phd medical law and ethics

• Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics
• Education & Training

PhD Program

• Bioethics Certificate Program
• Master of Bioethics
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Undergraduate Minor
• Clinical Ethics Education
• Online Learning
• Genomics and Society Mentorship Program (GSMP)

The PhD in Bioethics and Health Policy Program is taught by leading experts in the fields of bioethics and health policy, who provide unparalleled training, education and mentoring to the next generation of bioethics scholars . This PhD program is unique in the opportunities it affords students to conduct innovative original scholarship in a premier international research institution, focused specifically on public health ethics and bioethics and health policy.

Scholarly Life at the Berman Institute

Students in the Bioethics PhD program constitute a vital and important part of the academic community at the Berman Institute of Bioethics. Students are encouraged to participate fully in a wide range of scholarly, teaching and public engagement activities. These include participating in the semi-annual ‘research retreats’ at which faculty, fellows, and students present works-in-progress, and attending the Berman Institute’s bi-monthly seminar series at which prominent scholars from other institutions lecture on emerging research interests.

The PhD program in bioethics and health policy is a concentration within the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM), offered in collaboration with the Berman Institute of Bioethics. For complete information, including admissions requirements, visit the Department of HPM’s PhD Concentration in Bioethics & Health Policy website .

The PhD program in Bioethics and Health Policy is distinguished from other bioethics doctoral programs in two ways:

The PhD program focuses on bioethics as it relates to moral questions in public health and health policy (rather than, for example, in clinical decision-making or bedside dilemmas).

• Students and faculty in this concentration study and conduct independent research on ethical issues in public health practice, research, and policy such as: ethics and emergency preparedness, domestic and international research ethics, genetic screening policy, ethics and obesity prevention, ethics and infectious diseases, resource allocation and social justice.

The PhD program provides rigorous training in quantitative and qualitative empirical research methods.

• By the end of their PhD training, students are prepared to provide not only normative recommendations regarding ethics and public health policy but also are equipped to function as independent researchers, conducting empirical research related to bioethics, public health and health policy.

Our PhD program focuses on bioethics in public health and health policy and provides rigorous training in quantitative and qualitative empirical research methods.

Program Alumni

Our PhD alumni go on to successful and prominent careers in the field of bioethics. Our alumni include:

Neal Dickert, MD Cardiologist, Associate Professor of Medicine, Emory University

Michael DiStefano Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Rachel Fabi Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Humanities, Upstate Medical University

Jane Forman Core Faculty, Clinician Scholars Program at the University of Michigan Medical School;Director of the Qualitative and Mixed Methods Core at the VA Ann Arbor HSR&D Center for Clinical Management Research

Krista Harrison Associate Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco

Jessica Holzer Associate Professor in Health Sciences, University of New Haven

Summer Johnson-McGee President, Salem College

Andrea Kalfoglou Associate Professor of Public Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

JP Leider Senior fellow, University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH); founding director of the SPH Center for Public Health Systems

National Institutes of Health

Sara Chandros Hull Director, Bioethics Core,  National Human Genome Research Institute

Leila Jamal Associate Director for Cancer Genomics, Johns Hopkins/NIH Genetic Counseling Training Program

Julia Slutsman Director of Genomic Data Sharing Policy Implementation, NIH

Holly Taylor Research Bioethicist, NIH

Health Care Innovation

Lee-Lee Ellis Health Care Director, Payor Reform, Arnold Ventures

Vanessa Kuhn VP, Go-to-market Operations, Memora Health

Amy Paul Director of Professional Services, Vital Wave

Danielle Whicher Health Services Researcher and Policy Professional, Mathematica

Non-Profit/Research

Jason Gerson Senior Program Officer, Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science program, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Carleigh Krubiner Bioethics Lead, Wellcome Trust

Christian Morales Health Policy Researcher and Bioethicist, Educational Alliance  

Medical Practice

Ingrid Burger, MD Radiologist, Chief of Ultrasound, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center

Program Faculty

• PhD Program

Bioethics PhD Program

CWRU is home to the nation’s first PhD in Bioethics, created in 2004. Since then, we have trained a stellar group of scholars in bioethics and medical humanities that are advancing our field in many areas. Areas range among philosophy, health sciences, law, management, public policy and social sciences, religious studies, and more. We have welcomed students into our program from a variety of backgrounds. All students in the PhD program in Bioethics gain interdisciplinary training in order to conceptualize, design, and conduct both normative ethical analysis and empirical research, on bioethical issues.

The next PhD in Bioethics cohort will enter our program in Fall 2026. The application window opens early September 2025. 

We Train Bioethics and Medical Humanities Scholars

Our program’s objective is to train scholars to possess specific expertise in the conceptualization, design and execution of both normative and empirical research– on issues in bioethics and medical humanities. .

Graduates will:

• Obtain grounding in the philosophical basis of bioethics– to conceptualize and analyze moral problems
• Develop a theoretical perspective to guide their research
• Be proficient in empirical methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative) to conduct research on bioethical issues
• Conceptualize and develop timely and meaningful research questions in bioethics
• Emerge with the necessary skills to prepare academic publications and presentations; and to compete for academic positions and grant funding from NIH, NSF, and private foundations.

Opportunities for graduates of the PhD program in Bioethics are bountiful! They include careers as independent investigators, serving as a bridge between colleagues in the traditional medical humanities and those in clinical and basic-science departments. Or, employment in academic bioethics centers, clinical and basic science departments in medical schools, schools of public health, government agencies, and public policy institutes.

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Health Care Ethics, Ph.D.

• Learning Outcomes
• Requirements
• Contact Info

Saint Louis University’s doctoral program in health care ethics prepares students for a successful career in academic, corporate, research or clinical bioethics settings.

Curriculum Overview

SLU’s Ph.D. in health care ethics is offered by the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics . The health care ethics Ph.D. integrates an interdisciplinary curriculum with several practica and offers four concentrations to further specialize your doctoral studies.

All students in the traditional Ph.D. in Health Care Ethics program are required to complete 60 credits of coursework in five categories of courses:

• Foundations of Health Care Ethics (12 credits)
• Context of Health Care (12 credits)
• Disciplinary Lens (12 credits)
• Bioethics Content (12 credits)
• Dissertation Research (12 credits)

With the approval of the Ph.D. program director, up to 12 credits (in 5000-level courses or higher) from previous graduate coursework may count as advanced standing toward the disciplinary lens or bioethics content elective categories. Students pursuing the J.D./Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., M.A./Ph.D. or the joint Ph.D. in Theology and Health Care Ethics follow a modified curriculum.

You may opt to complete a concentration in one of four areas: Catholic tradition, clinical ethics, empirical research methods or research ethics.

Catholic Tradition Concentration

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in health care ethics may take 15 credits of coursework with an emphasis on health care ethics in the Catholic tradition and write a dissertation (12 credits) in the Catholic tradition to develop expertise in the area of Catholic health care ethics. To enroll in the concentration in health care ethics in the Catholic tradition, students must already hold a master’s degree in theology or religious studies or be enrolled in the M.A./Ph.D. dual-degree program.

Clinical Ethics Concentration

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in health care ethics may take 15 credits of coursework with an emphasis on clinical ethics (12 credits). They'll also write a dissertation on a topic relevant to clinical ethics to develop clinical health care ethics expertise.

Empirical Research Concentration

With the approval of the concentration directors and the Ph.D. program director, students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in health care ethics may opt to complete this concentration to develop expertise in empirical research methods. The aim of this concentration is to prepare students to incorporate empirical methods into a normative dissertation and future research. The focus of the track will be on qualitative research methods (such as ethnography, interviews, focus groups, public deliberation, etc.), though, in consultation with the directors of the concentration, students will have the option of adopting quantitative or mixed methods approaches. Completion of the concentration is meant to indicate special competencies over and above those gained in the Ph.D. program, specifically those that pertain to qualitative empirical research in the field of bioethics.

Students must elect to pursue this concentration by the end of their first semester at the latest. A concentration director must approve the empirical concentration curriculum plan of each student. The concentration requires at least 12 hours of coursework.

Research Ethics Concentration

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in health care ethics may take 15 credits of coursework with an emphasis on research ethics and write a dissertation (12 credits) in research ethics to develop expertise in the area of human research ethics.

Graduate Handbook

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

All Ph.D. students take a three-semester, 150-hour clinical practicum to gain experience working in a clinical setting. Students interested in the clinical ethics concentration can complete an additional advanced practicum in which students are placed in active clinical ethics consultation services for 300+ hours. In addition to these fieldwork opportunities, most Ph.D. students graduate with two or more publications.

Professionals from the fields of law, medicine, nursing, public health, philosophy and religious studies have joined SLU’s Ph.D. program in health care ethics. Our graduates have been highly successful in finding excellent full-time positions both in education (teaching and conducting research in health care ethics) and in health care systems (as professional ethicists).

