Kay Wilson

Kay Wilson is a Melbourne Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Melbourne, alongside a combined Bachelor of Arts and Laws and an Honours Degree in Psychology from Monash University. Her work focuses on mental health law, disability rights, and human rights frameworks. She authored the book *Mental Health Law: Abolish or Reform?* (OUP, 2021) and co-edits *The Future of Mental Health Law* (Routledge, forthcoming).

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Monash University)
• Honours Degree in Psychology (Monash University)
• PhD in Law (University of Melbourne)

Research Interests:

• Interdisciplinary approaches to mental health law and public health
• Human rights of persons with mental and cognitive impairments
• Abolition vs. reform debates in mental health law
• Social determinants of mental health (housing, employment, etc.)
• Legal frameworks for psychiatric advance directives

Key Contributions:

• Coordinated the NDIS and Disability Benefits Law Clinic at Melbourne Law School
• Course coordinator for Human Rights and Global Justice
• Former researcher on Prof. Bernadette McSherry’s projects on mental health laws
• Recipient of the Dontas Travelling Fellowship (2015) and Transnational Law Summer Institute Fellowship (2016)

Awards & Honors:

• Dontas Travelling Fellowship (2015)
• Travelling Fellowship to King’s College London (2016)

Grants & Projects:

• Current interdisciplinary fellowship: *Mental Health and Public Health: Thinking About Law as Medicine*
• Contributions to global mental health law reform debates via publications and edited volumes
• Advocacy for systemic reforms addressing resource constraints in mental health systems across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada

Her work bridges legal scholarship with practical advocacy, emphasizing the intersection of law, healthcare, and human rights.