Katrine Del Villar

Katrine Del Villar is a Senior Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) within the School of Law, Faculty of Business and Law. She is also a member of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research (ACHLR) and actively contributes to medical law scholarship and policy development in Australia.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology, 2020)
• LLB(Hons) (Australian National University, 1997)
• BA(Hons) in Russian (Australian National University, 1995)
• Graduate Diploma (Australian National University)

Research Interests

Dr. Del Villar specializes in medical law and ethics, with particular expertise in mental health law (especially advance decision-making), capacity and autonomy in medical decisions, consent to and refusal of medical treatment, and end-of-life treatment choices including voluntary assisted dying. Her research employs comparative statutory analysis and examines constitutional rights litigation in healthcare contexts. She has developed significant expertise in analyzing the legal frameworks surrounding voluntary assisted dying across Australian jurisdictions and identifying barriers to access.

Research Trends

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on voluntary assisted dying legislation across Australian states, examining implementation challenges, eligibility criteria, and access barriers. She has contributed significantly to understanding mental health law, particularly regarding advance directives and least restrictive treatment principles. Her work often takes a comparative approach, analyzing differences between jurisdictions to identify best practices and recommend legal reforms. Much of her scholarship addresses practical implementation challenges faced by healthcare providers and patients navigating complex legal frameworks.

Professional Experience

Dr. Del Villar has extensive professional experience beyond academia, having served as an associate to Justice Gaudron of the High Court, worked as a solicitor for Blake Dawson Waldron, and served as a research officer for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library. She has taught Constitutional Law at Griffith University and Administrative Law and Law of Business Entities at the ANU. In 2018, she contributed to the Advance Health Directive Mental Health Advisory Committee, and from 2020-2022, she was part of a QUT team developing voluntary assisted dying training for Western Australia and Queensland governments.

Teaching

At QUT, Dr. Del Villar teaches Constitutional Law, Statutory Interpretation, and Health Care Law and Ethics, bringing her research expertise directly into the classroom and preparing future legal professionals to navigate complex healthcare law issues.