Department AGIS

Department AGIS

Welcome at the Department "Aging of Individuals and Society"

About Us

Increasing life expectancy and low birth rates significantly change the population structure. The demographic change is considered as one of the major challenges of the modern industrial society. The increasing shortage of junior staff and management staff, the increasing need for care and financing difficulties of social insurance systems are some of the consequences. Social key objective of an ageing society remains the assurance of welfare. This assumes a maintenance of the capacity for innovation, the availability of manpower and the adaptation of institution to demographic changes. Welfare also means enabling an autonomous and self-determined life in old age, healthy and with full participation in society.

The department Ageing of Individuals and Society (AGIS) searches for new solutions – on the level of medical care and therapy forms, in the field of economic and social structures and related to technical assistance systems. Precondition for this is interdisciplinary research based on findings from medicine, humanities and engineering sciences.

 

Contact

Department AGIS

Interdisciplinary Faculty
University of Rostock
Universitätsplatz 1
D-18055 Rostock

leiter.agisuni-rostockde
agisuni-rostockde

 

News

New Graduate School SYLOBIO (DFG)

DFG grants funding for graduate school analyzing biomaterial intolerance in artificial joints

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted funding for the graduate school "Systemische und lokale Reaktionen bei Unverträglichkeit gegenüber Biomaterialien für Gelenk- und Hautläsionen" (Systemic and local reactions in the event of intolerance to biomaterials for joint and skin lesions, SYLOBIO) - our heartfelt congratulations are extended to AGIS board member Prof. Rainer Bader for this remarkable success! The establishment of SYLOBIO is a proactive response to the escalating significance of artificial joints in meeting the healthcare needs of the population. The primary objective of SYLOBIO is to meticulously characterize the fundamental mechanisms that give rise to both systemic and local intolerance to biomaterials and to analze the significance of said intolerances for subsequent neurodegenerative diseases.

This collaborative effort with the University of Greifswald is poised to commence its research endeavors in spring 2024 and is set to span an initial duration of four years. For those seeking more information, please feel free to reach out to the spokesperson of the graduate school Rainer Bader.


Call for Proposals

AGIS announces funding opportunities for research projects

The Department "Aging of the Individual and Society" (AGIS) synergizes the realms of health technologies and medicine by actively participating in both their practical application and methodological advancement. In doing so, AGIS aligns itself with the overarching strategic initiative of SmartHealth, which resonates with the focal point of Rostock University Medical Center, HealthTechMedicine. Within this framework, the department is pleased to announce funding opportunities for its members for the year 2023/2024, aimed at providing initial financial support for projects closely aligned with our thematic focus (with a maximum application amount of €10,000).

We encourage all department members interested in seeking funding for SmartHealth-related endeavors to submit a concise project proposal outline (limited to 3-5 pages, inclusive of precise funding requirements) no later than November 15, 2023. Submissions should be directed to leiter.agisuni-rostockde and agisuni-rostockde


Event announcement

Online workshop "Giving Death a Place in Life"

Taking care of dying or deceases patients can pose a challenge to health care providers who are faced with the task to do justice to the needs of those affected (patients and the bereaved) and others (other patients, visitors). But what space – both with regard to specific places and to spaces of time – do we grant death and dying in everyday clinical practice? And how does this affect (social, clinical, individual, etc.) concepts of values and dignity?

The online workshop Sterben gut im Leben verorten (Giving Death a Place in Life)  welcomes participants from all professional and practical backgrounds. Please send an email to katharina.fuerholzeruni-rostockde to register.


Job offer

Free position for a SHK with an interest in the Medical Humanities

We are looking for a student assistant (SHK) to help with research projects and conferences within the field of the Medical Humanities, with a focus on correlations between literature and medicine (150h; ca. 1 year).

The job offer can be found here. Please reach out to katharina.fuerholzeruni-rostockde.


New Horizon Project (MSCA-DN)

Doctoral Network "CombiDiag" about to start in February 2023

Starting February 1, 2023, the international doctoral network CombiDiag - Peripheral Biomarker Based Combinatorial Early Diagnostics for Dementia will train ten doctoral candidates for the field of multimodal peripheral markers and their combinatorial use for diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Both the University Medicine Rostock (contact Prof. Dr. Stefan Teipel) and the University of Rostock (contact Prof. Dr. Thomas Kirste) will participate in this project, which is funded under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

For more information feel free to reach out to the network director Stefan Teipel.


Universität im Rathaus

Early diagnosis of dementia – Stefan Teipel and Martina Kumlehn in conversation

Dementia can be unsettling and frightening; however, an early diagnosis can make life with dementia at least a little bit easier – thanks to, e.g., digital "motion detectors" and modern, sometimes controversial therapies. As part of the public lecture series Universität im Rathaus (University at the Town Hall), Stefan Teipel (DZNE/Rostock University Medical Center) and Martina Kumlehn (Theology/University of Rostock) discuss possibilities and limitations of early diagnosis of dementia.

