title: Ethics Literacy and "Ethics University": Two Intertwined Models for Public Involvement and Empowerment in Bioethics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Informing lay citizens about complex health-related issues and their related ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) is one important component of democratic health care/research governance. Public information activities may be especially valuable when they are used in multi-staged processes that also include elements of information and deliberation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper presents a new model for a public involvement activity on ELSA (Ethics University) and evaluation data for a pilot event.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Ethics University is structurally based on the "patient university," an already established institution in some German medical schools, and the newly developed concept of "ethics literacy." The concept of "ethics literacy" consists of three levels: information, interaction, and reflection. The pilot project consisted of two series of events (lasting 4 days each).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The thematic focus of the Ethics University pilot was ELSA of regenerative medicine. In this pilot, the concept of "ethics literacy" could be validated as its components were clearly visible in discussions with participants at the end of the event. The participants reacted favorably to the Ethics University by stating that they felt more educated with regard to the ELSA of regenerative medicine and with regard to their own abilities in normative reasoning on this topic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Ethics University is an innovative model for public involvement and empowerment activities on ELSA theoretically underpinned by a concept for "ethics literacy." This model deserves further refinement, testing in other ELSA topics and evaluation in outcome research.
authors.affiliation: Institute of History, Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strech
authors.affiliation: Institute of History, Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hirschberg
authors.affiliation: Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Institute of History, Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Health Psychology and Health Education, University of Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baum
authors.affiliation: Institute of History, Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; Institute of History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hainz
authors.affiliation: Institute of History, Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neitzke
authors.affiliation: Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.affiliation: Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.
authors.forename: Marie-Luise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Dierks
keywords: empowerment; ethics; public communication; public involvement; regenerative medicine