German Society for Medical Sociology

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie (DGMS) — the German Society for Medical Sociology — is a scientific and professional association founded in 1972 to promote medical sociology in research, teaching and practice. It is a registered voluntary association (eingetragener Verein) based in Germany. Its mission is to study and make visible the social influences on health and healthcare, bringing together perspectives from science, practice and politics to strengthen equal health opportunities. The society works interdisciplinarily with other medical societies, health professions and partners, and its members teach and research at a wide range of institutions, contributing knowledge to academia, the public and policy. The DGMS organises specialist congresses, contributes to statements and guidelines, and engages in science communication. It is organised into working groups covering fields such as gender and health, health sociology and medical sociology, children and adolescents, teaching, medical-sociological theories, methods, prevention and health promotion, psychosocial influences on health, social epidemiology, health services research, and early-career researchers. It annually awards a prize to promote early-career scientists in medical sociology at German universities, alternating between theses (bachelor's, diploma or master's) and dissertations. The society cooperates with numerous national and international bodies, including the European Society of Health and Medical Sociology (ESHMS), the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP), the Medical Sociology Section of the German Sociological Association (DGS), the German Society for Medical Psychology (DGMP), the German Society for Public Health (DGPH), the German Network for Health Services Research (DNVF), the Congress for Poverty and Health, and the Cooperation Network Equal Health Opportunities. It is a member of the Working Group of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF), where it represents medical sociology in teaching and research. The DGMS holds annual conferences, usually in cooperation with the DGMP or the DGSMP. Since 1985, 36 annual conferences have taken place. The 2022 conference, the 36th, was held in person in Magdeburg together with the DGSMP after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, under the theme "Rethinking Social Health: Challenges for Social Medicine and Medical Sociology in the Digital Late Modern Era," with Christian Apfelbacher as conference president. The 2023 conference took place in Giessen in cooperation with the DGMP under the theme "Moving Times: Life Worlds in Transition," with Renate Deinzer as conference president. The board is elected by the general membership assembly for a two-year term; in 2022 Nico Dragano was re-elected as first chair at the Magdeburg conference. The society also contributes to publications, including the "Online Textbook of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology" (DGMP and DGMS, 2020), edited by R. Deinzer and O. von dem Knesebeck, and works such as J. Siegrist, O. von dem Knesebeck and H. Pfaff's "The Significance of the Subject 'Medical Sociology' for Teaching and Research at Medical Faculties in Germany" (2005).

The history of medical sociology in Germany goes back to the 1970s. Before reunification, different developments took place in East and West Germany. In 1990, colleagues from East and West came together in the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie. The founding of the DGMS in 1972 was closely linked to the introduction of the licensing regulations for physicians (Approbationsordnung) in 1970, which for the first time made psychosocial content part of compulsory subjects in medical studies. This led to medical sociology developing into a formally institutionalised scientific discipline. As a preclinical field, medical sociology deals on the one hand with the sociological examination of medical care (e.g. organisation of the health system, social interactions between doctors and patients) and on the other with the effects of social and economic conditions on people's health (e.g. poverty and health, the role of working conditions, the protective effect of social integration). The formal introduction of medical sociology as an examination subject in medical education also meant that the subject was institutionally organised and chairs were established at medical faculties. The founding of the DGMS was also a reaction to the introduction of the written examination system under the 1970 licensing regulations and emerged in the context of the anti-authoritarian student movement. To professionalise and preserve medical sociology in the teaching and examination system of medicine, the founding of a specialist society appeared necessary. Thus the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie (DGMS) was founded on 4 November 1972 in Marburg. Among the founding members were Prof. em. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Deppe (University of Frankfurt), who was elected as the first chair in 1972, and Prof. em. Dr. Johannes Siegrist. Deppe collected many documents from the founding period and transferred them to the archive centre of the University Library Frankfurt after his retirement; these formed the basis of his 1978 review of the founding history. In East Germany, the development of medical sociology was closely connected with the subject of social hygiene and the name Kurt Winter, a physician who had emigrated from Germany in 1933, lived in Sweden from 1940 to 1945, and after the war deliberately chose the Soviet occupation zone, where he wanted to participate in building a medical care system. On 6 February 1990, the Gesellschaft für Medizinsoziologie (GM) of the GDR was founded in East Berlin. In May 1990, the boards of the DGMS and the GM met for a two-day meeting in East Berlin. By the end of 1990, the DGMS had grown by many members and the GM was history again. Today the DGMS organises itself in working groups to promote medical-sociological research fields, focusing on topics such as social influences on health opportunities and disease risks, health consequences of demographic change, and social determinants and design of health care. The working groups cover gender and health, health sociology and medical sociology, children and adolescents, teaching, medical-sociological theories, methods, prevention and health promotion, psychosocial influences on health, social epidemiology, health services research, and early-career researchers. The society holds annual conferences, usually in cooperation with the DGMP or the DGSMP; since 1985, 36 annual conferences have taken place. It awards an annual prize to promote early-career scientists in medical sociology at German universities, alternating between theses and dissertations. It cooperates with numerous national and international organisations and is a member of the AWMF.

• 2023

  Annual conference held in Giessen with DGMP.

• 2022

  36th annual conference held in Magdeburg with DGSMP; Nico Dragano re-elected as first chair.

• 2020

  Publication of the 'Online Textbook of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology' (DGMP and DGMS), edited by R. Deinzer and O. von dem Knesebeck.

• 2005

  Publication of 'The Significance of the Subject Medical Sociology for Teaching and Research at Medical Faculties in Germany' by Siegrist, von dem Knesebeck and Pfaff.

• 1990

  On 6 February, the Gesellschaft für Medizinsoziologie (GM) of the GDR is founded in East Berlin; in May the boards of DGMS and GM meet; by the end of 1990 the GM merges into the DGMS.

• 1985

  Start of the annual conference series; since then 36 annual conferences have taken place.

• 1978

  Hans-Ulrich Deppe publishes a review of the founding history of the DGMS.

• 1972

  Founding of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie (DGMS) on 4 November in Marburg.

• 1970

  Introduction of the licensing regulations for physicians (Approbationsordnung), making psychosocial content part of compulsory medical studies.

A scientific and professional association for medical sociology in Germany, promoting research, teaching and practice, and advocating for equal health opportunities.

• Annual conference (Jahrestagung)

  Annual specialist conference, usually organised in cooperation with the DGMP or DGSMP.

• Working groups

  Working groups on topics such as gender and health, teaching, methods, prevention, social epidemiology, health services research, and early-career researchers.

• Prize for early-career researchers

  Annual prize to promote early-career scientists in medical sociology at German universities, alternating between theses and dissertations.

• Statements and guidelines

  The society participates in statements and guidelines.

• Science communication

  The society engages in science communication to make research visible and understandable.

1. 1Die DGMS » Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie e.V.dgms.de
2. 2Geschichte » Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie e.V.dgms.de
3. 3GM in der DDR » Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie e.V.dgms.de
4. 4Entstehung DGMS » Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie e.V.dgms.de
5. 5Deutsche Gesellschaft für medizinische Soziologie - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Soziologie - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org