Semester question

Can health be fair for all?

Health is more than just a personal responsibility. Who we are, where we live and what we can afford have an enormous impact on whether we are healthy or ill. How can we create better opportunities for a healthy life for all? 
12. December 2024
Guest article by
Jörg Menche
Rudolphina Experts: Health equity and artificial intelligence

Is health a matter of negotiation?

In this expert article, Jörg Menche from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Network Medicine at the University of Vienna sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in dealing with rare diseases. He explains how his research also provides new insights into more common diseases, and shows the role of technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality in making health fairer.
3. December 2024
Presenting… Social Scientist Elif Gül

Rethinking fairness in birth care

Childbirth is often associated with joy, family, and new beginnings, but what happens if things do not go as planned? In fact, for many birthing persons, the experience can involve moments of harm, neglect, or outright violence. In the video, Elif Gül asks how fair childbirth really is.
28. November 2024
Chronic pain

Pain is individual: Towards personalised therapy

Chronic pain is a complex disease that still lacks effective treatment. We visited the lab of Manuela Schmidt and David Gómez Varela from the University of Vienna who aim to change this using cutting-edge technologies and approaches in proteome research.
19. November 2024
Fertility decline

Everyone wants women to have more babies, is technology the solution?

Can the booming "baby-making market" with its assisted reproductive technologies, such as IVFs and surrogacy, help stop the global trend of fertility decline? Veronika Siegl and Ayo Wahlberg at the University of Vienna cast doubt on technocratic solutions that overlook the challenging social contexts of fertility and womanhood.
12. November 2024
Guest article by
Karl Stöger
Rudolphina Experts: Healthcare system

What does a right to health mean?

Karl Stöger, professor of Medical Law at the University of Vienna, explains the legal foundations of the right to health in Austria and discusses existing obstacles in the health care system. He addresses inequalities, the need for reform and possible approaches to improving care.
12. November 2024
Shift work and health

Out of rhythm: shift work as a cause of obesity

Shift workers are more prone to obesity and the associated diseases. The underlying reasons have not yet been sufficiently explored. The University of Vienna is leading a large-scale EU study which aims to explore the causes and to develop prevention measures.
9. October 2024
(Un)equally healthy

Health requires solidarity

Health is a human right, but in reality, it often depends on your budget, your place of residence and your social status. Medical anthropologist Janina Kehr and psychologist Robert Böhm explain how health can become fairer and how each of us can do their part.
11. September 2024
Guest article by
Monika Pietrzak-Franger
Rudolphina Experts: Medical Gaslighting

Long Covid and ME/CFS: When the Doctor Does Not Believe You

Under the hashtag #Frauenticket, thousands of women are sharing their experiences of not being taken seriously by their doctors. Monika Pietrzak-Franger from the University of Vienna explains why patients suffering from chronic illnesses often face multiple forms of stigma.

Semester question 2024/25: Can health be fair for all?

Every person has the right to be healthy. Nutrition, lifestyle, exercise – there is a lot we can influence ourselves. Other factors are genetically predisposed and can only be changed to a limited extent. And the environment affects our health as well: environmental pollutants, water shortage, heat. On the other hand, access to healthcare, medication and therapies depends on who we are, where we live or what we can afford.

Together with experts of the University of Vienna we ask: Can health be fair for all? And how can we jointly ensure equal opportunities for a healthy life for all?

About the Semester question

Each semester, the University of Vienna poses its academics a question that is of particular relevance to today’s society. You can find all current contributions by the University of Vienna’s academics in the Rudolphina magazine (in German) or on our social media channels under #Semesterfrage. The University of Vienna runs this project in cooperation with the Austrian daily newspaper "Der Standard" – starting with online contributions and ending with a closing event at the end of the semester.