Court Donaustadt in Vienna, Chair of the Austrian Working Group for Rehabilitation (ÖAR), Chair of the Austrian Civilian Disabled Association (ÖZIV).

Ina Wagner

Professor Emeritus, Technical University of Vienna, Institute for Design and Assessment of Technology. Adjunct Professor, University Oslo. Visiting Professor, Sydney University of Technology.

Jürgen Wallner

Head of Ethics of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Austrian Province. Adjunct professor for Legal Ethics at University of Vienna’s Faculty of Law, Department of Legal Philosophy.

Christiane Wendehorst

Professor of Private Law at the University of Vienna, former President (2017-2021) and since 2021 Scientific Director of the European Law Institute (ELI). President of the philosophical-historical section of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Vice President of the Austrian Lawyers' Asociation (ÖJT), elected Member of the Academia Europea (AE), the International Academy for Comparative Law (IACL) and the American Law Institute (ALI). Professorships in Göttingen (1999-2008) and Greifswald (1998-99), Managing Director of the Sino-German Institute for Legal Studies (2000-2008).

Gabriele Werner-Felmayer

Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry at the Medical University of Innsbruck. Set up the interdisciplinary bioethics network Ethucation. Head of the Austrian Unit and Board Member of the European Division, International Network, UNESCO Chair in Bioethics (Haifa). Vice-Chair of the Science and Responsibility (Wissenschaft & Verantwortlichkeit) Association (WuV). Member of the Advisory Board in the Medical Humanities Research Centre, University of Innsbruck. Visiting Professor at King's College, London from 2015-2016 (research into bioethics of new biotechnologies in medicine).