Jacob Stegenga – Honorary Professor of KhNMU
On May 28, 2026, by decision of the Academic Council of KhNMU, Professor Jacob Stegenga was awarded the title of “Honorary Professor of Kharkiv National Medical University” for his significant personal contribution to the development of international scientific cooperation and the internationalization of the university.
The formal award ceremony was attended by the Rector of Kharkiv National Medical University, Professor Valery Myasoedov, representatives of the administration, faculty members, and university staff.
Professor Jacob Stegena is a world-renowned philosopher of science specializing in the philosophy of medicine, biomedical ethics, and medical epistemology. He is a professor of philosophy at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and a senior research fellow at the Centre for the Future of the Mind at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom).
Professor Stegenga’s collaboration with Kharkiv National Medical University has been ongoing since 2023. As part of international academic cooperation, he participates in interdisciplinary conferences, roundtables, and masterclasses dedicated to issues of bioethics, the philosophy of medicine, emotional intelligence, and ethics in wartime.
Of particular significance to the university’s academic community was the series of online lectures titled “Philosophy of Medicine”, delivered by Professor Stegenga for Kharkiv National Medical University graduate students during the fall semester of the 2025–2026 academic year as part of the “Philosophy of Science” course. The lectures became an important element in the development of inter-university cooperation and the integration of international experience into the educational process.
In his academic work, Professor Stegenga explores issues related to causal reasoning, the reliability of evidence in medical research, the ethics of science, and the critical analysis of modern evidence-based medicine. His works are widely used by the global academic community and have been integrated into the educational curriculum at Kharkiv National Medical University.
The Rector of Kharkiv National Medical University, Professor Valery Myasoedov, congratulated Professor Jacob Stegena on being awarded the honorary title and thanked him for his support of Ukraine, for the development of international scientific cooperation, and for his personal contribution to the internationalization of the university.
In response, Professor Jacob Stegena expressed his sincere gratitude for the high honor, the warm welcome, and the opportunity to be part of the academic community of KhNMU. He also emphasized the importance of international academic solidarity and the further development of cooperation with Kharkiv National Medical University.