The event "Demenz neu denken. Moderne Therapien zwischen Überwachung und Autonomie" ("Rethinking dementia. Modern therapies between monitoring and autonomy") will take place on January 12, 2023 from 6 p.m. Everyone interested is welcome!


CfP

Conference "Medical Imaginations of the End of Life"

The interdisciplinary conference Medical Imaginations of the End of Life, which is anchored in the research field of the Medical Humanities, seeks to understand how physicians and other healthcare providers imagine their own age(ing), death and dying.

We look forward to contributions from the humanities and cultural sciences as well as medicine, medical ethics and medical history! Abstracts can be submitted until January 31st, 2023. For more details check out our CfP.


Kierkegaard and Bioethics

New edited volume by Johann-Christian Põder

What can today's bioethics still learn from the theories of Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855)? Authors from various academic backgrounds explore this question in an interdisciplinary dialogue. 

The volume Kierkegaard and Bioethics, edited by Johann-Christian Põder (Theology/University of Rostock), will be published in 2023 by Routledge.


Mare Balticum Fellowship Program

Call for applications 2023/24

The Mare Balticum Fellowship Program promotes the invitation of international researchers in the context of interdisciplinarity research endeavors.

Applications can be submitted until January 3, 2023. Further information can be found on the program's website.


Corona Podcast

Covid19 and its consequences for society

In the Corona podcast series Learning from the crisis: Covid19 and the consequences for society, scholars from the interdisciplinary faculty provide answers to questions that concern individuals and society in the Covid19 pandemic.

More information and the podcast episodes can be found here.


Virtual event series

Dementia – participative research and co-design

Dementia is one of the greatest challenges of modern industrial society. Health innovations are urgently needed to prevent dementia, delay the progression of the disease and reduce the burden for all affected. In the course of digitization, technical assistance systems are becoming more important in the care of people with dementia; however, the perspective of those affected is all too often not taken into account when developing new devices. This may lead to a lack of technical user-friendliness, which may ultimately endanger the use of the technology.

From May to December 2021, perspectives on participatory research and co-design in dementia were presented in the virtual series of events "Participatory Research and Co-Design in Dementia". In several lectures and a virtual congress (September 9th, 2021), national and international researchers came together to share experiences. The event also gave a general insight into the methodology of participatory research and its possibilities of increasing the acceptance and relevance of research in various research fields through the participation of those affected.

Talks
Date Time Speaker Talk
10.05.2021 15:00–16:30 Prof. Dr. Silke Schicktanz, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen „Participatory approaches in Dementia Research: Ethical Consideration, Practical Issues, Challenges”
14.06.2021 15:00–16:30 Prof. Dr. Urs Granacher, Universität Potsdam „Exercise is Medicine:  Relevance of Exercise for Older Adults“
09.09.2021 10:00-15:00 Dr. Katrin Grüber, Institut Mensch, Ethik und Wissenschaft „Requirements and conditions for participatory research”
  Dr. Dianne Gove, Alzheimer Europe „The contribution of people with dementia to research in the context of Public Involvement”
  Dr. Louise Hopper, Dublin City University „Some people can listen, but they may not hear" - Evaluating participatory research with people with dementia in Ireland
  Prof. Dr. Mike Martin, Universität Zürich From studying to improving Quality of Life in couples affected by dementia: About the power of participatory research for science and society
  Prof. Dr. Stefan Teipel, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Standort Rostock/Greifswald Research priorities of dementia stakeholders and participatory priorities of researchers
  Dr. Jan Alexandersson, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz Some Experiences with Interdisciplinary and User-Centered R&D Methodologies
  Dr. Alexandra König, Université Côte d'azur „Personalizing assistive technologies for meaningful engagement”
11.10.2021 15:00–16:30 Wiebke Mohr, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Standort Rostock/Greifswald „Formative participatory research with People living with Dementia to design a quantitative preference study for Person-Centered Care"
  Stefanie Köhler, Universitätsmedizin Rostock „User-centered-design and feasibility study of an assistive technology supporting people with cognitive impairment”
  Dr. Saskia Kuliga, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Standort Witten „Wayfinding and dementia-sensitive urban design from the perspective of people with dementia“
08.11.2021 15:00–16:30 Prof. Dr. Johann-Christian Põder, Universität Rostock „Ethical design patterns for assistive technology"
  Dr. Olga A. Klein, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Standort Rostock/Greifswald „Mixing methods in healthcare research: using participatory research approaches in the development of a digitally supported care management intervention for caregivers of people with dementia"
  Alice Grazia, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Standort Rostock/Greifswald „Towards the definition of a common language to support participatory research in European multiple-stakeholders projects"
13.12.2021 15:00–16:30 Prof. Dr. Manuela Weidekamp-Maicher, Hochschule Düsseldorf „Partizipative Technikentwicklung mit Menschen mit Demenz – Ein Überblick über zentrale methodologische Ansätze mit besonderem Blick auf Möglichkeiten des Co-Designs“ (deutschsprachig)
  Dr. Diana Schack Thoft, Research Center Bridging Technologies and User needs and Department of Nursing, University College Northern Denmark “Balanced Participation when involving people with dementia in qualitative research”

Archive