Voices in Health Sociology, Vol. 1, No. 1.
The sociology of medicine and health was developed in the United States of America in the 1950 and 60s (Straus, 1957), with early spill-over to the United Kingdom (Jefferys, 1996). Soon, several other European countries started to initiate specialized sections within sociological associations, or even own national societies of medical sociology (Claus, 1983). Among others, this was the case in Germany, where, during a meeting of a group of young researchers in 1972, a national society of medical sociology (DGMS) was founded (Siegrist, 2022). Of interest, research and teaching in this new sociological subdiscipline was only marginally developed at that time, and it was an extrinsic event that triggered this development. In 1970, a new compulsory national curriculum of medical education was introduced, and among its innovations, courses and examinations in the fields of medical psychology and medical sociology as part of preclinical studies were prescribed. Accordingly, more than a dozen faculties of medicine opened new professorships in these subdisciplines, and a national examination board for multiple choice examinations was established, where each discipline was responsible for content and quality control of examinations. In order to be appointed to this examination board, representatives of each discipline had to be nominated by their respective national society. As no such association was available for the newly appointed professors of medical sociology, they were threatened to be excluded from this central task. Thus, founding a new national society was the only way to exert control. Therefore, in its initial stage, this national society had very close links to academic medicine, and in particular to medical education (Pflanz & Siegrist, 1978).
Yet, with further progress and new funding opportunities, the research spectrum was extended by integrating health services research and public health investigations, with a special focus on primary prevention. Moreover, teaching activities evolved beyond medical curricula, mainly in terms of graduate and postgraduate programs in epidemiology and public health. It is important to mention that already in 1975, a section of health and medical sociology within the German Sociological Association was established (Reibling et al., 2022), While starting with a critical attitude towards the medical paradigm, this association developed fruitful collaborative links across disciplines, and specifically with DGMS. Today, DGMS represents a scientifically active network with good visibility, at least at national level, thanks to its annual meetings, its investments in training young researchers, and its contributions to public debates on health policy issues, such as the COVID pandemic (Dragano et al., 2022). In 2022, at the occasion of celebrating its 50th anniversary, this association documented its academic achievements in a distinct publication, describing its professional development as well as its leading current scientific contributions (Siegrist et al. 2022). In collaboration with the European Society of Health and Medical Society (ESHMS), this national society is prepared to extend its future activities in times of multiple challenges of the health and well-being of populations in Europe and beyond.
About the Author
Johannes Siegrist
Prof. Dr. Johannes Siegrist is Emeritus Professor in “Work Stress Research” at the Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany. He holds degrees from the University of Freiburg and has been a faculty member at Marburg and Duesseldorf. He was a Visiting Professor at Johns Hopkins and the University of Utrecht. A widely published scholar, Siegrist is a member of the Academia Europaea. His research covers chronic work stress, social inequalities in health, and the role of stress in chronic disease development.
Contact:
Johannes.Siegrist(at)med.uni-duesseldorf.de
ResearchGate
Institute of medical sociology, Düsseldorf