香港大學與劍橋大學簽訂合作協議 共同拓展醫學倫理、法律與政策研究

香港大學與劍橋大學今天(9月16日)簽訂協議，促進雙方於醫學倫理及法律範疇的研究。啟動儀式由劍橋大學榮譽教授John Spencer博士及港大醫學倫理與法律研究中心的簡尚恆先生主持。港大與劍橋的合作獲得Hatton Trust 及WYNG Foundation的支持，協議包括於劍橋大學設立一個醫療法、倫理及政策教授席、及於劍橋大學聖三一堂設立初級研究員一名，二人每年訪港四星期，為醫學倫理與法律研究中心講學交流。

John Spencer 教授於傍晚舉行的公開講座中，探討在道德、法律及執行上，向患者追討傳播疾病的民事或刑事法律責任的爭議。英國法庭早前裁定，對HIV呈陽性反應人士如在知情下，透過不安全性行為傳染他人，可被控蓄意嚴重傷害他人身體。判決引來熱烈討論，研究人員及壓力團體指，這些法律責任會為病人帶來額外的恥辱和負擔。隨著新型傳染病的出現，就傳播疾病立法等講題與香港社會息息相關，不容忽視。

John Spencer 教授是刑事、侵權及醫療法的權威，1995 至2013年於劍橋大學任教，並於2014-2015 出任副校長，現為Hatton-WYNG醫療法、倫理及政策課程的特別顧問，和醫療法、倫理及政策委員會主席。講座會加深巿民傳媒對有關議題的認識，並為兩所大學日後研究訂下指標。

香港大學醫學倫理與法律研究中心
醫學發展日益複雜並趨於多元，相關的規範亦隨醫療護理的倫理、社會環境改變及技術提升而改變，醫學與法律之間的對話與交流越見重要和迫切。有見及此，香港大學醫學院及法律學院在WYNG Foundation的支持下，創立醫學倫理與法律研究中心，現由法律學院的簡尚恆先生及李嘉誠醫學院的馬宣立醫生出任聯席主任。

中心的目標包括向學生及醫護人員推廣醫學倫理與法律的知識；和提高公眾對本地及國際議題的認識和關注。中心至今已舉辦多場公開講座，介紹不同議題例如產前測試及健康大數據、「變性及跨性別人士的法律地位」及「基因庫管埋：亞洲角度」工作坊等，邀請國際專家及本地學者，從亞洲、跨學科的角度探討法規、醫學、倫理如家庭法、自主及知情權、善終護理等問題，並且發表文章。中心同時著重跨學科研究，與劍橋大學簽訂協議後，將能更進一步，例如邀請劍橋學者出任客席教授，到港作交流教學，不但有助深化研究，並為日見艱深的法律及生物倫理問題引入新觀點。

傳媒查詢，請與李秀雯小姐聯絡 (電話: 3917 2919 / 電郵: lirachel@hku.hk)。

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.

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.