Research Committee
The IME Research Committee supports the IME in its mission to nurture and foster medical ethics research and related activities within the UK. We define ‘medical ethics’ broadly to include all areas of biomedical ethics. We aim to bring together people working in this broad field from all related disciplines, such as law, medicine, philosophy, social science, theology, and the humanities.
History
The committee was first formed in May 2013. You can read about its background and history here
Activities
The Committee seeks to support medical ethics research in the UK through such activities as:
· Running a regular funding scheme: you can read more here
· Convening regular online seminars
· Supporting the IME annual conference (you can read more about past and future conferences on the ‘Events’ page of this website)
· Supporting the IME’s Trustees in organising the Lewis Headley annual lecture
In keeping with our commitment to supporting researchers working in medical ethics, in 2018, the Committee published in the Journal of Medical Ethics the IME Guidelines for confirmation of appointment, promotion and recognition of UK medical ethics researchers, which you can read here. The Research Committee has close links with this journal and the other with journals that are co-owned by the IME and the BMJ Group, Medical Humanities and Practical Bioethics. You can read more about these journals here.
Members
The committee comprises research active members of the IME, who are based in the UK, as well as representatives from other IME Committees. The Research Committee seeks to comprise diverse members, including from different disciplines, geographical areas, and career stages. Its current members are:
Prof Lucy Frith
Lucy Frith is Reader in Bioethics, in the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, School of Law, University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the social and ethical aspects of healthcare practice, regulation and policy, with particular interests in empirical ethics and public involvement.
Lucy has carried out research on a range of issues in bioethics: the organisation and funding of healthcare provision; the use of evidence in practice and policy; and reproductive technologies. She has held visiting fellowships at the Centre for Research in Arts, Social Science and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge and visiting professorships at the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law the University of Hong Kong and Charles University, Prague.
An overview of her research can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lucy-Frith
Prof Richard Huxtable - Research Committee Chair
Richard Huxtable is Professor of Medical Ethics and Law at the University of Bristol, where he directs the Centre for Ethics in Medicine, in the Medical School. Qualified in law, socio-legal studies and bioethics, his research primarily concerns end-of-life decision-making, surgical ethics, and clinical ethics. Richard has published widely in the field of medical ethics and law and his eight books include Healthcare Ethics, Law and Professionalism (Routledge, 2018) and Law, Ethics and Compromise at the Limits of Life: To Treat or Not to Treat? (Routledge, 2012). Richard’s research projects include a major Wellcome Trust collaborative project, Balancing Best Interests in Healthcare, Ethics and Law (BABEL).
Richard has served on various ethics committees, including those of the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners, and he is Chair of the UK Clinical Ethics Network. Richard tweets at @ProfRHuxtable.