Admission Requirements

Students entering the Ph.D. program in health care ethics will have an undergraduate or graduate degree in a relevant field, for instance, philosophy, theology, a clinical field, social sciences or law. Successful applicants usually have a high GPA, high GRE percentiles (especially in the verbal and analytical writing categories), a strong normative writing sample and a demonstration of overall fit with the program’s educational objectives.

The Catholic Health Association has recommended that ethicists working in Catholic health care with an interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree should additionally hold an M.A. in theology. It is strongly recommended that students who do not already hold an M.A. in theology complete the dual-degree program, offered in collaboration with the Aquinas Institute of Theology. Alternately, students should plan on completing an M.A. prior to commencing work in Catholic health care.

Application Requirements

• Transcript(s)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Writing sample
• Professional goal statement
• Application deadline Dec. 1

Requirements for International Students

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students must also meet the following additional requirements:

• Demonstrate  English Language Proficiency
• Financial documents are required to complete an application for admission and be reviewed for admission and merit scholarships. 
• A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the student's time at Saint Louis University
• A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of the student's study at the University
• Courses taken and/or lectures attended
• Practical laboratory work
• The maximum and minimum grades attainable
• The grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations
• Any honors or degrees received.

WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Assistantship Deadline

Applicants who are admitted to the Ph.D. program will be invited to submit a separate application for assistantship funding. Contact the Ph.D. program director for more information.

Review Process

Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty members from the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics.

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

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Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid

For priority consideration for a graduate assistantship, apply by the program admission deadlines listed. Fellowships and assistantships provide a stipend and may include health insurance and a tuition scholarship for the duration of the award. 

Explore Scholarships and Financial Aid Options

• Graduates will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the foundational disciplines, methods, topics and issues in health care ethics required for the scholarly analysis of issues in the field. 
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate a proficiency in formulating original, normative arguments on topics related to health care ethics.
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, develop and bring to successful completion an original, sustained and coherent independent research project that contributes to the field (i.e. the dissertation).
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate an ability to generate appropriate job search materials (i.e. curriculum vitae, teaching portfolio, writing sample, etc.)

Empirical Research Methods Concentration

Non-course requirements, research tools.

These competencies are essential for success in health care ethics. Students may develop these competencies through different mechanisms.

• Competency in medical terminology
• Competency in library database skills
• Competency in reading statistics and study design

Comprehensive Examinations

The comprehensive examinations occur after completing all coursework and practica. 

Dissertation Proposal

The student will work closely with the dissertation chair to select a dissertation topic and plan the dissertation proposal in a timely manner. In the dissertation proposal, the student must present substantial evidence of the ability to develop and sustain an extended normative project on a bioethics topic. Once the chair is satisfied with the proposal, it will be sent to the two faculty readers for their comments. It is at this stage that the readers are expected to influence the general outline of the dissertation. The student will then address the comments of the readers and submit a revised proposal to the chair. This process may be repeated until the chair, readers and student are satisfied with the proposal.

Dissertations: Non-Traditional Format

Ordinarily, doctoral candidates in the Ph.D. program in health care ethics will follow the traditional guidelines for dissertations. However, when appropriate, a student’s dissertation committee may permit the student to write a dissertation using a nontraditional format, the body of which consists of at least three thematically related original article-length manuscripts, at least two of which must be accepted for publication. As is always the case, all dissertation content must receive final approval by the student’s dissertation committee. The mere fact that a manuscript has been published or accepted for publication does not guarantee that it can be used toward a nontraditional dissertation. Ordinarily, if a faculty member serves as a co-author on one of the publications, this faculty member would not serve as the student’s dissertation chair. The nontraditional dissertation format requires that:

• The three incorporated articles be preceded by a substantive introduction chapter and followed by a substantive conclusion chapter, which will integrate the three manuscripts into a coherent whole.
• Ordinarily, the student is the sole or primary author of all three manuscripts.
• At least two of the three manuscripts must be fully accepted for publication and the third at least under review.
• Dissertations must satisfy the formatting requirements dictated by the "Policies and Procedures for Thesis, Project, and Dissertation Formatting."
• All articles incorporated into the dissertation must have been submitted while enrolled in the Ph.D. program.

Oral Defense of the Dissertation

Upon completion of the dissertation, students publicly present and defend their dissertation before their dissertation committee, CHCE faculty and doctoral students.

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 in all graduate/professional courses.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Take either course depending on interest and career goals. May take both, with the second acting as an elective.

Take the “Consuming Empirical Literature” exam the first day of class.

Take the “Medical Terminology” exam the first day of class.

An introduction to graduate-level database and library search skills, taught by library faculty.

Complete the clinical shadowing eligibility requirements prior to beginning of class.

Program Notes

• Students are encouraged to concentrate elective courses in a primary methodological or content area, versus a broad sampling of courses. Common choices are 6xxx-level courses in theology and philosophy.
• Concentration in Research Ethics : Electives will be focused on topics related to research ethics and dissertation will be written on a research ethics topic. One elective will be in research methodology; one elective will be an Advanced Research Ethics Practicum; one elective will be a non-HCE elective related to research ethics and the elective in the final semester will be a directed reading on Research Ethics, preparing the student’s dissertation prospectus.
• Concentration in Catholic Tradition : Electives will be focused on topics related to Catholic health care ethics and dissertation will be written on a Catholic health care topic. One elective will be HCE 6310 Health Care Ethics: Catholic Tradition (3 cr) ; one elective will be an elective related to health care and the catholic tradition, usually in theology; the elective in the final semester will be a directed reading on Catholic health care ethics, preparing the student’s dissertation prospectus.
• Concentration in Clinical Ethics : Electives will be focused on topics related to clinical ethics and dissertation will be written on a clinical ethics topic. One elective will be HCE 6540 Advanced Clinical Ethics Practicum (3 cr) ; one elective will be a non-HCE elective related to clinical ethics and the elective in the final semester will be a directed reading on clinical ethics, preparing the student’s dissertation prospectus.
• Concentration in Empirical Research Methods in Ethics : Electives will be focused on topics related to empirical research methods and dissertation will be written using an empirical research method. Two (preferably three) electives will be graduate-level methods courses taught outside HCE and the elective in the final semester will be HCE 6520 Quantitative Research in Descriptive Ethics (3 cr) , preparing the student’s dissertation prospectus.

For additional information about our program, please contact:

Erica Salter, Ph.D. Graduate Program Coordinator, Health Care Ethics [email protected]

Centre for Ethics in Medicine

Phd in healthcare ethics and law.

The Centre for Ethics in Medicine can provide supervision for a PhD in Ethics in Medicine in areas related to the research themes of the Centre and the research interests of its staff.

Research training

PhD students will be expected to attend training offered by the Department of Population Health, in which the Centre for Ethics in Medicine is located. Depending on qualifications already obtained and the nature of the project to be undertaken, students may receive additional training on:  

• Research methods in bioethics
• Health care ethics theory
• Health care law

Some of these sessions will involve participation in existing programmes, including the BSc Bioethics. Additional training is provided through research seminars and meetings.

All registered PhD students also have access to the Department Short Course programme.

We do not currently have any doctoral funding opportunities available in the Centre.

Bristol Medical School has some studentships available, which are normally advertised in January each year. Applicants are also welcome to contact the University Student Finance Office or the Centre to discuss possible sources of funding. Examples of potential funding sources for bioethical research include the Arts and Humanities Research Council, The Wellcome Trust, and the Medical Research Council. Any prospective student, whether UK, EU, or overseas, who can provide evidence of funding, is welcome to apply for postgraduate study.

If you would like help or advice in working up an application for funding, please get in touch.

Entry requirements

Potential applicants for the PhD programme in the Centre for Ethics in Medicine need to have at least a good Honours degree in a relevant subject e.g. philosophy/ethics, law, social science, theology, health care.  Proficiency in English is essential.

Details of the required  academic qualifications and English language requirements .

Details of  current tuition fees for this programme . Further information on  fees and living expenses .

If you are seeking funding, please see our   postgraduate funding opportunities and advice .

Application procedure

Applicants are encouraged to email  [email protected] . Initial enquiries ought to be supported with a brief outline of the area(s) of bioethics in which the applicant is interested. At this stage we would especially welcome:

• A brief  curriculum vitae
• An outline research proposal of 500-1,500 words

If you are intending to apply, you will need to submit a formal application, but potential applicants are strongly encouraged to make contact with us before doing so.

Applications are in principle welcome at any time, but we encourage applicants who intend to commence their research in autumn to ensure that their application reaches us in the spring/early summer.

I am wonderfully supported as a first year PhD student at CEM. The warm and welcoming multidisciplinary team provides an environment for innovation and the cross-pollination of ideas which is essential for any thriving research community.

The Centre for ethics in medicine is a very friendly, welcoming and inclusive environment to study in.

