The Research Unit for Medical law and Bioethics
The Research Unit of Health Law and Bioethics was established in January 2011 as a specialized research and expert unit of the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences. It focuses on interdisciplinary research in the fields of health law, bioethics, and related areas concerning the functioning of the healthcare system, patients’ rights, healthcare professionals, and broader society.
The Unit aims not only to deepen academic knowledge and ethical-legal reflection in the domains of healthcare, biomedicine, and public health but also to foster dialogue between academia, professionals, and policy-makers. It actively contributes to the development of a modern, ethically sound, and legally sustainable healthcare framework.
Our Activities include:
- conducting national and international research in health law and bioethics,
- organizing expert workshops, seminars, and conferences,
- fostering cooperation among lawyers, physicians, bioethicists, scientists, public officials, and patient advocacy groups,
providing expert consultation and methodological support in healthcare legislation and policy.
Members
Ass. Prof. JUDr. Tomáš Doležal, Ph.D., LL.M. – Head of the Research Unit
email: tomas.dolezal@ilaw.cas.cz
Tomáš Doležal is a leading legal scholar in medical and civil law. He is Head of the Department of Civil Law and Head of the Research Unit for Medical Law and Bioethics at the Institute of State and Law, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and lecturer at the Institute of Medical Law and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine. He is a Bureau member of the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) and Head of the Czech Unit of UNESCO International Network in Bioethics. He collaborates with the Association of General Practitioners, especially during public consultations on medical legislation.
He is the author of many publications, including the monographs The Doctor-Patient Relationship in Private Law, Protection of patients' rights, and Causation the Civil Law.
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JUDr. Adam Doležal, Ph.D., LL.M.
email: adam.dolezal@ilaw.cas.cz
Adam Doležal is an expert in bioethics, medical law, and civil tort law. He is a researcher at the Research Unit for Medical Law and Bioethics at the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Department of Medical Ethics and Humanities at the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University. He has co-organized numerous conferences and seminars dealing with topics in bioethics, health law, and legal liability. He is the author or co-author of a number of scholarly publications, such as Euthanasia and End-of-Life Decision-Making: Legal Aspects. Prague: Academia, 2017; with T. Doležal: Causality in Civil Law with a Focus on Medical Law Disputes. Prague: Institute of State and Law of the CAS, 2016; or with T. Doležal: Informed Consent in Healthcare: Legal and Ethical Aspects. Prague: Institute of State and Law of the CAS, 2023.
PhDr. David Černý, Ph.D.
email: david.cerny@ilaw.cas.cz
David Černý studied philosophy at universities in Bologna and Rome, and received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Charles University in Prague. He is now a Research Fellow at the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences and at the Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
His primary focus is on moral philosophy and personal ontology, particularly on the philosophical and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and robotics. He is the author or co-author of five monographs in the Czech language on the ethics of abortion, animal rights, stem cell research, the principle of double effect, and the ethics of death and dying. He published two books in English: The Principle of Double Effect: A History and Philosophical Defense (Routledge, 2022) and Autonomous Vehicle Ethics: The Trolley Problem and Beyond (with Ryan Jenkins and Tomáš Hříbek, Oxford, 2022).
JUDr. Ivo Smrž, Ph.D.
email: ivo.smrz@ilaw.cas.cz
Ivo Smrž graduated from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in 2014 and received his Ph.D. in Civil Law in 2018, with a specialization in civil procedure, family law, and intellectual property law. He currently works as a researcher at the Department of Private Law and the Research Unit for Medical Law and Bioethics at the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
His research focuses primarily on civil liability, in particular the obligation to compensate damage, with emphasis on personal injury and related non-pecuniary harm. He further examines civil law within the context of medical law, including the standard of care, informed consent, liability of healthcare providers, and selected legal aspects of the medical profession. Alongside the analysis of judicial practice, he addresses theoretical concepts such as the deduction of collateral benefits from damages or the doctrine of loss of chance. In recent years, his work has included the development of the legal framework for telemedicine and related private law aspects. His academic activity includes interdisciplinary cooperation in the popularization of science, particularly in the fields of patient rights and assisted reproduction, within the framework of the AV21 Strategy. When the opportunity arises, he also publishes and lectures in the field of condominium law (unit ownership law).
Mgr. Radomil Kočí
email: radomil.koci@ilaw.cas.cz
Radomil Kočí is an external doctoral student at the Faculty of Law of Palacký University in Olomouc and a member of the Research Unit for Medical Law and Bioethics at the Institute of State and Law, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and lecturer at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. He also works as a hospital lawyer specialising in medical law. His academic research focuses mainly on health care contracts, protection of patients' rights and compensation for personal injuries.