Dr Charles Douglas is a Senior Lecturer at the School
of Medicine and Public Health (Clinical Ethics and Health Law) at The
University of Newcastle, Australia
Dr. Douglas is a relatively
early career academic, having not taken an academic appointment, or
commenced a PhD until establishing himself in his clinical career in
2004. He originally studied mathematics and physics at the University of
Adelaide, and worked as a school teacher, which gave him a strong
background in science generally and in teaching. He commenced medical
training at the University of Newcastle in 1985, and completed his B Med
with honours in 1990, having also completed a Bachelor of Medical
Science in transplantation with first class honours, further
strengthening his research background.
Dr. Douglas then undertook
post-graduate training in surgery, taking a break from this in 1999 to
do a year of research in ethics (relating to surgery). Soon after
completion of his surgical training, an opportunity arose to take an
academic position at the University of Newcastle as a Lecturer in
Clinical Ethics and Health Law. He has continued in this role while
developing his surgical expertise in the areas of breast cancer and
melanoma surgery. He now works as a consultant surgeon at the Breast
Centre, Gateshead, and at the Newcastle Melanoma Unit, and as a VMO
surgeon at the Calvary Mater and Lake Macquarie Private Hospitals. In
2008 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer.
Dr. Douglas has
developed a very wide range of research interests in ethics, clinical
decision making, basic science and surgery. He was awarded his PhD (on
end-of-life decision making) in 2012. He was holder of a Royal
Australasian College of Surgeons Research Scholarship in 1999 and a
Fellowship of the Federation of European Cancer Societies in 2003. He is
also winner of the inaugural General Surgeons Australia Best Paper Prize
for his work on the ultrasound diagnosis of appendicitis and the winner
of the Sir Edward Hughes Memorial Research Prize for this project
(1999). He was shortlisted again for the Sir Edward Hughes Memorial
Research Prize for his work on surgeons attitudes to euthanasia (2000).
He is the winner of the Ethel and Olive Hewitt Medical Research
Scholarship in 2001. He won two ECR grants relating to his work on
interviews with palliative care physicians regarding the use of
palliative sedation at the end of life in 2007 and 2009, and is already
internationally recognised for his work in this area.
Research
Expertise
I have a very wide range of expertise, covering a number of
different areas. My doctorate (submitted August 2011) is on 'end-of-life
decision making' and incorporates 5 papers, two of which relate to moral
psychology / philosophy, and 3 of which are sociological studies of
doctors, in both qualitative and quantitative research traditions. While
working on my PhD I have also published or am conducting clinical
studies (a randomised controlled trial on the diagnosis of appendicitis
using ultrasound), studies on clinical decision making (using decision
aids, using different forms of communication), basic science studies (on
the transplantation of thyroid tissue in mice, and on the tension
properties of human skin as it relates to reconstructive surgery), and
papers on bioethics, particularly the issue of informed consent.
Teaching Expertise
I am the Discipline Lead for ethics and I
teach clinical ethics and health law to all years of the JMP program
with the exception of Year 5, having developed this course myself. I
have a broad interest in other areas of ethics, and have given talks to
a variety of other schools in the past. I also teach into the surgery
program and am involved in assessment of most years of the JMP program
in a number of different areas, most importantly in clinical
assessments.
Administrative Expertise
Program Convenor,
Bachelor of Medical Science School Student Academic Conduct Officer HES
course coordinator Discipline Lead, Clinical Ethics and Health Law
Director, Melanoma Unit, Calvary Mater Newcastle.
QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor of Medicine (Honours), University of Newcastle
Bachelor
of Science, University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Medical Science
(Honours), University of Newcastle
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