Professor Sara Fovargue
School of Law
Professor
+44 114 222 6794
Full contact details
School of Law
AF24
Bartolomé House
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
- Profile
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I joined the School of Law at the University of Sheffield in January 2022, having previously been Professor of Law at Lancaster University where I was the Director of Research and led the REF2021 submission. I have also taught at the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle.
Having wanted to be a barrister (specialising in medical malpractice) since I was about 14, I realised while I was studying at the Inns of Court School of Law that a career at the Bar was not for me. I completed the academic stage to qualify as a barrister but then opted to start work on my PhD rather than to complete a pupillage.
I have been teaching and researching issues relating to health care law and ethics, and family law for over 20 years and I am passionate about these subjects. I have also taught Criminal Law, English Legal Systems/Legal Methods, and Gender and the Law.
- Qualifications
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- PhD, University of Manchester
- LLB(Hons) Law, University of Leicester
- non-practising barrister
- Research interests
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Health care law and ethics generally - specifically:
- consent and capacity;
- decision making for the 'vulnerable';
- risk and regulation;
- clinical research involving human and non-human animals;
- developing and emerging biotechnologies (such as xenotransplantation);
- reproduction and reproductive technologies;
- organ donation and transplantation;
- conscientious objection.
Family law:- parents, parenthood and reproductive technologies;
- children and health;
- children and childhood.
- Research group
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- Health Care Law and Ethics
- Family Law - especially relating to children and health.
- Grants
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Title/Description: The Future of Human Reproduction: New Agendas and Methods for the Humanities and Social Science
- Awarding Body: Wellcome
- People Involved: Professor Stephen Wilkinson (PI, Lancaster University); Dr Kirsty Dunn (CI, Lancaster University); Professor Sharon Rushton (CI, Lancaster University); Professor Elena Semino (CI, Lancaster University); Dr Emmanuel Tsekleves (CI, Lancaster University); Dr Nicola Williams (CI, Lancaster University).
- Years Funded for: May 2022-August 2025
- Amount Awarded (£): 1,019,767
Title/Description: When pandemic and everyday ethics collide: Supporting ethical decision-making in maternity care and paediatrics during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Awarding Body: UKRI/AHRC Covid-19 Rapid Response funding
- People Involved: Dr Lucy Frith (PI, University of Manchester); Dr Paul Baines (CI, University of Warwick); Dr Anna Chiumento (CI, University of Liverpool); Professor Heather Draper (CI, University of Warwick)
- Years Funded for: 2020-2021
- Amount Awarded (£): 258,812
Title/Description: Uterus transplantation: Law, ethics, patients and policy
- Awarding Body: ESRC IAA
- People Involved: Professor Stephen Wilkinson (Lancaster University); Dr Laura O'Donovan (Lancaster University); Dr Nicola Williams (Lancaster University)
- Years Funded for: 2021
- Amount Awarded (£): 14,180
- Teaching interests
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- Health Care Law and Ethics
- Family Law
- Teaching activities
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The modules I teach are:
Undergraduate
Principles of Health Care Law and Ethics
Family Law
- Professional activities
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- Joint Editor-in-Chief, Medical Law Review.
- Member of the AHRC Peer Review College.
- Member of the SLS EDI Committee.
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
- External ethics adviser on Children Palliative Care Outcome Scale (C-POS), funded by European Research Council.
- Member the Children’s Health Ethics and Law Special Interest Group (CHELSIG).