Dr Nathan Emmerich
BA (Hons), MA, M.Res, Ph.D
Research Fellow in Bioethics
ANU College of Health and Medicine
Areas of expertise
- Applied Ethics 2201
- Bioethics (Human And Animal) 220101
- Medical Ethics 220106
- Professional Ethics (Incl. Police And Research Ethics) 220107
- Ethical Theory 220305
- Social Philosophy 220319
- Historical Studies Not Elsewhere Classified 210399
- Anthropology Not Elsewhere Classified 160199
- Sociology Not Elsewhere Classified 160899
- Social Theory 160806
- Sociological Methodology And Research Methods 160807
- Sociology And Social Studies Of Science And Technology 160808
Research interests
I am an interdisciplinary bioethicsts primarily interested in medical ethics, but also various ethical questions associated with emerging biotechnologies. I am also concerned with the social and anthropological nature of morality and ethics, and the relationship between the intellectual field(s) of applied (bio)ethics and, one the one hand, fields of practice, such as medicine, and on the other, modes of governance, including professional regulation and broader political processes.
Available student projects
I am available to supervise projects on questions of medical ethics and some issues in medical sociology, primarily to students in the Medical School and the College of Health and Medicine, but others may get in touch if they wish to discuss something particular.
Past student projects
I have supervised various student project on topcis relating to medical ethics and bioethics.
Publications
- Emmerich, N 2022, 'Palliative Sedation – Is It a Real Dilemma?', in Pierre Mallia, Nathan Emmerich, Bert Gordijn, Francesca Pistoia (ed.), Challenges to the Global Issue of End of Life Care, Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 165-175.
- Emmerich, N 2022, 'Where the ethical action also is: A response to Hardman and Hutchinson', Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 48, no. 11.
- Emmerich, N, ed., 2022, We should not take abortion services for granted.
- Emmerich, N & McConville, P 2021, 'Reverse Triage and People Whose Disabilities Render Them Dependent on Ventilators: Phenomenology, Embodiment and Homelikeness', Etikk i praksis (EiP) - Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 49 - 61.
- Mallia, P, Emmerich, N, Gordijn, B et al. 2022, 'Introduction: Harmonising End of Life Care – A Global Public Health Issue', in Pierre Mallia, Nathan Emmerich, Bert Gordijn, Francesca Pistoia (ed.), Challenges to the Global Issue of End of Life Care, Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 3-11.
- Bell, C & Emmerich, N 2021, 'Should medical students perform pelvic exams on anaesthetised patients without explicit consent?', Clinical Ethics, vol. 17, no. 3.
- Emmerich, N 2021, 'Ethos and Eidos as Field Level Concepts for the Sociology of Morality and the Anthropology of Ethics: Towards a Social Theory of Applied Ethics', Human Studies, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 373-395.
- Emmerich, N 2020, 'Ought Conscientious Refusals to Implement Reverse Triage Decisions be Accommodated?', Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 4, no. 17, pp. 783-787.
- Emmerich, N & Phillips, C 2020, 'Should professional interpreters be able to conscientiously object in healthcare settings?', BMC Medical Ethics, vol. 46, no. 10, pp. 700-704.
- Emmerich, N, Mallia, P, Gordijn, B et al. 2020, 'Postscript: Future Developments in Addressing Ethics and Care at the End of Life', in Nathan Emmerich, Pierre Mallia, Bert Gordijn, Francesca Pistoia (ed.), Contemporary European Perspectives on the Ethics of End of Life Care, Springer Cham, Switzerland, pp. 381-386.
- Kearns, A, Emmerich, N & Gordijn, B 2020, 'The Distinction between Ordinary and Extraordinary Treatment: Can It Be Maintained?', in Nathan Emmerich, Pierre Mallia, Bert Gordijn, Francesca Pistoia (ed.), Contemporary European Perspectives on the Ethics of End of Life Care, Springer Cham, Switzerland, pp. 199-211.
