معرفی
Professor Shih-Ning Then serves as Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at Queensland University of Technology's School of Law, where she commenced in 2008. An accomplished socio-legal academic, Professor Then specializes in medical law and ethics with particular expertise in decision-making frameworks for vulnerable populations.
Her educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Law from the University of Edinburgh, providing strong interdisciplinary foundations for her research. Professor Then has established herself as an experienced interdisciplinary researcher who regularly collaborates with medical practitioners, ethicists, and scholars across multiple disciplines.
Professor Then's research interests span medical law and ethics, with specific focus on guardianship, substituted and supported decision-making, regulation of biomedical science, artificial reproductive technologies, minors in healthcare contexts, and human tissue donation and transplantation law. Her work demonstrates a consistent commitment to improving legal frameworks that affect vulnerable populations, particularly those with cognitive disabilities and those facing end-of-life decisions.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trend toward practical legal applications in healthcare settings, with significant contributions to policy development in supported decision-making, organ donation ethics, aged care reform, and Indigenous health law. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges legal scholarship with clinical practice needs.
Professor Then has held influential positions including membership on the NHMRC Organ and Tissue Working Committee, service on human research ethics committees, and participation in clinical ethics consultation services. She serves as a chief investigator on ARC-funded research examining decision-making support for people with cognitive disabilities and leads the QUT team that developed End of Life Law for Clinicians, a comprehensive legal education resource used by healthcare professionals nationwide.
Her leadership extends to collaborative research teams focused on health law implementation, policy development, and interdisciplinary knowledge translation. Professor Then actively contributes to national legal reform efforts through submissions to law reform commissions and parliamentary inquiries across multiple Australian jurisdictions.
