The European Society of Health and Medical Sociology (ESHMS) is a non-profit and independent society dedicated to advancing the sub-disciplines of health sociology and medical sociology. It was founded on 28–29 August 1983 at the University of Stirling, United Kingdom.Siegrist, Johannes. Medizinische Soziologie. Germany: Elsevier, Urban und Fischer, 2005, page 18. Magdalena SokołowskaKuros, A.K. (2022) ‘Book Review Włodzimierz Piątkowski (2020) From Medicine to Sociology: Health and Illness in Magdalena Sokołowska’s Research Conceptions’, Security and Defence Quarterly, 40(4), pp. 95–107. doi: 10.35467/sdq/151910 was the first president of the society and Raymond Illsley the first secretary.
ESHMS is composed of scientists involved in health and medical sociology research, health policy, health promotion and social epidemiology.Schrecker, Cherry, ed. Transatlantic voyages and sociology: The migration and development of ideas. Routledge, 2016, page 98.
The official language of the society is English.
Founding and history The ESHMS was founded by Magdalena Sokolowska, Raymond Illsley, Ivo Nuyens, Per-Gunnar Svensson and Johannes Siegrist, among others, in response to the growing interest in sociological perspectives on health and medicine in Europe, including Israel.Claus LM. The development of medical sociology in Europe. Soc Sci Med. 1983;17(21):1591-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(83)90305-2Hannele Palosuo, and Ossi Rahkonen. "Sociology of Health in Finland: Fighting an Uphill Battle?" Acta Sociologica 32, no. 3 (1989): 261–74. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4200752
The WHO played a key role in the creation of the society. Following the 1978 Alma-Ata conference, the 34th World Health Assembly adopted the "Global strategy health for all by the year 2000". This initiative aimed to achieve an acceptable level of health "for all" individuals, enabling them "to lead a socially and economically productive life".World Health Organization, Global strategy for health for all by the year 2000. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1981, URL: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241800038 The WHO European Office encouraged European sociologists to set up the European Society of Medical Sociology, which was founded in 1983.Arminjon, Mathieu (Ed). Inégalités de santé. Fondements historiques et enjeux contemporains de l’épidémiologie sociale. Chêne-Bourg, Georg Editeur, 2023, pages 25-26.
The society has since grown to include members from diverse academic backgrounds and countries, and serves as a forum for discussing health issues, synthetising knowledge and experiences across European countries, and creating opportunities for research and international cooperation.Wim J. A. van den Heuvel, European Journal of Public Health, 1991, volume 1, number 1, page 54. Key milestones in the society's development include the launch of its biennial conference and its collaborations with other international associations.
Activities The ESHMS supports various activities, including: Organising the European biennial conference of health and medical sociology Organising workshops and summer schools. Promoting publications in the field of sociology of health and medicine. Supporting early-career researchers Facilitating collaborative research projectsJohannes Siegrist, A historical note: Foundation of the German Society of Medical Sociology in 1972, Voices in Health Sociology, Vol.1, No.1, October 2024 Providing networking opportunities for members. Funding research visits through dedicated grants. Awarding the best contribution in health and medical sociology with the "Excellence Prize".
Biennial Conferences The ESHMS organises a biennial conference that serves as a major platform for researchers and practitioners to present their work, exchange ideas, and network. Each conference is hosted by a different academic institution in Europe, focusing on a theme relevant to current health and medical sociology issues.
List of Biennial Conferences Year No Theme Location Date Host Institution 1986 1st [Theme of First Conference] Groningen, The Netherlands 3 June University of Groningen 1988 2nd [Theme of Second Conference] Zagreb, Croatia 25 September [Institution] 1990 3rd [Theme of Third Conference] Marburg, Germany September [Institution] 1992 4th Health in Europe: diversity, integration and change Edinburgh, United Kingdom 18–21 September University of Edinburgh, Joint conference with the British Sociological Association Medical sociology group 1994 5th Health + Medicine in the New Europe Vienna, Austria 16–18 September Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft for The Sociology of Health and Medicine, University of Vienna 1996 6th Health + Social Change in the Integration of Europe Budapest, Hungary 29–31 August [Institution] 1998 7th The Making of Health Policy in EuropeThe Making of Health Policies in Europe, Rennes (France), Ecole nationale de santé publique, 1998 Rennes, France 27–29 August Ecole nationale de santé publique 2000 8th Health in Transition: European Perspectives York, United Kingdom 14–17 September University of York, Joint conference with the British Sociological Association Medical sociology group 2002 9th Health and Society in Europe Groningen, The Netherlands 28–31 August University of Groningen 2004 10th European perspectives on changing health systems Bologna, Italia 2–4 September University of Bologna, Joint conference with the Italian Society of Health Sociology 2006 11th European Health: Old and new challenges-Tackling Health Inequalities Krakow, Poland 31 Aug-2 September [Institution] 2008 12th Health and Wealth in East and West – Divergence and