Theorising Personal Medical Devices: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. (360G-Wellcome-104725_Z_14_Z)

The aim of the proposed two-day meeting is to consider recent theoretical developments in the humanities and social sciences through the lens of personal medical devices - i.e. devices that are attached to, worn by, interacted with, or carried by individuals for the purposes of generating biomedical data and/or carrying out medical interventions with/on the person concerned. Such devices have become increasingly significant in clinical and extra-clinical contexts due to a range of converging fac tors, including the growth of multimorbidity and chronic disease in ageing populations and the increasing sophistication and miniaturization of personal devices themselves. While scholars have begun to consider the clinical, social, and philosophical implications of these devices, there remain some important gaps. These include the differences between wearable and non-wearable devices, the ontological implications of personal devices for concepts of the body, the self, and technology, and th e extent to which such questions may arise with particular force owing to new technologies. The meeting will bring together invited scholars and stakeholders from a range of disciplines to (a) consider how recent theoretical literature might shed light on these and other important issues and (b) encourage cross-disciplinary dialogue and engagement.