- Emmerich, N, Mallia, P, Gordijn, B et al. 2020, 'Contemporary European Perspectives on the Ethics of End of Life Care: An Introduction', in Nathan Emmerich, Pierre Mallia, Bert Gordijn, Francesca Pistoia (ed.), Contemporary European Perspectives on the Ethics of End of Life Care, Springer Cham, Switzerland, pp. 1-15.
- Emmerich, N 2020, 'After abortion's arrival in Northern Ireland: Conscientious objection and other concerns', Clinical Ethics, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 71-74.
- Scholz, B, Goncharov, L, Emmerich, N et al. 2020, 'Clinicians' accounts of communication with patients in end-of-life care contexts: A systematic review', Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 103, no. 10, pp. 1913-1921.
- Emmerich, N 2019, 'Conscientious objection should not be equated with moral objection: a response to Ben-Moshe', Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 45, no. 10, p. 2.
- Emmerich, N 2019, 'The Multiplicity of Bioethical Expertise in the Context of Secular Liberal Democracies', Society, vol. 56, pp. 481-488.
- Emmerich, N & Gordijn, B 2019, 'Commentary: From liberal eugenics to political biology', Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 20-25.
- Emmerich, N & Gordijn, B 2019, 'Beyond the Equivalence Thesis: how to think about the ethics of withdrawing and withholding life-saving medical treatment', Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 21-41.
- Emmerich, N & Gordijn, B 2019, 'Ethics of crisis sedation: Questions of performance and consent', Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 339-345.
- Emmerich, N & Gordijn, B 2019, 'Correction to: A Morally Permissible Moral Mistake? Reinterpreting a Thought Experiment as Proof of Concept', Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 269 - 278.
- Emmerich, N 2018, 'A Professional Ethics for Researchers?', in Ron Iphofen (ed.), Handbook of Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, switzerland.
- Emmerich, N 2018, 'From Phrónēsis to Habitus: Synderesis and the Practice(s) of Ethics and Social Research', in Nathan Emmerich (ed.), Virtue Ethics in the Conduct and Governance of Social Science Research, Emerald Publishing Limited, United Kingdom, pp. 197-217.
- Emmerich, N 2018, 'Bioethics, public intellectuals and political biology today', History of the Human Sciences, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 124-131pp.
- Emmerich, N 2018, 'Leadership in palliative medicine: moral, ethical and educational', BMC Medical Ethics, vol. 19, no. 55, pp. 11pp.
- Emmerich, N & Gordijn, B 2018, 'A Morally Permissible Moral Mistake? Reinterpreting a Thought Experiment as Proof of Concept', Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 269-278.
- Emmerich, N 2017, 'Topics in death and dying', QJM, vol. 110, no. 1, pp. 3-4pp.
- Emmerich, N 2017, 'Remaking Research Ethics in the Social Sciences: Anthropological Reflections on a Collaborative Process', in Ron Iphofen (ed.), Finding Common Ground: Consensus in Research Ethics Across the Social Sciences, Emerald Publishing Limited, United Kingdom, pp. 125-148pp.
- Emmerich, N, Gormley, G & McCullough, M 2017, 'Ethics of healthcare simulation', in D. Nestel, M. Kelly, B. Jolly & M. Watson (ed.), Healthcare Simulation Education: Evidence, Theory and Practice, John Wiley & Sons Inc., United Kingdom, pp. 121-126.
- Emmerich, N 2017, 'Technicians of Human Dignity: Bodies, Souls, and the Making of Intrinsic Worth', Medical Anthropology Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 3pp.
- Emmerich, N 2017, 'Value Practices in the Life Sciences and Medicine', Sociology of Health and Illness, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 161-162pp.
- Dingwall, R, Iphofen, R, Lewis, J et al 2017, 'Towards common principles for social science research ethics: A discussion document for the academy of social sciences', in Ron Iphofen (ed.), Finding Common Ground: Consensus in Research Ethics Across the Social Sciences, Emerald Publishing Limited, United Kingdom, pp. 111-123pp.
