Welcome to the Sydney Health Law blog. 

Sydney Health Law is the focal point for health law research, teaching and community engagement at Sydney Law School. It builds on two decades of excellence in teaching and research across all areas of health law.

As a centre in the University of Sydney Law School, Sydney Health Law is active in organising seminars and conferences on topics of relevance to health governance, law and ethics and in building links with academic, community and professional organisations in Australia and overseas.

On this blog, we provide information on the latest developments and events in health law, ethics, and governance, focusing both nationally and globally. The blog’s main contributors are academic staff affiliated with Sydney Health Law, a research centre at the University of Sydney’s law faculty. Our academics research and teach in a broad range of areas related to health law and ethics, including in Sydney Law School’s Master of Health Law program. We hope that you’ll visit regularly, and participate in wide-ranging discussion on topics including the ethical dilemmas of biobanks, developments in chronic disease prevention, and the issues posed by refusal of consent to medical treatment -– to name just a few of our many interests.

Director

Dr Belinda Reeve is an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Law School and Director of Sydney Health Law. She teaches in health law, tort law, and regulation. Belinda’s research explores the role of law, regulation, and policy in creating a healthy and sustainable food system. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach and combines an in-depth understanding of regulatory theory and public health law with highly developed skills in qualitative and doctrinal research methodologies. She is the co-founder of Australia’s first Food Governance Conference, as well as the Food Governance Node (at the University’s Charles Perkins Centre).

Deputy Director

Dr Christopher Rudge is a lecturer in Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney. He teaches Torts, Mental Illness: Law and Policy and Information Rights in Health Care. He blogs both here and at Cells and Statutes. Christopher’s research takes place at the intersection of law, psychiatry and biomedicine. Recent publications include studies of the regulation of stem cell advertising, the therapeutic goods personal importation scheme, litigation concerning the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the bioethics of somatic cell genome editing and the regulation of psychedelic drugs in Australia. Christopher manages this website, so please send any feedback or notifications to him here.

Members

Dr Roger Magnusson is Professor of Health Law and Governance at Sydney Law School. He was previously Co-Director Sydney Health Law (2013–2024). He teaches Critical Issues in Public Health Law and Law, and Law, Business and Healthy Lifestyles within the Master of Health Law program. Magnusson’s research interests include public health law generally; regulatory responses to non-communicable diseases (including tobacco control, obesity prevention, public health nutrition); global health law; and law, governance and health development.

Professor Cameron Stewart is Associate Dean (Education) at Sydney Law School and an associate of Sydney Health Ethics. He was previously Co-Director Sydney Health Law (2013–2024). He was the Director of Centre for Health Law Governance and Ethics (2009–2012), Acting president of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Health Law and Ethics (2008–2010) and Vice-President of the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (2010–2013). Stewart teaches Death Law, Health Care and Professional Liability, and Government Regulation, Health Policy and Ethics for the Master of Health Law program. 

Professor Rita Shackel is a graduate of the University of Sydney holding undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in law, science, psychology and education. Shackel’s research is strongly interdisciplinary, focusing on the efficacy and improvement of legal, health and social justice processes, with a specific focus on access to justice for children and women. She has a particular interest in sexual and gender based violence and crimes, the needs of victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse. Rita also has a research program on legal education, legal professionalism and ethics generally.

Dr Olugbenga Olatunji is a lecturer at Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ibadan, a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Law) from the University of Tasmania. His research explores the intersections between intellectual property rights and access of poor populations (especially in the East African community) to medicines. Olatunji’s research extends to other IP-related subjects of both domestic and international concern, including free-trade agreements and anti-counterfeiting laws.