Christine Clavien

Christine Clavien is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Ethics, History, and Humanities (iEH2) within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva. Previously, she served as a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at iEH2 since 2015, and was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Lausanne. She maintains significant external roles as a member of the National Ethics Commission in human medicine (CNE), the University Commission for Ethical Research at the University of Geneva (CUREG), and the national working group "Advance planning concerning health".

Dr. Clavien completed her thesis on evolutionary ethics through a joint program at the Universities of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) and Paris I, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University in New York. Her academic journey reflects a deep commitment to bridging philosophical inquiry with empirical research across multiple disciplines.

Her research spans medical ethics (including allocation of responsibilities, patient-healthcare professional relationships, and end-of-life issues), descriptive ethics (examining moral skills development, moral motivation, and altruism), the ethics of behavioral nudges, and research integrity. Clavien employs interdisciplinary methods that integrate philosophical analysis with empirical data to develop practical solutions for promoting respectful behavior and appropriate communication in academic and professional contexts. Her work demonstrates consistent focus on translating theoretical ethical frameworks into concrete applications for healthcare and research settings.

Clavien's research output shows clear trends toward practical applications of ethical theory, particularly in healthcare contexts. Her recent publications increasingly focus on developing and testing interventions—such as integrity games, nudges, and conversation tools—that operationalize ethical principles in real-world settings. The interdisciplinary nature of her work is evident in the diverse methodological approaches spanning philosophical analysis, qualitative research, and quantitative experimental designs.

• Prix pour le partenariat avec nos patients at Hackathon des HUG #4 (2019)
• Project selected in highlights by jury of national hackathon Versus Virus (2020)

As an educator and mentor, Clavien manages multiple ethics courses including Bioethics, Introduction to Applied Ethics, and Science and Ethics. She serves on the steering committee for the doctoral program "Biomedical Sciences, Bioethics" and supervises doctoral theses in philosophy and biomedical sciences. Her research has attracted substantial funding, including a Horizon 2020 grant of 2.4 million euros over three years for the INTEGRITY project and funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation for her work on IoT in occupational health. These grants reflect the significance and practical relevance of her research agenda.

Clavien leads the "Ethics and Science" research group and participates in the "Biomedical Ethics" research group. Her current research portfolio includes ANTICIped (developing conversation tools for advance care planning with children), ANTICIPATION (using card games for advance care planning), LET US AGREE (a mobile app for advance care planning), and investigations into the ethical implications of IoT in occupational health. These projects demonstrate her commitment to addressing pressing ethical challenges in healthcare through innovative, practical solutions.