Bernadette RICHARDS

Education

Bernadette holds a Ph.D in Law from the University of Adelaide, which she was awarded in 2011. She completed her LLB (Hons) with First Class Honours at James Cook University in 1998. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma in Education from the University of New England, awarded in 1987.

Professional Appointments

Assoc Prof Richards is the Director of Higher Degree by Research and an Associate Professor of Ethics and Professionalism at the University of Queensland Medical School, Academy for Medical Education. In this role, she focuses on embedding professionalism and ethics throughout the medical programme and supports curriculum design to strengthen students’ awareness of these essential themes. As Integrity Officer, she also assists students in developing and maintaining these skills.

Previously, she worked on the Future Health Technologies Project at the Singapore ETH Centre (CREATE), where she explored trustworthy data governance. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at both the Queensland University of Technology’s Australian Centre for Health Law Research and the Adelaide Law School.

She currently serves on the NHMRC’s Australian Health Ethics Committee, the Embryo Research Licensing Committee, and the Dietary Guidelines Governance Committee, and is a member of the South Australian Voluntary Assisted Dying Taskforce. She was formerly the Chair of the Mitochondrial Donation Expert Working Committee, contributing to the development of proposed legislative amendments. In addition, she is the President of the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (AABHL).

Research Areas

Assoc Prof Richards is an active and interdisciplinary researcher whose work spans organ donation, consent to medical treatment, and the legal and ethical issues surrounding innovative surgical practices. She is a chief investigator on three major ongoing grants:

1. NHMRC Partnership Grant, “Strategies for the inclusion of vulnerable populations in developing complex and sensitive public policy: A case study in Advance Care Planning”

2. NHMRC Ideas Grant, "The algorithm will see you now: ethical, legal and social implications of adopting machine learning systems for diagnosis and screening"

3. ARC Discovery Grant, "Support or Sales? Medical Device Representatives in Australian Hospitals"

Her research also extends to emerging issues in digital health, data governance, and responsible innovation in healthcare.

Other Information

Assoc Prof Richards is the co-author of Technology, Innovation and Healthcare: An Evolving Relationship, published in February 2022. She has produced more than 90 scholarly publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and books. Her leadership and contributions continue to inform national discussions on bioethics, health law, and the regulation of medical innovation.