Biography

Prof. Dierickx is Full Professor of Medical Ethics at the Faculty of Medicine at KU Leuven. His research focuses on the applied and fundamental aspects of new technologies in medicine. His main research activities are concentrated on the ethical aspects of predictive medicine, autism, on research ethics, and on scientific integrity. He acts as a reviewer for various journals and has published more than 150 articles in international peer reviewed journals and books.

Prof. Dierickx is involved in various national and international research projects. He was the coordinator of ‘GeneBanC’ (Genetic bio and dataBanking: Confidentiality and protection of data. Towards a European harmonisation and policy), an international research project (STREP) that was funded by the European Commission. He acts as partner or promoter in national research projects on integrity (KU Leuven, FWO), on the ethical aspects of early testing for Alzheimer’s Disease (IWT), and on the ethical challenges in the use of the concept of autism (Opening the Future). Internationally, Kris is currently involved research consortia on scientific integrity (European Commission, Chinese Scholarship Council), and on autonomy and vulnerability (Australian Catholic University).

He is member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicien, the Flemish Screening Commission, the Deontological Commission of the Superior Health Council, and he serves as an ethicist in several ethics committees.  Within the university, he is a member of the Committee on Scientific Integrity, the Ethics Committee for experiments with animals, the board of the department of Public Health and Primary Care, and he is coordinator of the doctoral school program for Patient Related and Public Health Research. Kris Dierickx also acts as a contracted reviewer in the H2020 program of the European Commission. In 2001 he won the 5-yearly prize ‘Mgr A.Janssen’.

Research

Ongoing projects 

• Gender Reassignment Surgery as a Moral Challenge: A Theological-Ethical Investigation with a Focus on the Indian Context (2022-2026)
  • Related Phd: Bijosh Moolekkudiyil Baby 
• Moral-oids (Ethics and Organoids): the ethics and perspectives on organoid models in biomedical research (2019-2023)
  • Related PhD: Andrew J. Barnhart 
• Scientific Professionalism: analysis and implications for scientific integrity and values (2020-2024)
  • Related PhD: Jacobo Ambrosj
• SOPs4RI: Standard Operating Procedures for Research Integrity (2019-2022)
  • Related Phd: Daniel Pizzolato 
• Financial Incentives in Public Health: An Ethical Analysis (2021-2025)
  • Related Phd: Roshni Jegan
• PRICe – Perceptions of Research Integrity Culture at KU Leuven (2020-2023)
  • Related post-doc: Dr. Steven de Peuter 

Completed projects 

• Between facts and norms. An ethical analysis of the relationship between empirical and normative approaches in bioethics with a focus on carrier testing in minors  (completed 2005)
  • Related Phd: Pascal Borry
• Bone of your bones, flesh of your flesh. An inquiry into the ethical concerns in research with ex-vivo human tissue engineered products (completed 2009)
  • Related Phd: Leen Trommelmans
• An ethical inquiry into the storage and use of bodily material of minors for genetic research (completed 2010)
  • Related Phd: Kristien Hens
• One size does not fit all. Integrating ethical and legal guidance into pediatric clinical research (completed 2011)
  • Related Phd: Wim Pinxten
• Gamete donation: between social and genetic parenthood (completed 2013)
  • Related Phd: Astrid Indekeu
• Ethics and biobanks: Islamic perspectives (completed 2014)
  • Related Phd: Ghiath Alahmed
• Genome wide genetic tests and incidental findings (completed 2014)
  • Related Phd: Gabrielle Christenhusz
• Benefit sharing in international research (completed 2015)
  • Related Phd: Bege Dauda
• Integrity and fraude in biomedical research (completed 2018)
  • Related Phd: Simon Godecharle
• Ethical aspects of prodromal Alzheimer's disease (completed 2018)
  • Related Phd: Gwendolien Vanderschaeghe
• Scientific integrity and misconduct in China (completed 2019)
  • Related Phd: Nannan Yi
• Ethical challenges in the use of the concept of autism (completed 2019)
  • Related Phd: Delphine Jacobs
• Scientific integrity between prevention and intention (completed in 2022)
  • Related Phd: Shila Abdi 

Publications

Publications in Lirias

Education

• E0903A - Human Genetics, Ethics and Policy

• E06Y8B - Kwaliteitsvol praktijk voeren

• E06Y9A - Medische ethiek

• A07G5A - Medical Ethics

• E02Y4A - Professioneel management en praktijkorganisatie

• E00Y3A - Specialistische onderwerpen uit de orthodontie, deel C

• E07U9A - Ethics and Law in Biomedical Research

• E08Q7A - Medische ethiek, deotologie en recht

• K04C5A - Farmaceutische ethiek

• E02N9A - Ethiek en recht in het biomedisch onderzoek

• E08M7A - Medische ethiek, deontologie en recht

• E02E5A - Ethics of Reproductive Technologies

More information

For more information about Kris Dierickx, take a look at KU Leuven Who's Who