The Centre was the first in the UK to focus on issues specific to medical law and ethics. It continues to make leading contributions to this field through its research and teaching, and by engagement with a wide variety of expert bodies, regulatory developments, and stakeholder groups. In all its activities, the Centre aims to aims to contribute to the enhancement of law, policy and practice in healthcare.

The Centre’s research and teaching cover a diverse range of topics in medical law and ethics including reproduction, gender, disability, mental health, mental capacity, the role of science and technology in shaping legal decisions in healthcare, the regulation of health misinformation, and the end of life. Its work cuts across jurisdictional contexts, and explores the relationship between ethics, law, health and medicine from individual to population and global levels.