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Attend an open day

Discover more about Law at Manchester

PhD Bioethics and Medical Jurisprudence / Overview

Year of entry: 2024

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• Bachelor's (Honours) degree in a cognate subject at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
• Master's degree in a relevant subject - with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent)
• A suitable period (normally at least three years) of validated professional experience in a relevant field.

Full entry requirements

Apply online

Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 1 December 2023.

If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the below deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after this date has passed.

• For September 2024 entry: 30 June 2024

Programme options

Programme overview.

• Join an innovative programme for a publication-based PhD.
• Work closely with the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy , a leading bioethics and medical jurisprudence centre, which has a lively and productive research environment.
• Pursue a unique structured research programme containing taught elements designed to provide a solid skills basis for independent research in this area.
• Receive extensive research support and training.

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To find out what studying on a postgraduate research programme at Manchester is like, visit our Open days and study fairs page and explore our virtual open week or future on-campus and international events.

We will be conducting our Humanities PGR virtual open week in October 2024. Find out more about future events and postgraduate research sessions by signing up for our email alerts.

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

• PhD (full-time) UK students (per annum): £4,786 International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,500
• PhD (part-time) UK students (per annum): £2,393 International, including EU, students (per annum): £10,750
• PhD (full-time distance learning) UK students (per annum): £4,786 International, including EU, students (per annum): £10,750
• PhD (part-time distance learning) UK students (per annum): £2,393 International, including EU, students (per annum): £10,750

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

Scholarships/sponsorships

There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards available to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below.

To apply University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered. The deadline for most internal competitions, including School of Social Sciences studentships is 1 December 2023.

All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting your funding application and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.

For more information about funding, visit our funding page to browse for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.

• School of Social Sciences PhD Studentships 2024 Entry
• AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) PhD Studentships - Competition Closed for 2024 Entry
• China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester (CSC-UoM) Joint Scholarship Programme - Competition Closed for 2024 Entry
• Trudeau Doctoral Scholarships 2024 Entry
• President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Awards - Competition Closed for 2024 Entry
• PhD Studentship with the Stuart Hall Foundation (Social Sciences) - Competition Closed for 2024 Entry
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (High Income Countries)
• Humanities Doctoral Academy Humanitarian Scholarship 2024 Entry
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (Least Developed Countries and Fragile States)

Contact details

See: School Subjects

Programmes in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.

Regulated by the Office for Students

The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website .

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website .

Health, Medical Law and Ethics

Edinburgh Law School has a long-standing tradition of teaching and research in the field of health, medical law and ethics. Our leading textbook, Mason and McCall-Smith’s Law and Medical Ethics , was the first of its kind when published in 1983. Today, the research area is one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and it is home to a vibrant community of scholars studying and researching in this dynamic field.

As well as core undergraduate courses, we have an international reputation for our LLM degrees offered both on-campus and by online learning. Our PhD community has particular strength, and many graduates are now leading academics in their own right. Continuing professional development options are also available to support practitioners in healthcare, law, and associated professions keep on top of this fast-moving area.

In research terms, much of our work is carried out under the auspices of the Mason Institute that was established in 2012 as a cross-College interdisciplinary research hub. The Mason Institute’s mission is to investigate the interface between medicine, life sciences, and the law as these disciplines impact on medical and bioethical developments on a national and global scale. Our research has been funded by Wellcome Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council, the European Commission, and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, among others. We pride ourselves on our strong sense of interdisciplinary team working, and an example is our Liminal Spaces project that has been looking at how to improve human health research regulation.

Sharon Cowan , Professor of Feminist and Queer Legal Studies

Edward Dove , Lecturer in Health Law and Regulation

Murray Earle , Senior Teaching Fellow in Medical Law

Anne-Maree Farrell , Chair of Medical Jurisprudence

Agomoni Ganguli Mitra , Chancellor’s Fellow in Legal and Ethical Aspects of Biomedicine

Graeme Laurie , Professorial Fellow

Catriona McMillan , Lecturer in Medical Law

Gerard Porter , Lecturer in Medical Law and Ethics

Emily Postan , Senior Research and Teaching Fellow in Bioethics

Ruby Reed-Berendt , Research Associate

Annie Sorbie , Lecturer in Law (Medical Law and Ethics)

Journal articles

Confidentiality, public interest, and the human right to science: When can confidential information be used for the benefit of the wider community?   Dove, Edward S. In: Journal of Law and the Biosciences, Vol. 10, No. 1, lsad013, 14.06.2023, p. 1-53. View article

Promoting solidarity in contested political spaces and public health emergencies: Examining Covid-19 vaccination on the island of Ireland. Ó Néill, Clayton ; Farrell, Anne-Maree; Donnelly, Mary et al. In: Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. AD1, 29.06.2023, p. 1-21. View article

Rethinking risk in adults’ engagement with sexual digital imagery Power, Jennifer; Dowsett, Gary W.; Waling, Andrea et al. In: Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 07.07.2023, p. 1-24. View article

Achieving procedural parity in managing access to genomic and related health data: A global survey of data access committee (DAC) members Lawson, Jonathan ; Rahimzadeh, Vasiliki; Baek, Jinyoung et al. In: Biopreservation and biobanking, 16.05.2023. View article

Rethinking the regulation of digital contraception under the medical devices regime McMillan, C. In: Medical Law International, 11.02.2023. View article

Ethics governance in Scottish universities: How can we do better? A qualitative study Dove, E.S. & Douglas, C. In: Research Ethics, 33, 12.01.2023, p. 1-33. View article

“Data makes the story come to life”: Understanding the ethical and legal implications of Big Data research involving ethnic minority healthcare workers in the United Kingdom - A qualitative study Dove, E.S., Reed-Berendt, R., Pareek, M, & UK-REACH Study Collaborative Group. In: BMC Medical Ethics, vol. 23, 136, 2022, p. 1-14. View article

What is the impact of intellectual property rules on access to medicines? A systematic review   Tenni, Brigitte ; Moir, Hazel V. J; Townsend, Belinda et al. In: Globalization and Health, Vol. 18, 40, 15.04.2022, p. 1-40.   View article  

COVID-19 vaccination and legal preparedness : Lessons from Ireland Tumelty, Mary-Elizabeth; Donnelly, Mary; Farrell, Anne-Maree et al. In: European Journal of Health Law, Vol. 29, No. 2, 05.2022, p. 240-259. View article  

Traversing TechSex : Benefits and risks in digitally mediated sex and relationships Power, Jennifer; Moor, Lily; Anderson, Joel et al. In: Sexual Health, Vol. 19, No. 1, 03.03.2022, p. 55-69. View article  

Mental health policies and laws on the island of Ireland Farrell, Anne-Maree; Davidson, Gavin; Donnelly, Mary et al. Social Science Research Network (SSRN), 2022. p. 1-42 (Edinburgh School of Law Research Papers; No. 2022/07). View article  

Lead Guest-Editor Special Issue at  Bioethics  on Racism in Health and Bioethics Ganguli-Mitra,  Agomoni.   Bioethics  March 2022; 36 (3)

Justice and the racial dimensions of health inequalities : A view from COVID-19 Ganguli-Mitra, Agomoni; Qureshi, Kaveri; Curry, Gwenetta D et al. In: Bioethics, Vol. 36, No. 3, 03.2022, p. 252-259.   View article

Leveraging algorithms to improve decision-making workflows for genomic data access and management Rahimzadeh, Vasiliki; Lawson, Jonathan; Rushton, Greg and Dove, Edward S. In: Biopreservation and biobanking, Vol. 20, No. 5, 17.10.2022, p. 429-435. View article

Law and Legacy in Medical Jurisprudence : Essays in Honour of Graeme Laurie   Dove, Edward S (Editor); Nic Shuibhne, Niamh (Editor). Cambridge University Press, 2022. 448 p.   View book

Farrell AM, ‘Care and the COVID-19 pandemic: ethical and legal issues’, Keynote, Public Health Ethics and Law Research Network (PHELN) Worksop on Care and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Values Governance and Accountability, Dublin, Ireland, 6 May 2022.

Farrell AM, Reed-Berendt R et al, ‘Legislating for organ donation in a devolved UK: values, rhetoric and policy transfer’, paper given at the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) Annual Conference, York, 7 April 2022.

Ganguli-Mitra, A., Invited Panelist, Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Webinar on the Ethical Implications of Antibody Testing and “Immunity Certification” (July 2020) View presentation

Ganguli-Mitra, A , Invited Speaker, ‘Ethics in Times of Pandemic: Revisiting Vulnerability’, Edinburgh Infectious Disease Coronavirus Workshop, 2020. View event  

Ganguli-Mitra, A, Invited Speaker, ‘ Vulnerability and Responsive Pedagogy’, Race.Ed Launch Event on Collective and Creative Pedagogy (July, 2020) View event

McMillan, C ., ‘Monitoring female fertility through femtech: how should law and regulation respond?’ Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2022, University of York.

