University home > Centre for Ethics in Med… > Staff Details > Professor Ruud ter Meulen

Contact Details Telephone: 0117 331 0720 (Anne Lavender, PA) Email: R.terMeulen@bristol.ac.uk or Anne.Lavender@bristol.ac.uk

Biography

Ruud is the Director of the Centre for Ethics in Medicine. He was educated in psychology (Catholic University of Nijmegen), an area in which he worked for some years, before moving into the field of bioethics. Ruud was previously the Director of the Institute for Bioethics and Professor for Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Maastricht (1995-2005). He took up his position at the Centre in 2005; a copy of his inaugural lecture can be accessed here.

Teaching and Professional Training Activities

Ruud is an experienced teacher and is involved in various taught courses and training programmes offered by (or contributed to) by the Centre. Ruud co-ordinates the vertical theme in ethics and law within the Medicine (MBChB) programme and he oversees the ethics and law component of the Human Basis of Medicine course taken by first year medical students.

Research Interests

Ruud is particularly interested in justice in health care, the ethics of research, care of older people, and evidence-based medicine. He has directed several international research projects, including large-scale projects funded by the European Commission, and has published extensively in the field of bioethics.

Selected Publications

Books:

• Savulescu, J., Kahane, G., Meulen, R. ter, (eds) (2009) Enhancing Human Capacities, Oxford, Blackwell Publishers (forthcoming)
• Have, H. ten, Meulen R. ter, Leeuwen, E. van, Medische Ethiek (Medical Ethics) Houten, Bohn Stafleu & van Loghem, 1998; Second Edition, 2003; Third Edition 2009
• RHJ ter Meulen, Verbaken, S., Leget, C. (eds), Zorgen om de zorg, Best, Radboudstichting/Damon, 2008
• Landeweerd, L., L.M. Houdebine, R. ter Meulen (eds), Biotechnology-Ethics. An Introduction, Firenze University Press, 2005
• RHJ ter Meulen, N Biller-Andorno, Ch Lenk, R Lie, (eds.) Ethical Issues of Evidence Based Medicine (2005, Berlin: Springer Verlag)
• RHJ ter Meulen, W Arts, R Muffels, (eds.) Solidarity and Health Care in Europe (2001, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers)
• H ten Have, RHJ ter Meulen, E van Leeuwen, Medische Ethiek (Medical Ethics) (1988, Houten: Bohn Stafleu & van Loghem; Second Edition, 2003)
• RHJ ter Meulen, D Callahan, E Topinkova, (eds.) A World Growing Old: The Coming Health Care Challen­ges (1995, Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press)

Journal Articles:

