The Groningen Centre for Health Law (GCHL) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with INTEGRATE, a large EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Consortium led by the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). As part of this collaboration, an exciting PhD position in health law, human rights, and patient rights has become available at the Groningen Centre for Health Law.

PhD Position DC13 within an EU Marie Curie Consortium

The PhD project, DC13: Identifying ethical, legal and societal challenges and opportunities for applying psychedelic therapy, will hosted at the Faculty of Law, University of Groningen (the Netherlands). The PhD candidate will participate in a large EU Consortium studying psychedelic therapy (PT)—a treatment with the potential to revolutionize mental disorder treatments, but which also raises fundamental questions about the position and rights of patients who are (potentially) undergoing such therapies.

Research Focus: Human Rights, Patient Protection and Psychedelic Therapy

Psychedelic therapy raises important questions when considered in light of the human right to mental health as recognised in international human rights law. Key issues concern equitable access to these therapies, including who will be prioritised and on what grounds, and how disparities in healthcare systems may affect availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of care.

In addition, patients undergoing psychedelic therapy find themselves in a particularly vulnerable position due to the intensity of the therapeutic experience. This calls for heightened scrutiny of consent, autonomy, safety, long-term follow-up, and the need for robust safeguards against exploitation, discrimination, and harm. At present, a legal vacuum exists around these issues, raising broader questions about how emerging therapies can both advance and challenge existing human rights standards.

Objectives and Expected Results

The project aims to:

• Examine the societal and legal landscape surrounding responsible psychedelic use
• Map societal challenges and identify solutions for societally acceptable implementation
• Identify international, European, and domestic legal challenges and opportunities
• Clarify patient and consumer rights, with particular attention to the right to mental health

Expected results include fresh perspectives on societal challenges and solutions for acceptance and integration of psychedelic use, a clear understanding of relevant legal and ethical frameworks, and a comprehensive review of national and transnational legal arguments relating to psychedelic therapies and their implications for the right to mental health.

Location and Supervision

The PhD position will be based at the Groningen Centre for Health Law, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen (the Netherlands).

The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. Brigit Toebes, Professor of Health Law in a Global Context at GCHL and former chair of the Dutch State Committee on MDMA, and co-supervised by Dr. Natalie Abrokwa, an expert on human rights and patient rights in the context of mental health and affiliated researcher at GCHL.

More Information

More information about the INTEGRATE PhD positions, including DC13, can be found here: https://werkenbijumcg.nl/-/vacatures/16-phd-positions-to-advance-psychedelic-therapy-research-in-mental-health/10419-02s000a4yp