- Emmerich, N 2016, 'Ethos, Eidos, Habitus: A Social Theoretical Contribution to Morality and Ethics', in Cordula Brand (ed.), Dual-Process Theories in Moral Psychology: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Theoretical, Empirical and Practical Considerations, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, Germany, pp. 271-295.
- Emmerich, N 2016, 'Challenges to the Dead Donor Rule: Configuring a Biopolitical Response', in R Jox, G Assadi & G Marckmann (ed.), Organ Transplantation in Times of Donor Shortage: Challenges and Solutions, Springer International Publishing Switzerland, Switzerland, pp. 103-113pp.
- Emmerich, N 2016, 'Limitations in the bioethical analysis of medicalisation: The case of love drugs', Social Theory & Health, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 109-128pp.
- Emmerich, N 2016, 'Reframing Research Ethics: Towards a Professional Ethics for the Social Sciences', Sociological Research Online: an electronic journal, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 1-14pp.
- Emmerich, N 2016, 'When is a REC not a REC? When it is a gatekeeper', Research Ethics, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 234-243pp.
- Emmerich, N & Halsall, J 2016, 'A sociological analysis of ethical expertise: The case of bioethics', Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1-18pp.
- Emmerich, N 2016, 'The deaths of human beings', QJM, vol. 109, no. 4, pp. 229-230pp.
- Emmerich, N 2015, 'A Sociological Analysis of Ethical Expertise: The Case of Medical Ethics', Sage Open, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1-14pp.
- Emmerich, N, Swinglehurst, D, Maybin, J et al. 2015, 'Caring for quality of care: symbolic violence and the bureaucracies of audit', BMC Medical Ethics, vol. 16, no. 23, pp. 1-12pp.
- Emmerich, N 2015, 'Bourdieu’s collective enterprise of inculcation: the moral socialisation and ethical enculturation of medical students', British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol. 36, no. 7, pp. 1054-1072pp.
- Swinglehurst, D, Emmerich, N, Maybin, J et al. 2015, 'Confronting the quality paradox: towards new characterisations of 'quality' in contemporary healthcare', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 15, no. 240, pp. 1-6pp.
- Emmerich, N 2015, 'Calling time on the Cancer Drugs Fund? Funding the NHS in the age of austerity', British Journal of Hospital Medicine (London), vol. 76, no. 4, pp. 186-187pp.
- Emmerich, N 2015, 'What is Bioethics?', Medicine, health care, and philosophy, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 437-441pp.
- Swinglehurst, D, Emmerich, N, Maybin, J et al. 2015, 'Confronting the quality paradox: Towards new characterisations of 'quality' in contemporary healthcare', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. -.
- Emmerich, N 2014, 'Before Bioethics: A History of American Medical Ethics from the Colonial Period to the Bioethics Revolution', Social History of Medicine, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 613-615pp.
- Swinglehurst, D, Emmerich, N, Maybin, J et al. 2014, 'Rethinking 'quality' in health care', Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 65-66pp.
- Emmerich, N 2014, 'Reframing Bioethics Education for Non-Professionals: Lessons from Cognitive Anthropology and Education Theory', The New Bioethics, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 186-198pp.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Elective ventilation and the politics of death', Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 153-157.
- Burke, C, Emmerich, N & Ingram, N 2013, 'Well-founded social fictions: a defence of the concepts of institutional and familial habitus', British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 165-182.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'For an Ethnomethodology of Healthcare Ethics', Health Care Analysis, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 372-389.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Between the accountable and the auditable: Ethics and ethical governance in the social sciences', Research Ethics, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 175-186.
- Emmerich, N 2013, Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Some Relevant Concepts', in (ed.), Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany, pp. 1-20.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Sociological Perspectives on Medical Education', in (ed.), Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany, pp. 21-39.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Medical Ethics as an Aspect of Medical Education: A UK Perspective', in (ed.), Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany, pp. 41-58.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Prof. W. G. Irwin: A Case Study in the Development of Medical Ethics Education in the UK', in (ed.), Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany, pp. 59-71.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Medical Ethics Education from a Socio-Cultural Perspective', in (ed.), Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany, pp. 73-95.