McMillan, C.., Invited Speaker, ‘ Rights, duties and conflict handling among progenitors. How to harmonize the right to become a mother or a father and the right to not become. International jurisprudence.’ Universidad Diego Portales (June 2021) View event

McMillan, C., Invited Panellist, ‘Women EmpowerED Reproductive Rights Panel Discussion’, University of Edinburgh (March 2021) View event

Sorbie, A., Invited Speaker, ‘Candour and Healthcare’,  Centre for Health, Law and Society Annual Symposium, the University of Bristol, 11 February 2021 (online) View event

Dove, ES (Co-Investigator) US National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Data Access Committee Review Standards (DACReS): Administrative supplement to the AnVIL Data Ecosystem.” Administrative Supplement for Research and Capacity Building Efforts Related to Bioethical Issues (Project Number 3U24HG010262-04S2). Amount: $112,763 USD. [PI's: Anthony Philippakis, Jonathan Lawson; 2021-22]

Dove, ES, ‘Ethics Review in Scottish Universities: How Can We Do Better?’ Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Research Incentive Grant [£11,435] (PI: ES Dove, 2020-21).

Dove ES , ‘UK-REACH: United Kingdom Research Study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 Outcomes in Healthcare Workers’, COVID-19 Rapid Response Rolling Call, UKRI-NIHR. [£2,128,823] (PI: Dr Manish Pareek; 2020-21) Project website

Coggon J, Dove ES, Farrell AM, Harrington, Murphy T, Tahzib F et al. COVID-19: Explaining the Legal & Ethical Dimensions and Providing Professional & Public Guidance [separately funded by the Universities of Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Queen’s University Belfast]  Project website

Farrell AM, ‘ When Borders Change: Public Health Trade and the Role of Law in the UK and Ireland’ Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Saltire Facilitation Network Funding Award (Ref: 1916) Principal Investigator: Prof Anne-Maree Farrell (Edinburgh); co-Investigator Prof Mary Donnelly (University College Cork) (2022-24 [£ 19,828.84 ]  Project website

Farrell AM, ‘ Legal Transplants and Policy Transfers: Legislating for Organ Donation in a Devolved UK’, British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grant Award (SRG21/210296). Principal Investigator: Prof John Harrington (Cardiff); Co-Investigator: Prof Anne-Maree Farrell (Edinburgh) (2021-22) [£9,971.00)  Project website

Farrell AM, ‘ A Public Health, Ethics and Law Research Network’, ESRC-IRC Research Networking Grant UK PI : Prof Anne-Maree Farrell (Edinburgh); Ireland PI : Prof Mary Donnelly (UCC), Co-Investigators: Prof Thérèse Murphy (QUB), Dr Clayton Ó Neill (QUB), Prof Deirdre Madden (UCC), Dr Mary Tumelty (UCC) (2021-22) [£15,889.00]

Farrell AM, The Technological Transformation of Sex: Improving Australia’s Response, Australian Research Council Discovery Grant [AUD$318,000; £163,000] (PI: Jennifer Power, Australian Research Centre for Sex Health and Society (ARCSHS) Co-Investigators: Prof Gary Dowsett, Prof Jayne Lucke, Dr Andrea Waling (La Trobe), Prof Anne-Maree Farrell (Edinburgh); 2019-2022).  Project website  / Australian Project website

Farrell AM, A Research Network in Healthcare Law, Policy and Ethics on the island of Ireland, Wellcome Trust Small Grant in Humanities and Social Sciences [£12,360] (PI: Prof Anne-Maree Farrell; 2019-2021). Project website

Ganguli-Mitra, A, Vulnerability and Justice in Global Health Emergency Regulation: Developing Future Ethical Models, Wellcome Trust Seed Award [£70,642.00] (PI: Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra, 2018-2020). Project website

McMillan C, ‘“Femtech” and the Process of Becoming a “Better” Woman: How Should Law and Regulation Respond to Health Technologies Targeted at Improving Women’s Health and Well-being?’, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-2024) [£346,693]  Project details

Porter, G. ‘Smart Regulation of Antibiotic Use in India: Understanding, Innovating and Improving Compliance’ Newton-Bhabha Fund project funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Government of India, Department of Biotechnology (DBT). UK PI Gerard Porter (Edinburgh); India PI Prof Anita Kotwani (University of Delhi) co-Investigators Dr Anjana Sankhil Lamkang (Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, New Delhi), Prof Javier Guitian (Royal Veterinary College, London) Dr Jyoti Joshi (Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, New Delhi), Prof Lucy Kimbell (University of the Arts London), Dr Meenakshi Gautham  (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Dr Nagendra R Hegde (National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad) [£633,956; share to UoE £: 417,788] (2018-2021).  Project website  

Dove ES, Empirical Legal Research Network (ELRN) Colloquium, Wednesday 28 April 2021, View event

Dove ES, Mason Institute: Early Career Researcher Online Workshop: Developing a Career in Health Law and Bioethics, 19-20 April 2021 View event

Dove ES, Empirical Legal Research Network (ELRN) Annual Lecture and Training Workshop on Empirical Legal Research Methods and Methodologies, 16 October 2020 View event  

Farrell AM and Donnelly M, Public Health Ethics and Law Research Network (PHELN): Care and the Covid-19 Pandemic: Values, Governance and Accountability Research Workshop, 6 May 2022, Dublin, Ireland.

Farrell AM, Public Health Ethics and Law Research Network (PHELN): COVID-19 Vaccination: Ethics in Practice Webinar + Workshop, 16 June 2021 View event 

Media/Online

Shackleton N, Farrell AM , Power J, ‘A Third of Surveyed Australians say the Internet is Good for Their Sex Lives’ The Conversation 15 February 2022 View media

Parliamentary submissions

Postan E, Sorbie A, Ganguli-Mitra A, Chan S, Dove ES, Sethi N, McMillan C, Greenbrook J .  Submission from the Mason Institute for Medicine Life Sciences and the Law, School of Law, University of Edinburgh in response to UK Parliament’s Human Rights Committee call for evidence on the human rights implications of the UK Government’s response to COVID-19.

Dove ES , Member, National Data Guardian’s Panel (2021 - )

Dove ES , Member, Stakeholder forum; WP4 Policy forum; WP5 Work package permanent advisory group, Towards the European Health Data Space (TEHDAS) (Coordinated by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and co-funded by the Health Programme of the EU)

Dove ES , Member, Ethics Board, Intelligent Total Body Scanner for Early Detection of Melanoma (iToBoS) project (EU Horizon 2020-funded project, Grant ID: 965221)

Dove ES , Member, Editorial Board, European Journal of Health Law

Dove ES, Associate Editor, Research Ethics (academic journal published by SAGE)

Dove ES, Member, Stakeholder forum; WP4 Policy forum; WP5 Work package permanent advisory group, Towards the European Health Data Space (TEHDAS) (Coordinated by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and co-funded by the Health Programme of the EU)

Dove ES, Member, Ethics Board, Intelligent Total Body Scanner for Early Detection of Melanoma (iToBoS) project (EU Horizon 2020-funded project, Grant ID: 965221)

Dove ES, Member, Advisory Board, STAMINA project (EU Horizon 2020-funded project, Grant ID: 883441)

Dove E.S., UK National Contact, European Association of Health Law (EAHL)

Dove E.S , Member, Biolaw Department, International Chair in Bioethics

Dove E.S , Member, Steering Group for the Scottish Guthrie Card Archive (Scottish Government);

Dove E.S , Expert Consultant, Data Protection Unit, Council of Europe

Farrell AM , Expert Advisor, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (2022)

Farrell AM, Appointed Member, Biometrics and Forensic Ethics Group (BFEG), UK Home Office (2021 - ) View website  

Farrell AM, Expert Advisor, UK government-sponsored Infected Blood Inquiry View website  

Farrell AM, Co-Convenor, Law and Health Collaborative Research Network, United States Law and Society Association

Farrell AM , Member, Editorial Board, Medical Law Review (2021 - )

Ganguli-Mitra, A . Invited Member, German Network of Public Health (Competence Network Public Health Covid-19): Expert Group on COVID-19 and Ethics, View website

Ganguli-Mitra, A.   Advisory Board Member, Feminist Approaches to Bioethics

Ganguli-Mitra, A. Chair of the Board of Directors, Shakti Women’s Aid, Edinburgh

Ganguli-Mitra A, Member, Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy of Scotland

Laurie GT , Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bioethics Review

Laurie GT , Member of International COVID-19 Data Research Alliance Ethics Advisory Council

Laurie, GT , Member of AHRC COVID-19 Expert Peer Review Group

McMillan,C . Panel member, ‘Feminism Means Reproductive Justice’, University of Edinburgh Feminist Society, April 2022, University of Edinburgh.

