Call for Expressions of Interest
Doctoral Webinar Collaboration
‘Vulnerability and Healthcare’ 

The Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU) has launched a Call for Expressions of Interest in a cycle of collaborative webinars focused on “Vulnerability and Healthcare”. The initiative is organized by the interdisciplinary SACRU Working Group “Vulnerability and Healthcare”.

 The theme

The relationship between Vulnerability and Healthcare is strong: healthcare is a sector in which COVID-19 exposed many vulnerabilities in new ways, whether one is talking about the level of personal doctor-patient relationships, the impacts of public health interventions, the allocation of scarce medical resources, vaccine rollouts and administration, health workforce problems, health policy and economics, or communication in healthcare. Often it was people who were already vulnerable in various ways who were either worst affected by COVID-19, the most important targets of social concern, or both. Consider, for example, how older people were paradoxically denied treatment in some contexts due to age and, in other contexts, confined to aged care facilities to protect them.

The aim of the initiative

One doctoral student from each SACRU University partner will be selected to participate in a series of 5 online webinars, in which they will be able to present their work to other fellow doctoral students and academics. This will provide an opportunity for a unique interdisciplinary exchange of ideas shaped by the multiple contexts in which the Catholic Universities that makeup SACRU operate: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and the USA. The aim is to enrich the doctoral work of the individual students, to provide opportunities for collaboration, and to foster research networks on the theme of vulnerability and healthcare.

Submission procedure

Please submit an expression of interest (500–1000 words) in which you articulate how your doctoral research relates to the theme of vulnerability and healthcare and the questions you aim to solve. Please also explain what you would hope to gain from participating in the international doctoral webinar collaboration. Please include a short biography (approximately 100 words).

The application shall be sent to the Representative of your University in the SACRU Working Group on Vulnerability by November 15, 2023

University Representative Email
Australian Catholic University Associate Professor David Kirchhoffer david.kirchhoffer@acu.edu.au
Boston College Professor James Keenan S.J. james.keenan.2@bc.edu
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Professor Luca Valera luvalera@uc.cl
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Professor J. Landeira- Fernandez landeira@puc-rio.br
Sophia University Professor Osamu Takeuchi o-takeuc@sophia.ac.jp
Universidade Catòlica Portuguesa Professor André Azevedo Alves azevedoalves@gmail.com
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Professor Simona Beretta simona.beretta@unicatt.it
Universitat Ramon Llull Professor Mar Rosás Tosàs mariadelmarrt1@blanquerna.url.edu

You are welcome to contact sacru.alliance@unicatt.it for any further information. Please see below the whole Call for Proposals attachment