Media

HKU Centre for Medical Ethics and Law collaborates with University of Cambridge
on emerging issues in medical ethics, law and policy

16 Sep 2014

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the University of Cambridge held a launch ceremony today (September 16) to mark the collaboration of the two leading universities on emerging issues in medical ethics, law and policy. Professor Emeritus Dr. John Spencer of Cambridge University and Mr. Terry Kaan of the HKU Centre for Medical Ethics and Law officiated at the ceremony. 

The event marked the public launch of an ongoing cooperation between the interdisciplinary HKU Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL) and Cambridge University.  Funded by the Hatton Trust and the WYNG Foundation, a Lectureship in Medical Law, Ethics and Policy at Cambridge and a Junior Research Fellowship in Medical Law, Ethics and Policy at Cambridge’s Trinity Hall will be created. The sponsored scholars will be supported to visit the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law at HKU and spend up to four weeks at HKU annually to facilitate research interactions between Cambridge, Trinity Hall and HKU. A variety of guest lectures and seminars at CMEL on topics of interest will be provided to the academic community and the general public.

In the evening, Professor John Spencer gave a public lecture on “Criminalising sickness? Liability for the transmission of disease”. Professor Spencer explored in the lecture the moral, legal and logistical dimensions of imposing civil or criminal liability for transmitting illness to another person. Professor Spencer’s talk focused on a UK rule that an HIV-positive person may be found to have maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm for knowingly having unprotected sexual intercourse with an unaware partner. Researchers and advocacy groups have pointed out that the additional stigma and burden are potentially imposed upon the sick by such legal consequences. The wider relevance of the topic and the future of legislation around the transmission of illness are considerable interest in Hong Kong, where emerging infectious diseases are of constant concern and high in public awareness. 

The difficult questions raised by Professor Spencer engaged the audiences with a more nuanced view of issues that often receive considerable media attention in Hong Kong. This has hopefully set the standard for the upcoming research and public engagement stemming from the HKU- Cambridge collaboration.

(From left to right)

Dr Ron Zimmern, Chairman, PHG Foundation

Professor Peter Mathieson, President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong

Dr Anthony Ng, WYNG Foundation Professor John Spencer

Professor John Spencer, Hatton-WYNG Medical Law, Ethics and Policy Programme Distinguished Adviser, Chair of the Faculty Medical Law, Ethics and Policy 

Mr. Terry Kaan, Co-Director, Centre for Medical Ethics and Law

Professor Martin Daunton, Master of Trinity Hall and Head of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Professor John Spencer
Professor Spencer’s wide expertise includes criminal law, the law of tort as well as medical law.  He served as a professor in the Cambridge University Law Faculty from 1995 until 2013 and will be one of Cambridge’s team of Deputy Vice-Chancellors for the 2014-2015 academic years. In the context of the WYNG Foundation and the Hatton Trust’s recent gift to the Cambridge Law Faculty, Professor Spencer will be the Hatton-WYNG Medical Law, Ethics and Policy Programme Distinguished Adviser, and Chair of the Faculty Medical Law, Ethics and Policy Committee.

HKU CMEL
The Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL) is a joint effort of the HKU Faculties of Law and Medicine to engage with topics in medical ethics and law. As regulation of the healing professions converges with a changing ethical, social, and technological context of medical care, there is an urgent need for active intellectual dialogue and policy input. CMEL’s Co-Directors are Mr. Terry Kaan of the HKU Faculty of Law and Dr. Philip Beh of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. The Centre is supported by the generosity of the WYNG Foundation.

As an interdisciplinary research centre, CMEL aims to provide teaching and training to university students and professionals in medical ethics and law. One of their visions is to also raise public awareness on local and international issues. In addition to hosting a wide variety of public talks highlighting topics such as prenatal testing and big data in health, recent CMEL projects have included workshops on “The Legal Status of Transsexual and Transgender Persons,” and “Biobank Governance: An Asian Perspective.” The workshops brought together international experts in the fields as well as Hong Kong scholars with a distinctively Asian and interdisciplinary perspective to discuss about emerging aspects of law, medicine and ethics such as family law, autonomy and consent, and care at the end of life.

CMEL focuses on achieving coordination not only between disciplines such as law and medicine, but now across continents with the help of Cambridge relationship. It is critical to provide fresh insights into difficult legal and bioethical problems. The international collaboration with Cambridge will enable the Centre to draw on the expertise of visiting scholars and deepen research connections among staffs.

For media enquiries please contact:
Ms. Rachel Li, Faculty Development Officer, tel: 3917 2919 / email: lirachel@hku.hk.