- Emmerich, N 2013, 'Conclusions', in (ed.), Medical Ethics Education: An Interdisciplinary and Social Theoretical Perspective, Springer International Publishing, Germany, pp. 97-111.
- Emmerich, N 2012, 'Book Review - Bioethics Critically Reconsidered: Having Second Thoughts', Philosophy in Review, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 170-173.
- Emmerich, N 2012, 'Joint Review of: Stark, L. (2012) Behind Closed Doors: IRBs and the Making of Ethical Research and Schrag, Z. (2010) Ethical Imperialism: Institutional Review Boards and the Social Sciences, 1965-2009.', Sociological Research Online: an electronic journal, vol. 17, no. 2.
- Emmerich, N 2011, 'Whatever happened to medical politics?', Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 37, no. 10, pp. 631-636.
- Emmerich, N 2011, 'Anti-theory in action? Planning for pandemics, triage and ICU or: how not to bite a bullet', Medicine, health care, and philosophy, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 91-100.
- Emmerich, N 2011, 'Literature, History and the Humanization of Bioethics', Bioethics, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 112-118.
- Emmerich, N 2010, 'Book Review - The Cambridge World History of Medical Ethics', Gesnerus: Swiss journal of the history of medicine and sciences, vol. 67, pp. 265-267.
- Emmerich, N 2010, 'Book Review - Values, Ethics and Health Care', Sociology of Health and Illness, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 968-969.
- Emmerich, N 2009, 'Book Review - Naturalized Bioethics: Toward a Responsible Knowing and Practice', Metapsychology Online Reviews, vol. 13, no. 52.
- Emmerich, N 2009, 'Book Review - Biomedical Research and Beyond: Expanding the Ethics of Inquiry', Metapsychology Online Reviews, vol. 13, no. 33.
- Emmerich, N 2009, 'Book Review - What Would You Do? Juggling Bioethics and Ethnography', Sociology of Health and Illness, vol. 31, no. 7, pp. 1112-1113.
- Emmerich, N 2009, 'Book Review - Tracking the Impact of Health Care Technology. Health, Technology and Society: A Sociological Critique', Metascience, vol. 18, pp. 501-504.
- Emmerich, N 2009, 'Book Review - The Ministry and Medicine. Trusting Doctors: The Decline of Moral Authority in American Medicine', Metascience, vol. 18, pp. 459-461.
- Emmerich, N 2009, 'Book Review - New Perspectives On Healthcare. The View from Here', International Sociology, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 711-714.
- Emmerich, N 2018, 'Elective Modernism and the Politics of (Bio)Ethical Expertise', in Hauke Riesch, Nathan Emmerich, Steven Wainwright (ed.), Philosophies and Sociologies of Bioethics, Springer International Publishing AG, Switzerland, pp. 23-40.
- Riesch, H, Emmerich, N & Wainwright, S, eds, 2018, Philosophies and Sociologies of Bioethics, Springer International Publishing AG, Switzerland.
- Riesch, H, Emmerich, N & Wainwright, S 2018, 'Introduction: Crossing the Divides', in Hauke Riesch, Nathan Emmerich, Steven Wainwright (ed.), Philosophies and Sociologies of Bioethics, Springer International Publishing AG, Switzerland, pp. 1-22.
- Riesch, H, Emmerich, N & Wainwright, S 2018, 'Outroduction', in Hauke Riesch, Nathan Emmerich, Steven Wainwright (ed.), Philosophies and Sociologies of Bioethics, Springer International Publishing AG, Switzerland, pp. 171-173.
- Emmerich, N 2018, 'Introduction: Virtue and the Ethics of Social Research', in Nathan Emmerich (ed.), Virtue Ethics in the Conduct and Governance of Social Science Research, Emerald Publishing Limited, United Kingdom, pp. 1-17.
- Emmerich, N, ed., 2018, Virtue Ethics in the Conduct and Governance of Social Science Research, Emerald Publishing Limited, United Kingdom.