• Meulen, R. ter, Will human enhancement make us better? Ethical reflections on the enhancement of human capacities by means of biomedical technologies, in: A.Miah, M. Stubbs, L. Stillers (eds) Human Features, Liverpool University Press, 2009
• Ubachs-Moust J., Houtepen, R., Meulen R. ter, and Vos, R., Value judgments in the decision-makingprocess regarding the elderly patient Journal of Medical Ethics, 2008, 34, 863-868
• Meulen, R. ter., Is rationing the inevitable consequence of medicla advance? Journal of Medicine and Law, 2008, 27(1), 71-82
• Meulen, R. ter, Maarse, H. Increasing Individual Responsibility in Dutch Health Care: Is Solidarity Losing Ground? Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 2008, 33, 262-279
• Meulen, R. ter., Jotterand, F. Individual Responsibility and Solidarity In European HealthCare, Further Down the Road to Two-Tier System of Health Care Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 2008, 33, 191-197
• Meulen, R. ter., The Lost Voice: How Libertarianism and Consumerism Obliterate the Need for a Relational Ethics in the National Healthcare Service, Journal for Christian Bioethics, 2008, 14, 78-94
• Bruchem, A.van, Arend, A. Huijer-Abu Saad, H., van der, Wijmen, F. van, Spreeuwenberg, C., Meulen, R. ter, Euthanasia and assisted suicide in Dutch hospitals: the role of Dutch nurses, Journal of C linical Nursing, 17, 2008, 1618-1626
• GG van Bruchem-van de Scheur, AJ van der Arend, HH Abu-Saad, C Spreeuwenberg, FC van Wijmen, RHJ ter Meulen, The role of nurses in euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in The Netherlands. J Med Ethics 2008; 34(4): 254-8
• GG van Bruchem-van de Scheur, AJ van der Arend, FC van Wijmen, HH Abu-Saad, RHJ ter Meulen, Dutch nurses’ attitudes towards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Nurs Ethics 2008; 15(2): 186-98
• IM Proot, RHJ ter Meulen, HH Abu-Saad, HF Crebolder, Supporting stroke patients’ autonomy during rehabilitation. Nurs Ethics 2007; 14(2): 229-41
• GG van Bruchem-van de Scheur, AJ van der Arend, C Spreeuwenberg, HH Abu-Saad, RHJ ter Meulen, Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the Dutch homecare sector: the role of the district nurse. J Adv Nurs 2007; 58(1): 44-52
• H Maarse, R ter Meulen, Consumer Choice in Dutch Health Insurance After Reform. Health Care Analysis 2006; 14(1): 37-49
• RHJ ter Meulen, The ethical basis of the precautionary principle in health care decision making. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2005; 207(2 Suppl): 663-7
• T Schoot, I Proot, RHJ ter Meulen, L de Witte, Recognition of client values as a basis for tailored care: the view of Dutch expert patients and family caregivers. Scand J Caring Sci 2005; 19(2): 169-76. Erratum in: Scand J Caring Sci 2005; 19(3): 178
• R Berghmans, M Berg, M van den Burg, RHJ ter Meulen, Ethical issues of cost effectiveness analysis and guideline setting in mental health care. J Med Ethics 2004; 30(2): 146-50
• R Ashcroft, RHJ ter Meulen, Ethics, philosophy, and evidence based medicine. J Med Ethics 2004; 30(2): 119
• RLP Berghmans, D Dickenson, RHJ ter Meulen Mental capacity: in search of alternative perspectives. Health Care Analysis 2004; 12(4): 251-263
• RLP Berghmans, M Berg, M van de Burg, RHJ ter Meulen, Ethical issues of cost-effectiveness analysis and guideline setting in mental health care. Journal of Medical Ethics 2004; 30: 146-150
• N Andorno Biller, R Lie, RHJ ter Meulen, Evidence based medicine as an instrument for rational health policy. Health Care Analysis 2002; 10: 261-275
• RHJ ter Meulen, DL Dickenson, Into the hidden world behind evidence based medicine. Health Care Analysis 2002; 10: 231-241
• H Meijburg, RHJ ter Meulen, Clinical Ethics Committees: Lessons from the Netherlands. Journal of Medical Ethics 2001; 27 suppl: i36-i40
• M Berg, M van den Burg, RHJ ter Meulen, Guidelines for appropriate care: The importance of empirical normative analysis. Health Care Analysis 2001; 9: 77-99
• IM Proot, HFJM Credolder, HH Abu-Saad, RHJ ter Meulen, Autonomy in the care of stroke patients in nursing homes. Nurs Ethics 2001; 8: 79
• I Proot, HFJM Crebolder, H Huijer Abu-Saad, THGM Macor, RHJ ter Meulen, Stroke patients' needs and experiences regarding autono­my at discharge from nursing home. Patient Education and Counselling 2000; 41: 275-283
• I Proot, HFJM Crebolder, H Huijer Abu-Saad, THGM Macor, RHJ ter Meulen, Facilitating and constraining factors on autonomy: the view of stroke patients admitted into nursing homes for rehabilitation. Clinical Nursing Research 2000; 9:  460-478
• I Proot, H Huijer Abu-Saad, W de Esch-Janssen, W Crebolder, RHJ ter Meulen, Patient autonomy during rehabilitation the experiences of stroke patients in nursing homes. International Journal of Nursing Studies 2000; 37: 267-276
• R Houtepen, RHJ ter Meulen, The Expectation(s) of Solidarity: Matters of Justice, Responsibility and Identity in the Reconstruction of the Health Care System. Health Care Analysis 2000; 8: 355-379
• R Houtepen, RHJ ter Meulen, New types of solidarity in the European Welfare State. Health Care Analysis 2000; 8: 329-340
• J van der Made, RHJ ter Meulen, The extent and limits of solidarity in Dutch health care. International Journal of Social Welfare 2000; 9: 250-260

Papers in Edited Collections:

• R ter Meulen, J Ubachs, Health care rationing: is age a proper criterion? In M. Johnson, V. Bengtson, P. Coleman and T. Kirkwood, The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing (2005, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
• R ter Meulen, Are there limits to solidarity with the elderly? In: R. Lie, P. Schotsmans, B. Handens, T. Meulebergs, Healthy Thoughts: European Perspectives on Health Care Ethics (2002, Leuven-Paris-Sterling, Peeters), 329-336
• RHJ ter Meulen, Towards a social concept of the person. In: D.C. Thomasma, D.N. Weisstub, C. Hervé, Personhood and health care (2002, Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Series International Library of Ethics, Law and the New Medicine, Volume 7), 129-135

Selected Presentations

• RHJ ter Meulen, Euthanasia in a cultural context. Invited lecture (22 September 2003, La Sapienza Universita, Rome)
• RHJ ter Meulen, Ethics and Evidence-based Medicine. Invited lecture, opening of the Centre for Ethics and Law of Cardiff University (30 January 2003, Cardiff)
• RHJ ter Meulen, The Elderly and the Allocation of Scarce Resources. Lecture, World Congress of Gerontology: XVth Congress of the International Association of Geronto­logy (4-9 July 1993, Budapest, Hungary)
• RHJ ter Meulen, Dutch Health Care and the Allocation of Resources for the Elderly. Lecture, at the seminar for the Center on Aging, University of Texas, Medical Branch (21 May 1993, Galveston, Texas)
• RHJ ter Meulen, Presentation of the Edmund J. Lefever, Sr, M.D. Lecture in Gerontology for the Center on Aging, University of Texas, Medical Branch (20 May 1993, Galveston, Texas)

Additional Information

Ruud has advised on and examined numerous PhD theses, and has involvement in a wide range of international and national committees, including committees associated with the European Commission, the British Medical Association, Bristol Zoo, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and local health care institutions.