McMillan, C., Convenor, Health and Medical Law Sub-Committee, Law Society of Scotland View website  

Sorbie A, Lay Advisor to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), June 2018 – present

Sorbie A, Member of RCSEd Patient Safety Committee, June 2018-present

Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society The Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society (CBSS) is a multidisciplinary research centre that builds on the University of Edinburgh’s unique history of leadership in social studies of science and medicine to scrutinise the complex social, cultural and technological landscape that characterises contemporary biomedicine and health care. Visit the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society website

Empirical Legal Research Network The Empirical Legal Research Network (ELRN) serves as a nexus for those interested in empirical research and the study of law in society. Visit the ELRN website

Innogen Institute The Innogen Institute is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and the Open University that produces high quality research and supports the delivery of innovation that is profitable, safe and societally useful. We build, nationally and internationally, on fundamental and applied research in science, medicine, engineering and social science. Visit the Innogen website

Mason Institute The Mason Institute is an interdisciplinary research network investigating the interface between medicine, life science, and the law. Visit the Mason Institute website

Usher Institute The Usher Institute is a high-energy, interdisciplinary environment dedicated to improving health locally and globally through research, education, knowledge exchange and innovation. Visit the Usher Institute website

Law and Medical Ethics (online CPD)

LLM in Medical Law and Ethics

LLM in Medical Law and Ethics (online)

LLM by Research

LLM in Law (online)

Edinburgh Law School in the news

Prof Anne-Maree Farrell: Vaccine nationalism: Why a partisan approach to Covid jabs could damage trust in them (iNews, 4 December 2020)

Dr Arpan Mehta and Ms Annie Sorbie: BAME doctors face COVID 'double hit' as pandemic drives rise in complaints (GP Online, 24 November 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra: Coronavirus: UK only buying enough vaccines to protect the most vulnerable (Sky News, 28 October 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra: COVID-19: UK only buying enough vaccines to protect the most vulnerable (Sky News YouTube channel; 28 October 2020)

Expert insights and commentaries

Prof Graeme Laurie: COVID-19: UK Government inaction raises serious human rights concerns (The Motley Coat, 18 November 2020)

Annie Sorbie: Webinar - Embedding the Professional Duty of Candour (Patient Safety Seminar Series, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 13 August 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra: The need to unpack vulnerability in a pandemic (The BMJ Opinion, 3 July 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra: Webinar - Ethical implications of antibody testing and “immunity certification" (Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 2 July 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra and Rebecca Richards, et al: Imagining Life with "Immunity Passports": Managing Risk During a Pandemic (Discover Society, 1 June 2020)

Prof Anne-Maree Farrell: Webinar - Managing the Dead and the Covid-19 Pandemic Ethics, Rights and Regulation (QUB School of Law, 6 May 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra and Ms Rebecca Richards, et al:  What does it mean to be made vulnerable in the era of COVID-19? (The Lancet, 27 April 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra: Is the Coronavirus Pandemic Worse for Women? (Thinking Out Loud video series, University of Oxford, 17 April 2020)

Dr Catriona McMillan and Dr Victoria Sobolewska: DNACPRs and advance care planning in the COVID19 pandemic: key lessons (The Motley Coat, 16 April 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra and Dr Alexis Paton: Anyone can get coronavirus – but how you fare depends a lot on who and where you are (The Independent, 8 April 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra: Social justice may be our greatest antidote (University of Edinburgh, 6 April 2020)

Prof Graeme Laurie: The COVID-19 pandemic: are law and human rights also prey to the virus? (Covid-19 Perspectives, 17 March 2020)

Appointments

Prof Graeme Laurie has been appointed to the Arts and Humanities Reseach Council (AHRC) Covid-19 expert peer review group.

Read more about the AHRC

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra has been invited to be a member of the Ethics Group of the German Pubilc Health Covid-19 Network.

Read the network's first public health ethics policy brief

Read more about the network

Research projects

A public health, ethics and law research network.

Governmental responses to the legal, policy and ethical issues raised by the pandemic have varied within the four nations of the UK, and between the UK and Ireland. Despite COVID-19 not recognising geographical borders, longstanding North-South tensions have also contributed to different responses to managing the risks posed by the pandemic on the island of Ireland. Against this background, the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to re- think how we should understand the relationship between public health, ethics and law in the UK and Ireland, informed by a range of academic and public health practitioner perspectives.

Led by Prof Anne-Maree Farrell and Prof Mary Donnelly (Professor of Law at University College Cork, Ireland), this joint ESRC/IRC-funded project will bring together these differing perspectives to gain a better understanding of this relationship and establish a new public health ethics and law research network (PEHL) in the UK and Ireland.

Read more about the project

Justice in Global Health Emergencies and Humanitarian Crises

Global Health Emergencies (GHEs) are crises that affect health, and that are, or should be, of international concern. These might include infectious outbreaks, humanitarian crises and disasters, conflicts, and forced displacements. GHEs are characterised by various forms of urgency and uncertainty, and are known to exacerbate existing inequalities, injustices and vulnerabilities in individuals and communities. Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra is the PI of a Wellcome Trust Seed Award Project entitled, ‘Vulnerability and justice in global health emergency regulation: developing future ethical models,’ which is currently working on several pieces on the subject of COVID-19.

Visit the project website

Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Covid-19 and Providing Professional and Public Guidance

Prof Anne-Maree Farrell and Dr Edward Dove are working in collaboration with Prof John Coggon of the University of Bristol Law School, who has secured funding from the University of Bristol’s Elizabeth Blackwell Institute to track, analyse, and advise on developments in health policy and practice in light of Covid-19. The project is entitled “Covid-19: Explaining the Legal and Ethical Dimensions and Providing Professional and Public Guidance”.

Working with colleagues across the UK’s four nations, and alongside an international advisory group, the project will track and systematise the early run of legislative and policy responses to Covid-19 in health policy and practice contexts; develop explanatory materials and analysis of existing and emerging (including latent) points of law, regulation, and policy (including professional ethical guidance); critically assess the consistency of policy and practice with the UK’s ethical framework for pandemic planning; fundamentally assess the consistency of these materials with basic commitments to the rule of law and human rights; and contribute to processes of reflexive governance for and of health professionals (i.e. through advice on developing policy and practice).

Policy Brief: COVID-19: Explaining the Legal and Ethical Dimensions and Providing Professional & Public Guidance

UK-REACH: Understanding Covid-19 outcomes for ethnic minority healthcare workers

Jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the University of Leicester-led UK-REACH study (UK Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers) will work with more than 30,000 clinical and non-clinical members of staff to assess their risk of COVID-19, based on the analysis of two million healthcare records.

Led by Dr Manish Pareek, Associate Clinical Professor in Infectious Diseases at the University of Leicester and Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, the UK-REACH study will follow a group of healthcare workers from BAME backgrounds for a period of 12 months to see what changes occur in their physical and mental health, how they have changed their professional and social behaviours in response to COVID-19, and how risky their jobs are. The study will also include non-clinical staff integral to the day to day running of healthcare institutions, including cleaners, kitchen staff and porters.

As part of the project,  Dr Edward Dove will lead the research strand seeking to understand and address legal, ethical and acceptability issues around data protection, privacy and information governance associated with the linkage of health workers’ registration data and healthcare data.

Visit the UK-REACH project website

Research outputs

Laurie, G.T. Bidding farewell to 2020: what lessons have we learned and what can bioethics continue to teach us?. ABR 12, 375–378 (2020). View article

Mehta, A. R., Szakmany, T., & Sorbie, A. (2020). The medicolegal landscape through the lens of COVID-19: time for reform. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine . View article

Frowde, R., Dove, E.S . & Laurie, G.T. Fail to Prepare and you Prepare to Fail: the Human Rights Consequences of the UK Government’s Inaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic. ABR (2020). View article

AM Farrell and P Hann, 'Mental health and capacity laws in Northern Ireland and the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining powers, procedures and protections under emergency legislation.' International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 71 (2020) 101602. View article

Ganguli-Mitra A , Young I, Engelmann L  et al.  Segmenting communities as public health strategy: a view from the social sciences and humanities [version 1; peer review: 1 approved].  Wellcome Open Res  2020, 5:104.  View article

Reports and briefing notes

Prof Anne-Maree Farrell and Dr Edward Dove, et al: COVID-19: Explaining the Legal and Ethical Dimensions and Providing Professional & Public Guidance (Faculty of Public Health, July 2020)

Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra, et al:   COVID-19 antibody testing and ‘immunity certification’ (Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 18 June 2020)

Consultation responses

The Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and the Law provided a response to UK Parliament’s Human Rights (Joint Committee) call for evidence on the human rights implications of the UK Government’s response to COVID-19.

View the Mason Institute response

Mason Institute website

Liminal Spaces legacy site

Global Health Emergencies project website

Public Health, Ethics and Law Research Network (PHELN)

Smart Regulation of Antibiotic Use in India project website

Tech-Sex: Law, Sex and Technologies

Edinburgh Law School research student profiles

Latest news.

