Assistant Professor in Medical Ethics and Law

School/Department:            Discipline of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin 

Job Category and Level:     Academic; Assistant Professor

Post status:                           5 Year Fixed Term, Tenure Track

The Purpose of the Role 

The Discipline of Medical Education in the School of Medicine at Trinity College invites applications for the post of an Assistant Professor in Medical Ethics and Law. The post will support and contribute to the teaching, assessment, research and administrative activities of Medical Ethics, Law and Professionalism education. The successful applicant will have an established reputation in teaching and research in the field of medical ethics and law, and be expected to assist in developing, delivering and assessing the undergraduate medical, and future postgraduate, programmes in conjunction with the Associate and Assistant Professors in Medical Ethics and Law, and Medical Education. They will also be expected to contribute to student mentoring, and engage in research into issues related to medical ethics, law, humanities and/or education. 

The appointment is available from May 2025 and is a 5 Year Fixed Term, Tenure Track post. 

Police vetting will be sought in respect of individuals who come under consideration for this post.

Context 

The School, through its educational programmes, strives to be innovative, research-driven, interdisciplinary and international. The successful candidate will play a critical role in increasing our capacity to develop a vibrant multi-disciplinary curriculum within the framework of Medical Ethics, Law, Medical Humanities and Professionalism education and to underline the central relevance of ethics and professionalism in everyday medical practice. It is important that students develop a perceptiveness which helps them to understand the overt and sometimes not so overt ethical principles underlying practice and to develop an articulacy in supporting, sustaining, and defending good medical practice. 

The undergraduate programme in Medicine facilitates an examination of professional identities and standards, and challenges students to engage in evolving ethical debates. Years one and two are designed to foster students' communication skills and introduce them to the roles that moral reasoning, and legal and regulatory boundaries play in medical practice. The significance of historica and contemporary issues, and the place of the medical humanities in ethical competence, are stressed. 

Clinical ethics in the third year advances this by adding insights from clinical practice. It explores students’ individual perceptions of, and perspectives on, moral and professional issues arising in the clinical environment. Year four focuses on the related and important discipline of medical law, the regulation of medicine, forensic medicine, and the coronial system.

Person Requirements 

The role-holder will require the following knowledge, skills and attributes for successful performance in the role.

Qualifications (Essential) 

• A medical degree from an accredited institution. 

• A Ph.D. in medical ethics or law from an accredited institution. 

• At least one year (full-time or its equivalent) of relevant university level teaching experience following the award of their doctorate. (3 years experience is preferable). 

• Experience in teaching (or demonstrated ability to teach) interdisciplinary courses.