The Centre promotes high quality interdisciplinary research in bioethics and medical law across a number of disciplines within the University with a clear unifying focus upon the legal and medical dimensions of biomedicine.

The work of the centre is organised around the following themes:

• End-of-life issues and aging
• Beginning of life issues (e.g. reproductive technology and genetic screening)
• Informed consent, confidentiality and truth-telling
• Children, family and medicine
• Genetics, crime and responsibility
• Pharmaceuticals

The Centre brings together existing expertise in law, ethics, and philosophy to inform public debate, regulation and policy aspects of bioethics and medical law. Government bodies are responding to concerns raised by public authorities, like the HGA and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and the general public about the application of new technological advances. Specific issues relate to personal data and biosecurity, resource allocation, mental capacity and the legitimate use of human tissue.

NEW MA PROGRAMME

A new masters programme aimed a healthcare professionals, lawyers and medical students, will admit its first cohort in 2008. Students can choose the LLM or MA route to a degree in Bioethics and Medical Law, depending on their interests and qualifications. The knowledge acquired through their scholarly engagement with the subjects will enable them to develop their professional careers or fit them for further academic enquiry and research in this fast growing field.

Staff involved with the project:

David Archard- Philosophy

Sara Fovargue- Law

Mairi Levitt- Philosophy

Neil Manson- Philosophy

Suzanne Ost - Law

Garrath Williams- Philosophy

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Professor Hazel Biggs, Professor of Medical Law, said: "As well as bringing together researchers from different disciplines to think about bioethics and medical law, the Centre also collaborates with clinical experts, such as those in UHMB, to help to inform policy and clinical ethics on areas where we have research expertise, such asresource allocation, end of life care, assisted reproductive technologies, neonatal care, genetics and genomics amongst other things."