2025 has been a year of unprecedented cuts to global development aid, significant political tensions, and increased attacks on science and academia. What are the implications of these developments for health globally, health research, and trust in science in general?

The Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS) has invited Professor Ezekiel Emanuel from the University of Pennsylvania, a world-leading bioethicist, to shed light on recent changes and current impacts of this challenging political climate on disinformation and trust in science, especially in the context of health research and policy.

This is a unique chance to hear directly from a leading American researcher, physician, and writer, who has also been instrumental in US health policy under the Obama and Biden administrations. He contributes actively to the public debate about current US policies in the press and social media. After the presentation, there will be time for a Q&A session with the audience.

The event will be held in English and is free and open to the public, no registration required.

About Professor Ezekiel (Zeke) Emanuel

Professor Emanuel received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his PhD in Political Philosophy from Harvard University. He is a practicing breast oncologist and currently serves as Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a special advisor to WHO Director General Dr. Tedros and previously served as a Special Advisor for Health Policy under President Obama, where he was instrumental in drafting the Affordable Care Act. Later, he served on the Biden-Harris Transition Covid Advisory Board. Professor Emanuel has published widely in leading scientific journals and has been described as the most cited bioethicist ever. He also contributes regularly to the New York Times. Professor Emanuel is a research team leader within the Bergen Centre of Ethics and Priority Setting in Health at the University of Bergen.