Anna Hirsch

Anna Hirsch serves as a Research Associate at the Institute of Ethics, History and Theory of Medicine within the Faculty of Medicine at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Holding a PhD in Philosophy, she specializes in medical ethics with particular focus on conceptual relationships between patient autonomy and well-being in clinical decision-making contexts.

Her academic background includes:

• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and History from the University of Augsburg
• Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Bonn, where she concurrently worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Science and Ethics (IWE)
• Doctorate from the Munich Graduate School for Ethics in Practice (MKEP) with dissertation "Autonomy and Well-being. A Philosophical Analysis of their Relationship in Patient Care"

Dr. Hirsch's research program critically examines how nuanced philosophical understandings of autonomy and well-being can resolve ethical tensions between respect for patient self-determination and physician beneficence obligations. Her work extends to paternalism justification frameworks, the moral significance of physician-patient relationships, and ethical challenges in end-of-life care. Through rigorous conceptual analysis, she bridges theoretical philosophy with practical clinical ethics, contributing to both academic discourse and real-world medical practice.

Analysis of her 11 publications from 2021-2025 reveals consistent thematic development centered on autonomy-well-being dynamics, with increasing attention to contextual applications including marginal agents, human enhancement debates, and interdisciplinary competence frameworks. Her collaborative approach is evident in co-authored works with clinicians like Georg Marckmann and Joar Björk, demonstrating integration of philosophical rigor with medical practice realities. The publications span book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and commentaries in leading ethics journals including Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy and Ethik in der Medizin.