Professor Anne-Maree Farrell appointed as Independent Legal Expert to the Northern Ireland Department of Health Steering Group

5 february 2024.

Professor Sir Alexander McCall Smith recognised in King’s 2024 New Year Honours List

11 january 2024.

New blog series by Prof Graeme Laurie reflecting on law and legacy in medical jurisprudence

9 february 2023.

Improving the experience of witnesses in health and care professional practice proceedings

16 november 2022.

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PhD Program 'Biomedical Ethics and Law'

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The University of Zurich presents a new PhD Program in Biomedical Ethics and Law (PhD BmEL). The Program is established by the Faculties of Medicine and Law and is the first of its kind in Switzerland. more information...

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Online PhD in Bioethics (Clinical and Global Health Bioethics)

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Online (Asynchonous)

USD 169 per credit hour

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Full (officials of PS); 15% off (ECOWAS and IGOs)

EUCLID, an intergovernmental  treaty-based institution with a university mandate, offers to select students from the general public an online PhD in bioethics which covers both clinical and global health bioethical issues.

It is, to date, the only PhD program in this field offered by an international intergovernmental organization. Its purpose is to prepare highly qualified public health professionals able to serve in civil service,  international organizations , health care institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations globally.

Academic Presentation

Bioethics is a discipline still lacking true international and interdisciplinary experts. Few programs are truly international in scope so as to fully prepare graduates for global civil service careers that will engage a wide variety of clinical and public health challenges, including end-of-life care, gender issues, clinical trial ethics, etc.

To answer this challenge, EUCLID has designed a world-class doctoral curriculum, which is presented here with full documentation of syllabus and faculty resources, as well as total tuition. This documentation will enable potential students to determine if this program is suitable and aligned with their career objectives.

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This unique PhD program focuses on both theoretical as well as practical and policy aspects of ethics and bioethics.

This doctoral program was primarily designed to serve civil servants of EUCLID’s Participating States, but it is also open to the general public as an excellent route to pursue a career within inter-governmental bodies, NGOs and the public sector.

Thanks to its low tuition and institutional relationships, it is expected to be of special interest to Global South/African students.

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Note: to consult the current and official curriculum/list of courses from the EUCLID CMS database, please visit: EUCLID Available Degree Programs and follow the program link.

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The PhD BmEL is run jointly by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Medicine and is the first and only program of this kind in Switzerland. It is aimed at lawyers, doctors, and other qualified participants who are interested in research in the areas of medical and health-care law as well as biomedical ethics.

Click on http://www.bmel.uzh.ch to find out all about the PhD BmEL.

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Medical law and ethics

Module information>.

Medical Law and Ethics is a fascinating area to study dealing with some of the most contested and controversial issues of our time; assisted dying, abortion, and embryo research to name three. New technologies such as stem cell research, face transplants and pre-implantation genetic testing have attracted considerable media and public interest. To study medical law at this level, it is essential to also consider the ethical issues which under pin questions about how we should regulate controversial medical practices.This course requires students to use sophisticated analytical skills in evaluating complex legal and ethical dilemmas and to challenge their own and others’ received wisdom while becoming aware of the importance of providing defensible reasons for their views.

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Module A: Basic concepts in medical law

• Confidentiality

Module B: Access to treatment and malpractice litigation

• Resource allocation
• Medical malpractice
• Product liability and the regulation of medicines
• Liability for occurrences before birth

Module C: Legal and ethical issues in medical practice

• Mental health law
• Clinical research
• Organ transplantation
• End of life decisions

Module D: Legal and ethical issues in reproduction

• Embryo and stem cell research
• Assisted conception

Each module will be assessed by a 45-minute unseen written examination.

It is strongly recommended you attempt the modules in order.

You can apply to study a module individually as a standalone unit or as part of a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Laws qualification. (In either scenario, they must be studied in order.)

These modules also contribute towards the following specialist pathways for Laws:

• Human Rights Law
• Legal Theory and History
• Medicine and the Law

Apply via Postgraduate Laws.

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King's College London

Medical ethics & law / medical law ma.

Our MA in Medical Ethics & Law focuses on the legal and ethical questions raised in the context of medicine. These may include debates about: consent to treatment in the case of adults; decision-making where an adult lacks capacity to consent to a given treatment; duties of care relating to treatment and to information disclosure; the treatment of children; adolescents and consent to or refusal of treatment; assisted reproduction and abortion; assisted suicide, euthanasia and end of life decisions; organ donation; psychiatric ethics and mental health law; criminal law and mental disorder; autonomy and public health; the allocation of scarce resources; reproductive ethics; disability; and the ethics and politics of the body. The MA in Medical Law focuses on various of the legal aspects of the above, with the option of studying two ethics modules.

Key benefits

• The most up-to-date legal and ethical scholarship applied to a wide range of issues in relation to science and medicine. For the medical law only programme, the focus is principally on legal issues.
• The programmes discuss controversial issues such as end-of-life decisions and abortion with a balanced, analytical approach.
• Teaching is conducted in seminar groups, typically of less than 30, to encourage active student participation.
• Supported by the UK’s first Centre of Medical Law & Ethics and its team of academic staff, each of whom has a very strong research profile and is actively engaged in associated policy issues.
• Course essentials
• Entry requirements
• Teaching & structure

Employability

Many alumni have gone on to work in policy-related roles including positions at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Human Tissue Authority, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Department of Health and Social Care. Several alumni have also worked in the BMA Ethics Department, for the GMC, Progress Educational Trust, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the King’s Fund, and medical defence societies. Others have progressed to PhD studies.

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• The Dickson Poon School of Law

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Medical Law and Ethics LLM

Awards: LLM

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Medical Law and Ethics

My experience on the LLM in Medical Law and Ethics course was fantastic. The quality of the course was impeccable. Zahra Arifali Haji Jaffer LLM in Medical Law and Ethics, 2017

Proposed new programme

We would like to hear your views on a potential new postgraduate opportunity in Applied Ethics.

Take our survey

Programme description

Individual and population health is a matter of growing social concern. Achieving good health and delivering effective healthcare demands scientific, medical and policy innovation. A variety of fields have a role to play, including law and ethics.

As a student on this programme you will examine topics that reflect some of the main contemporary legal and ethical challenges faced by those working in healthcare and health research, and place them in their social and historical context. These include issues that arise in the context of genetics, assisted reproduction, abortion, standards of medical treatment, transplantation medicine, mental health, advance decisions, assisted suicide, health research, and the allocation of scarce resources.

We offer you the opportunity to study the fundamentals of medical law and ethics, both international and domestic, at an advanced level, and the opportunity to take more specialised courses on issues of contemporary significance, encouraging and supporting the development of research skills necessary for a career in medical law or ethics.

The legal and ethical experts who deliver this programme come from a wide range of disciplines from across the University, and they benefit from a close association with the J Kenyon Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and Law.

Programme structure

You must complete 180 credits of study – 60 credits are taken in the compulsory dissertation and the remaining 120 credits are taken in taught courses.

You will experience a range of teaching styles on these courses, led by members of Edinburgh Law School's academic community and experienced legal and industry practitioners.

You are expected to prepare in advance by reading the required materials and by reflecting on the issues to be discussed, and your participation in classes will be assessed.

For the dissertation you will have a supervisor from whom you can expect guidance and support, but the purpose of the dissertation is to allow you to independently design and conduct a piece of research and analysis.

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances or lack of demand for particular courses, we may not be able to run all courses as advertised come the start of the academic year.

• Read more about the programme structure and courses

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

• identify areas of law relevant to contemporary issues in the broad healthcare setting
• identify gaps, inconsistencies, or instances of inappropriate or over-regulation in healthcare and nascent fields
• build on your understanding of key values in medical law and ethics, such as autonomy, solidarity, justice, reciprocity
• build on your understanding of key mechanisms in medical law and ethics, such as consent, confidentiality, human rights, etc
• appreciate the international dimensions of medicine and its regulation, including the growing importance of European regulation and international agreements
• appreciate the limits of law in discerning appropriate social responses to new medical and technical advances
• develop critical thinking informed by legal, ethical, and social science analysis, and apply that thinking to comment upon the law’s role and appropriate responses to contemporary issues
• experience the benefits of undertaking study in different learning environments (both on-campus and online)

You will engage with different learning environments and modes of class participation, and will draw upon and develop a range of skills. The programme will foster imaginative ways of unpacking and responding to contemporary issues in ways that do not necessarily follow or merely apply existing paradigms or legal constructs.

You will demonstrate a sound grasp of the foundational elements of medical law and ethics, including the role of the law and its various mechanisms (eg: consent, confidentiality, reasonableness, negligence) and the cross-cutting human rights dimensions.

You will develop critical thinking informed by ethical analysis, and apply that thinking to comment on and critique the law’s role in regulating medicine, healthcare services, research, and nascent fields.