Convergence in EuropeDahl, Espen, and Guido Giarelli. "Health and wealth in East and West: Divergence and convergence in Europe: Introduction to the papers of the ESHMS XII Congress in Oslo, 28–30 August 2008." Social Theory & Health 8 (2010): 127-133. https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2009.27 Oslo, Norway 28–30 August Oslo University College 2010 13th Health and Well-Being in Radically Changing SocietiesBracke, Piet, and Guido Giarelli. "Health and well-being in radically changing societies: Introduction to the papers of the ESHMS XIII congress in Ghent, 26–28 August 2010." Social Theory & Health 9, no. 4 (2011): 303-310. https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2011.11 Ghent, Belgium 26-28 Aug Ghent University 2012 14th Health inequalities over the life course Hannover, Germany 30 Aug – 1 September Hannover Medical School 2014 15th Health and Welfare Challenges in Europe: East, West, North and South Helsinki, Finland 28–30 August Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare 2016 16th Healthy lives: technologies, policies and experiences Geneva, Switzerland 27–29 June University of Geneva 2018 17th Old tensions, emerging paradoxes in health: rights, knowledge, and trust Lisbon, Portugal 6–8 June School of Sociology and Public Policies ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon 2020 18th Imagining beyond crisis: health, society, medicine (Cancelled because of COVID-19) Uppsala, Sweden 27-29 Aug Uppsala University 2022 19th Healthscapes. Shaping the future of the post-pandemic society Esther Lermytte, “The VAX-TRUST consortium at the 19th Biennial European Society for Health and Medical Sociology Conference: Shaping the future of the post-pandemic society”, VAX-TRUST blog, 26 November 2022, https://vax-trust.eu/eshms-conference Forlì, Italy 25-27 Aug University of Bologna 2024 20th Intersectionality & Inclusion in Health Antwerp, Belgium 3–5 July University of Antwerp 2026 21st Mental Health in Times of Uncertainty Hamburg, Germany 19–21 August University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf 2028 22nd Towards a caring Europe: people, relations and systems Krakow, Poland 5-7 July Jagiellonian University Medical College
Health and Medical Sociology Excellence Prize This prize aims to honour and recognize outstanding contributions in the field of health and medical sociology through the acknowledgment of the best paper published in a peer-reviewed journal over the past four years. The prize was launched in 2024.
List of Health and Medical Sociology Excellence Prizes Prize year Author Article title DOI 2024 Ariane Bertogg Gendered life courses and cognitive functioning in later life: the role of context-specific gender norms and lifetime employment https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-023-00751-4 2028 Forthcoming The Prize will be delivered during the 22nd ESHMS conference, 5-7 Juy 2028, Krakow Forthcoming
Membership Membership in the ESHMS is open to academics, researchers, and professionals interested in the sociology of health, medical sociology, or more broadly the links between society and health.
Governance The bodies of the ESHMS are the Executive Committee, the Advisory Board, and the General Assembly.
The ESHMS is governed by an elected Advisory Board comprising academics and professionals from diverse European institutions. Within the Advisory Board, the Executive Committee is composed of the President, Vice-President and the Treasurer. The board oversees the society's activities, including the organisation of conferences and member engagement. Members of the Advisory Board are elected by the members of the ESHMS for a term of office of four years.
The General Assembly serves as the main meeting of the society. This meeting takes place every two years at the biennial conference.
Past Executive Committees Below, the list of previous Executive Committees. Year President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary Election Period (Term) 1983 Magdalena Sokolowska (unknown) (unknown) Raymond Illsley (Do not apply – first election in 1987) 1984 Magdalena Sokolowska (unknown) 1985 Magdalena Sokolowska (unknown) 1986 Judith T. Shuval (unknown) 1987 Judith T. Shuval (unknown) (unknown) (unknown) 1987-1990 1988 Judith T. Shuval 1989 Magdalena Sokolowska 1990 Johannes Siegrist 1991 Johannes Siegrist (unknown) (unknown) (unknown) 1991-1994 1992 Johannes Siegrist 1993 Wim van den Heuvel 1994 Wim van den Heuvel 1995 Wim van den Heuvel (unknown) (unknown) (unknown) 1995-1998 1996 Jürgen Pelikan Eva Orozs Johan De Ruiter Johan De Ruiter 1997 1998 1999 Hilary Thomas Denny Vågerö (unknown) Catherine Déchamp-Le Roux 1999-2002 2000 2001 2002 2003 Siegfried Geyer Denny Vågerö (unknown) Johan De Ruiter 2003-2006 2004 Rosaline Barbour Rosaline Barbour 2005 Rosaline Barbour Rosaline Barbour 2006 (unknown) (unknown) 2007 Guido Giarelli Denny Vågerö Michèle Baumann Michèle Baumann 2007-2010 2008 Beata Tobiasz-Adamczyk 2009 Ofra Anson 2010 Ofra Anson 2011 Piet Bracke Ofra Anson Terje A. Eikemo (no longer a role) 2011-2014 2012 2013 2014 2015 Sakari Karvonen Terje A. Eikemo Ellen Verbakel (no longer a role) 2015-2018 2016 Terje A. Eikemo 2017 Olaf von dem Knesebeck 2018 Olaf von dem Knesebeck 2019 Stéphane Cullati Zofia Slonska Ellen Verbakel (no longer a role) 2019-2022 2020 2021 2022 2023 Stéphane Cullati Sarah van de Velde Małgorzata Mikucka (no longer a role) 2023-2026 2024 2025 2026 2027 Alice Scavarda Melissa Ceuterick Małgorzata Mikucka (no longer a role) 2027-2030 2028 2029 2030
External links Official Website of the ESHMS Commons Categories Wiktionary :Wiktionary:Sociology :Wiktionary:Epidemiology :Wiktionary:Public health
References