Biomedical Ethics PhD/MSc by Research

Summary

Biomedical Ethics covers a wide range of research interests. Current funded research projects (including PhD studentships) are underway in the following areas: transitions to fatherhood; directed and conditional organ donation; post-separation family life and shared residence; research ethics; telecare; and, the allocation of human eggs for reproductive purposes.  More broadly, we are also interested in supervising research on organ and tissue transplantation and donation, parenting including the role of fathers, research ethics, end of life, professionalism, infectious disease control particularly in relation to public health ethics, clinical ethics, and the teaching of medical ethics. We are also interested in potential projects that combine ethics and the history of medicine.

Key facts

Type of Course: Doctoral research

Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time; MSc by Research:1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Start date: Research degrees may start at any time of the year, though for most this will be September 2012

Entry requirements

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International students
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries – learn more about international entry requirements

Standard English language requirements apply

Contact details

Postgraduate Research School Administrator
Richard Haslop
Email: r.j.haslop@bham.ac.uk

Professor Heather Draper
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 6941
Email: h.draper@bham.ac.uk

How to apply

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Fees and funding

Standard fees apply, although in some projects a bench fee is also payable.
Learn more about fees and funding

Scholarships and studentships 
Scholarships may be available. International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

For further information contact the School directly or email sfo@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Programme overview

Biomedical Ethics covers a wide range of research interests. Current funded research projects (including PhD studentships) are underway in the following areas: transitions to fatherhood; directed and conditional organ donation; post-separation family life and shared residence; research ethics; telecare; and, the allocation of human eggs for reproductive purposes. More broadly, we are also interested in supervising research on organ and tissue transplantation and donation, parenting including the role of fathers, research ethics, end of life, professionalism, infectious disease control particularly in relation to public health ethics, clinical ethics, and the teaching of medical ethics. We are also interested in potential projects that combine ethics and the history of medicine.

We are able to supervise traditional philosophical bioethical research but also actively encourage students to use to empirical bioethics methodologies, in particularly those that include qualitative methods. A new MRES, which would include training in empirical bioethics, is being planned for the academic year 2011.We are therefore able to assist prospective students who are looking for funding for 1+3 studentships.
We are also interested in mixed methods research beyond empirical bioethics and would be willing to co-supervise the ethical dimensions of more clinical or epidemiological projects.

Related links

For further information on our publications, past and present research projects please visit our website: www.haps.bham.ac.uk/primarycare/cbme/index.shtml

School of Health and Population Sciences website: www.haps.bham.ac.uk

Research interests of staff

  • Ethical issues related to organ and tissue donation including for reproductive purposes, parenting, parenthood and reproduction, public health ethics, ethics and telecare
    Dr Heather Draper (Professor of Biomedical Ethics)
    Tel: +44 (0)1214146941
    Email: h.draper@bham.ac.uk
  • Ethical issues related to developing professionalism, including religious and cultural diversity, ethical issues in medical education.
    Dr June Jones (Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Ethics)
    Tel: +44(0)121 414 2532
    Email: j.jones.1@bham.ac.uk
  • Parenting (particularly the ethics and sociology of fatherhood), ethical issues in medical education, public health ethics, research ethics, theory and methods in empirical bioethics.
    Dr Jonathan Ives (Lecturer in Behavioural Science)
    Tel: +44 (0)121 414 2952
    Email: j.c.ives@bham.ac.uk
  • Legal and ethical issues in health care education and mental health.
    Ms Catherine Hale (Lecturer in Medical Law)
    Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3775
    Email: C.Hale@bham.ac.uk

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