Other skills you will develop include:

• general intellectual skills, such as independent critical analysis, interdisciplinary understandings of common problems, problem-solving through reasoned and well-justified ethical and legal discourse, synthesis of complex information and ability to subject to informed critique
• personal skills, such as written and oral skills, group working and interaction skills, intellectual development through interdisciplinary engagement and blended learning environment
• study-derived personal virtues, such as autonomy, critical self-reflection, consideration of others and academic integrity

Career opportunities

This programme can lead to a range of employment opportunities and specialised academic work, including: specialised training for solicitor or advocate work with an emphasis on health-related issues; professional care providers; ethics review panel members; health policy and/or patient advocates (such as NGOs); or health policy designers (such as governmental legal advisers, consultants, etc).

Student testimonial

Entry requirements.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in law, politics, medicine, medical humanities, or life sciences.

In evaluating your application for postgraduate study, greater emphasis may be placed upon results of prior learning in subjects relevant to the intended degree programme.

Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.

Supporting your application

Relevant work experience is not required but may increase your chances of acceptance.

Relevant professional qualifications will be considered.

Preference will be given to those with grades above the minimum requirements due to strong competition for places on this programme.

Students from China

This degree is Band A.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 7.0 in writing and 6.5 in all other components. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 25 in writing and 23 in all other components.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 185 in writing and 176 in all other components.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 70 in writing and 62 in all other components.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding, uk government postgraduate loans.

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Edinburgh Law School Postgraduate Office
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 2386
• Contact: [email protected]
• Old College
• South Bridge
• Central Campus
• Programme: Medical Law and Ethics
• School: Law
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

LLM Medical Law and Ethics - 1 Year (Full-time)

Llm medical law and ethics - 2 years (part-time), application deadlines.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.

• How to apply

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Medical Law and Ethics

The Wrongness of Image-Based Sexual Abuse Marthe Goudsmit Samaritter, supervised by Professor Jonathan Herring Submitted in 2022

State neutrality in relation to the use of certain medical procedures which end or prevent the lives of disabled human beings, with particular reference to English law Heloise Robinson, supervised by Professor John Finnis Submitted in 2020

The Legal Regulation of Gene Drive Technologies Charlotte Elves, supervised by Professor Jonathan Herring Submitted in 2020

The Cusp of Capacity: Empowering and Protecting People in Decisions about Treatment and Care Cressida Auckland, supervised by Professor Jonathan Herring Submitted in 2019

On this page

National Law School of India University, Bengaluru

Professional And Continuing Education (PACE)

Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Law & Ethics (PGDMLE)

Home > Programmes > Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Law & Ethics (PGDMLE)

A one-of-a-kind hybrid education postgraduate diploma in Medical Law and Ethics, offered continuously since 1999. Alumni from this programme include the country’s leading healthcare professionals and leaders, including doctors, hospital administrators, lawyers and researchers.

Programme Highlights:

• Introduces learners to the linkages between the fields of law and health in order to assist them in taking informed, legally sound decisions and developing more ethical healthcare policies.
• Contextualises the constitutional dimension to ‘right to health’, obligations of medical professionals and complex issues such as ‘consent’ and ‘confidentiality’.
• Relevant for doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospital administrators and other health workers looking to broaden their horizons of practice and knowledge.
• This unique programme can also be of interest to mental health professionals, professionals from pharmaceutical industries, research and diagnostics labs and health and fitness-focussed companies.
• Highlights emerging issues in the field of medicine like COVID-19, clinical trials, surrogacy and euthanasia.
• The programme is spread across one year and gives learners the flexibility to design their own learning pathway.

Course 1: Introduction to Law & Legal Systems

This paper introduces the student to legal thinking and reasoning, and to legal systems, with a particular focus on Indian law and the Indian legal system. Those students who are from a non-law background would find this course particularly helpful.

Course 2: Legal Foundation of Health in India

The paper consists of the following modules:

Module I: Introduction to Health Law Module II: Health, Law and Ethics Module III: Health Law in the Indian Context Module IV: Various Statutory Provisions Pertaining to Health Module V: ‘Health’ in International Perspective Module VI: Health Delivery System in India

Course 3: Medical Professional & Patient – The Legal Relationship

This paper consists of the following modules:

Module I: The Medical Profession in India Module II: Establishment of Doctor Patient Relationship Module III: Consent & Medical Treatment Module IV: Confidentiality and Medical Practice Module V: Miscellaneous

Course 4: Law & Medicine – Some Emerging Issues

Module I: Abortion & Reproduction Module II: Assisted Conception Module III: Mental Health Module IV: Euthanasia Regime Module V: Clinical Research & Drug Trials Module VI: HIV/AIDS Some Challenges

Dr. Mrinal Satish

Professor of Law

Nanditta Batra

Visiting Assistant Professor

Bhanu Tanwar

Assistant Professor of Law

For Indian Nationals

For foreign nationals.

Please note the following information regarding eligibility and the mode of applying for this programme.

Eligibility

The minimum eligibility for applying for this programme is a graduate degree (in law or other fields) from a recognized university.

Students with a degree certificate or its equivalent from any UGC-recognized university, Association of Indian Universities, CA, CS, ICWA, Open University/distance learning can apply. There shall be no restriction as to age, nationality, gender or employment status.

Application Timeline

Applications can be filled out online at the URL: https://paceadmissions.nls.ac.in

The deadline for submission of applications to all our programmes is July 31, 2023 .

For admission-related queries, please write to [email protected]

These are some commonly asked questions about this programme. For general questions about the NLSIU Distance Progamme, please visit the General FAQs page .

How many years does a student have to complete a programme?

Students of the Diploma programmes can complete their programme in up to five years from the year of their enrolment.

Students are required to pay the prescribed fee at the time of admission. If a student has to continue the programme beyond one academic year because of non-fulfilment of the prescribed requirements for the award of the diploma, they will be permitted to continue for the subsequent two academic years by paying a continuation fee as prescribed for each year.

After a period of 3 years if the student is unable to clear the programme they may be given an extension of another 2 years by paying Rs. 6,000/- per year for the subsequent two years as extension fee,  provided they have cleared 2 out of the 4 courses in a Diploma programme. At the end of the fifth academic year, if the student is unable to complete the requirements for the award of the diploma, the admission stands automatically cancelled.

What if the candidate does not complete the course in 3 years?

If the candidate does not pass or complete the course, his enrollment ceases. He will have to register afresh by following the usual procedures prescribed for first admission. His performance at the earlier exams is not carried forward. He will have to redo the entire academic exercise prescribed, in the syllabus.

What is the scheme of Assessment?

Every course shall have a combination of formative and summative assessments. This will aid in regular learning and understanding concepts better. Please note the following details regarding the upcoming assessments: Assessment Details:

What is Grading Mechanism?

To successfully complete a programme, a student must take all three assessments (Formative I + Formative II + Summative) and obtain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of three and above out of seven. An aggregate of your performance will count towards the final grade in each course.

Admission Status

Number of courses, course fee (indian nationals).

Rs. 50,500 (Fees mentioned is provisional and subject to ratification by the University Governing Bodies)

Course Fee (Foreign Nationals)

Rs.1,34,200 (Fees mentioned is provisional and subject to ratification by the University Governing Bodies)

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Medical Ethics and Law

• Entry year 2024
• Duration Full time 3 - 4 years, Part time 4 - 7 years

The PhD in Medical Ethics and Law provides research training in core concepts and theories in the moral and political philosophy of current issues in biomedicine and health. The programme offers training in areas of the law that address these issues within national and international frameworks. We welcome applications concerning issues in reproductive ethics, environmental ethics, research ethics, clinical ethics and the donation of human body parts.

Your department

• Lancaster Medical School Faculty of Health and Medicine
• Telephone +44 (0)1524 592032

Entry requirements

Academic requirements.

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in a relevant subject.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

As part of your application you will also need to provide a viable research proposal. Guidance for writing a research proposal can be found on our writing a research proposal webpage.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications .

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes .

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email [email protected]

Fees and funding

The tuition fee for students with home fee status is set in line with the standard fee stipend provided by the UK Research Councils. The fee stipend for 2024/25 has not been set. For reference, the fee stipend for 2023/24 was full-time £4,712, part-time £2,356.

The international fee for new entrants in 2024/25 is full-time £26,490, part-time £13,245.

Depending on the nature of the research project, an additional programme cost may be charged. This additional fee will contribute towards the costs incurred on specific research projects. These costs could include purchasing specialist consumables, equipment access charges, fieldwork expenses and payments for transcription/translation services. Normally any additional charge will not exceed a maximum of £9,720 but this could be increased in exceptional circumstances.

Applicants will be notified of any specific additional programme cost when the offer of a place is made.

General fees and funding information

There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.

Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.

College fees

Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee  which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.

For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.

Computer equipment and internet access

To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated  IT support helpdesk  is available in the event of any problems.

The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.

For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.

For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.

The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your  fee status .

If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about  fees in subsequent years .

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities .

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries .

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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information .

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We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies .

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Institute for Bioethics & Health Humanities committed to moral inquiry, research, teaching, and professional service in healthcare

Open faculty position: now accepting applications.

We are recruiting an open rank, tenure track/tenured faculty member with expertise in clinical ethics consultation to begin as early as September 2024. This position is within The Department and Institute of Bioethics and Health Humanities (IBHH), housed in the School of Public and Population Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

50th Anniversary of the Institute for Bioethics and Health Humanities Timeline

In April of 1970, both The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Science at Houston and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston sponsored the symposium "Humanism in Medicine" that would help shape and give impetus to the new institute that would emerge at UTMB in 1973. This new institute would be dedicated to medicine and the humanities.

Upcoming 2023 Seminars

View Past Seminars & Events

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Graduate students publish article in Journal of Medical Ethics

May 16, 2024, 13:52 PM by Ashley Torres

Graduate students Hannah Carpenter, Georgia Loutrianakis, Peyton Baker, Tiffany Bystra, and Dr. Lisa Campo-Engelstein publish

“ Procreative Loss Without Pregnancy Loss .”  Journal of Medical Ethics  (2024).

• Health Care
• UTMB Support Areas

• Alumni Colloquium Series 2022-23

Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): "Regulatory and Ethical Perspectives on Pragmatic Trials: Lessons from Three Cases"- Mark Neuman, MD, MSc

12:00pm - 1:00pm • Hybrid: RCH B102AB, Richards Bldg., 3700 Hamilton Walk (and virtual via Zoom)

Regulatory and Ethical Perspectives on Pragmatic Trials: Lessons from Three Cases

Mark neuman, md, msc.

Director, Research Partnerships , Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Critical Care , Perelman School of Medicine Director, Penn Center for Perioperative Outcomes Research and Transformation (CPORT) , Perelman School of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania

Mark Neuman, MD, MSc, Professor of Anesthesiology at Penn, will discuss regulatory and ethical issues raised in the process of designing, implementing, and reporting multi-center pragmatic trials, with a focus on 3 recently completed or planned studies focusing on aspects of anesthesia care for older surgical patients:

REGAIN (Regional versus General Anesthesia for Promoting Independence after Hip Fracture; NCT02507505), DROP-Benzo (De-adopting Routine Preoperative Benzodiazepines for Older Surgical Patients; NCT05436392); and My Anesthesia Choice-Hip Fracture ( www.myanesthesiachoice.org ; registration pending).

Key areas of discussion will include:

• Navigating clinician attitudes towards comparators and questions around equipoise
• Implementing single IRB processes
• Designing an approach to human subjects research review for a study conducted in partnership with a national private medical group working at hundreds of hospitals, surgery centers, and physician offices across multiple states

Lunch provided. Streaming available via Zoom.

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Ethical Lapses in the Medical Profession

More from our inbox:, don’t cave, columbia, a florida book oasis, balloon release ban.

To the Editor:

Re “ Moral Dilemmas in Medical Care ” (Opinion guest essay, May 8):

It is unsettling, and dismaying, to read Dr. Carl Elliott’s account of moral lapses continuing to exist, if not thrive, in medical education. As a neurology resident in the early 1970s, I was assigned a patient who was scheduled to have psychosurgery.

He was a prisoner who had murdered a nurse in a hospital basement, and the surgery to remove part of his brain was considered by the department to be a therapeutic and even forward-looking procedure. This was despite its being widely discredited, and involving a prisoner who could not provide truly informed consent.

A fellow resident and I knew that refusing would almost certainly result in suspension or dismissal from the residency, so we anonymously contacted our local newspapers, whose reporting resulted in an overflow protest meeting, cancellation of the psychosurgery and legislative action placing conditions on the acceptance of informed consent by prisoners.

It is lamentable that even though bioethics programs are widely incorporated into medical education, moral and ethical transgressions remain a stubborn problem as part of medical structures’ groupthink.

As Richard Feynman has emphasized , doubt, uncertainty and continued questioning are the hallmarks of scientific endeavor. They need to be an integral element of medical education to better prepare young doctors for the inevitable moral challenges that lie ahead.

Robert Hausner Mill Valley, Calif.

I would like to thank Carl Elliott for exposing the “Moral Dilemmas in Medical Care.” There is a medical school culture that favors doctors as privileged persons over patients.

I can remember multiple patient interactions in medical school in which I thanked a patient for allowing me to examine them and apologized for hurting them during my exam of their painful conditions.

I was then criticized by attending physicians for apologizing to the patients. I was told, on multiple occasions, that the patient should be thanking me for the privilege of assisting in my education.

Medical training, in a medical school culture that favors the privilege of the medical staff over the rights and feelings of patients, needs to be exposed and changed.

Doug Pasto-Crosby Nashville The writer is a retired emergency room physician.

As a psychiatrist and medical ethicist, I commend Dr. Carl Elliott for calling attention to several egregious violations of medical ethics, including failure to obtain the patient’s informed consent. Dr. Elliott could have included a discussion of physician-assisted suicide and the slippery slope of eligibility for this procedure, as my colleagues and I recently discussed in Psychiatric Times .

For example, as reported in The Journal of Eating Disorders , three patients with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa were prescribed lethal medication under Colorado’s End-of-Life Options Act. Because of the near-delusional cognitive distortions present in severe anorexia nervosa, it is extremely doubtful that afflicted patients can give truly informed consent to physician-assisted suicide. Worse still, under Colorado law, such patients are not required to avail themselves of accepted treatments for anorexia nervosa before prescription of the lethal drugs.

Tragically, what Dr. Elliott calls “the culture of medicine” has become increasingly desensitized to physician-assisted suicide, nowadays touted as just another form of medical care. In the anorexia cases cited, informed consent may have been one casualty of this cultural shift.

Ronald W. Pies Lexington, Mass. The writer is on the faculty of SUNY Upstate Medical University and Tufts University School of Medicine, but the views expressed are his own.

Carl Elliot’s article on medical ethics was excellent. But it is not just in the medical profession that there exists the “subtle danger” that assimilation into an organization will teach you to no longer recognize what is horrible.

Businesses too have a culture that can “transform your sensibility.” In many industries executives check their consciences at the office door each morning. For example, they promote cigarettes; they forget they too breathe the air as they lobby against clean-air policies; they forget they too have children or grandchildren as they fight climate-friendly policies or resist gun-control measures. The list could go on.

In every organization, we need individuals to say no to policies and actions that may benefit the organization but are harmful, even destructive, to broader society.

Colin Day Ann Arbor, Mich.

Re “ Columbia’s Protests Also Bring Pressure From a Private Donor ” (front page, May 11):

Universities are meant to be institutions of higher learning, research and service to the community. They are not items on an auction block to be sold to the highest bidder.

Universities that sell off their policy platform to spoiled one-issue donors who threaten to throw a tantrum no longer deserve our respect. Grant-making foundations should not be grandstanding online. Give money, or don’t, but don’t call a news conference about it.

If Columbia caves, why should prospective students trust it as a place where they can go to become freethinkers and explore their own political conscience as they begin to contemplate the wider world and issues of social justice?

This is a real test of Columbia and its leadership. I do not envy its president, Nemat Shafik, who has few good choices and no way to make everyone happy. What she should not sell is her integrity, or the university’s. She should stand up to these selfish donors. Learn to say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Carl Henn Marathon, Texas

Re “ Book Bans? So Open a Bookstore ” (Arts, May 13):

Deep respect for the American novelist Lauren Groff and her husband, Clay Kallman, for opening the Lynx, their new bookstore in Gainesville, Fla. The store focuses on offering titles among the more than 5,100 books that were banned in Florida schools from July 2021 through December 2023.

To all the book clubbers and haters of bans: Order straight from the Lynx.

Fight evil. Read books.

Ted Gallagher New York

Re “ Keep a Firm Grip on Those Mickey Mouse Balloons. It’s the Law ” (front page, May 9):

Balloons are some of the deadliest ocean trash for wildlife, as mentioned in your article about Florida’s expected balloon release ban.

Plastic balloon debris poses a significant threat to marine life, often mistaken for food or becoming entangled in marine habitats, leading to devastating consequences for our fragile ocean ecosystems.

As the founder of Clean Miami Beach, an environmental conservation organization, I’m concerned about the impact of plastic pollution on Florida’s wildlife and coastal areas. Florida’s stunning beaches and diverse marine life are not only treasures to us locals but also draw millions of tourists each year.

Because of the dangers, intentional balloon releases have been banned in many cities and counties across the state. A poll released by Oceana showed that 87 percent of Florida voters support local, state and national policies that reduce single-use plastic. Gov. Ron DeSantis must waste no time in signing this important piece of legislation into law.

Our elected officials should continue to work together to address environmental issues so Floridians and tourists can enjoy our beautiful state without its being marred by plastic pollution.

Sophie Ringel Miami Beach