Biography
Dr Neera Bhatia is an Associate Professor. She holds an LLB (Hons), Master of Laws from the UK, and a Doctorate in Law from Deakin University.
Neera is the author of 'Critically impaired infants and end of life decision making: Resource allocation and difficult decisions', published by Routledge Cavendish (UK). She has published widely on contemporary issues in health law and bioethics. Her research interests are in end-of-life decision-making for critically ill infants and children, organ donation, voluntary assisted dying, determination of death, and emerging health and reproductive technologies.
She teaches Health Law in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Neera actively engages with the wider community as an expert commentator in the media on topical issues in health law.
She is the Deputy Chair, Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee, and the former Faculty Chair, Human Ethics Committee. She is also the Deputy Convenor of the Deakin Science and Society Network (SSN). She has also previously been a member of a number of clinical ethics committees.
Read more on Neera's profileResearch interests
- End of Life Decision Making for Critically Ill Infants and Children
- Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD)
- Organ Donation
- Determination of Death & Dying
- Emerging Reproductive Technologies
- Emerging Health Technologies
- Cryonics
- Health Law (more broadly)
- Bioethics
Affiliations
- Current - Deputy Chair, Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC)
- Current: Deputy Convenor - Deakin Science and Society Network (SSN)
- 2020-2023: Chair - Faculty Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG)
- 2020-2023: Deakin University Human Research Ethics - Panel Member
Teaching interests
- Health Law
- Tort Law
Units taught
- Undergraduate and Postgraduate - Health Law
- Undergraduate and Postgraduate - Tort Law
- Undergraduate and Postgraduate - Misleading and Economic Torts
Knowledge areas
- End-of-life decision-making for critically ill children
- Organ donation and determination/definition of death
- Voluntary assisted dying
- Emerging health technologies
- Emerging reproductive technologies
- Contemporary issues in Health Law and Bioethics
Expertise
- Law
Conferences
- Patients behaving badly: AABHL,19/11/2021
-
Crowded House: Making room (for outside influence) in
paediatric clinical practice encounters:AABHL, 18/11/2021 - Member of the organising committee of the Australian Association of Bioethics and Health Law Conference:AABHL,18-21/11/2021
- Early access to superannuation for IVF on the basis of “mental disturbance” Just sign here: The Melbourne Clinic, 04/08/2021
- Keynote Speaker: Help, hype or harm? Ethical considerations of the online influence in paediatric healthcare, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, 22/07/2021
- “Hope or Hype: The emerging challenge of child medical tourism in the care and treatment of critically ill children” - La Trobe Uni, 21/04/2021
- From Birth to Death: The future of emerging health technology: The Melbourne Clinic,16/09/2020
- Child medical tourism: Opportunities and hazards of 21st-century global healthcare: AABHL, 22/11/2019, NZ
- Legal and ethical challenges in emerging technology and innovation in health Law: AABHL, 20/11/2019, NZ
- ‘Is an ‘opt out’ system of organ donation the way to increase organ donation rates in Australia?’Uni of Melb, Aus, 4/03/2019
- 'Disagreements in the care of critically ill children’, The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, U.K, 28/11/2018
- ‘A changing social and medical landscape in the care of critically ill infants and children’,Centre for Ethics and Medicine, Bristol, U.K, 26/11/2018
- Navigating the interdisciplinary landscape', AABHL, Aus, 23-25/09/2018
- '#Uncharted Territory: The new era of social media and the impact on the end of life decision-making for critically ill infants', 10th National Paediatric Bioethics Conference, Royal Children's Hospital, Aus, 5/09/2018
- 'Charlie Gard: How the 'court of public opinion' may influence future end of life decision making', (ICCEC), Oxford Uni, U.K,21/06/2018
- 'Property rights over cadaveric organs and tissues in an 'opt out' system of organ donation in Australia and New Zealand: How important are the next of kin?', (ICCEC), Oxford Uni, U.K, 22/06/2018
- 'Cryonics: Our frozen future or this century’s snake oil?', Invited Speaker, Sydney Health Ethics Centre, Uni of Sydney, Aus,29/03/2018
- 'Victoria's Voluntary Assisted Dying Legislation: An open dialogue about its function, impact and implementation', Aus,13/12/2017 'Solving the organ crisis ethically',Invited Speaker, Melbourne Uni Public Lecture, Aus,25/08/2015
- 'Critically Impaired Infants and End of Life Decision Making: Resource Allocation and Difficult Decisions', Australian Lawyers Alliance - Medical Law Conference, Aus,31/07/2015
- 'Transplantation of the heart after circulatory death: Time for a change in the law', Grand Round Seminar, Royal Children's Hospital, Aus, 24/06/2015
- 'Cutting the Cord: Can society over-invest in extremely premature neonates?', Law and Society, U.S.A,29/05/2014
Professional activities
Media appearances
A/P Neera Bhatia regularly engages with the media across all platforms: television, radio, digital and print media on a range of topical issues. She also writes for The Conversation on contemporary issues in health law.
Selected media appearances are listed below
- Call to action’ for organ donation after VAD, Medical Republic, 4/9/2023
- Feasibility of organ donation following voluntary assisted dying in Australia: lessons from international practice, MJA Podcast, 08/2023
- ABC News, Guidelines needed for voluntary assisted dying patients regarding organ donation, experts say, 18/7/203
- Tory Shepherd, Informal sperm donation a ‘wild west’ putting parents and children at risk,The Guardian,17/4/2023
- Sperm donation 'wild west', The Western Australian,19/4/2023
- ABC Melbourne, Informal sperm donation, 20/4/2023
- Tinder for baby-making: Sperm donation ‘wild west’ exposed, Geelong Advertiser,20/4/2023
- Feed Pray Love Podcast with Shevonne Hunt , A market for breast milk, 13/12/2022
- Red Cross expands breast milk donation services to WA to help premature babies, ABC News Online,12/12/2022
- ABC Sydney Drive - Regulation of Human milk, 7/12/2022
- ABC Radio Canberra, Black market for breast milk, 8/12/2022
- 6PR Perth Breakfast, Black market from human milk, 8/12/2022
- Melissa Davey, Boom in Australia breast milk sales and donations a risk to infants, expert says, The Guardian, 7/12/2022
- What happens if you want access to voluntary assisted dying but your nursing home won’t let you?, The Conversation, 31/05/2022
- Why IVF is more equal than other healthcare in the pandemic, AFR, 2/02/2022
- People are using their super to pay for IVF, with their fertility clinic's blessing. That's a conflict of interest’, The Conversation, 01/07/2021
- ABC Radio Sydney, Legal implication of Cryonics,26/10/2021
- Radio Adelaide, ethics of artificial gestation, 13/11/19
- We may one day grow babies outside the womb, but there are many things to consider first,The Conversation 11/11/2019
- Triple M News Bulletin,Introduction of Voluntary Assisted Dying Laws in Victoria,19/06/2019
- ABC Ballarat, Victoria's Voluntary Assisted Dying Legislation, 19/06/2019
- SBS News, More Australians are donating organs but demand is outstripping supply, 20/12/2018
- An opt-out system isn't the solution to Australia's low rate of organ donation, The Conversation,12/12/2018
- Diversity still so far away, right across the board, Chris Merritt, The Australia, 27/10/2018
- National Radio News, Opt Out Organ Donation Systems and Property Rights, 26/01/2018
- Organ donations should be decided by next of kin: Deakin University expert', Geelong Advertiser, Australia, 25/01/2018
- ABC News at Noon with Ros Childs,The case of Charlie Gard, 25/07/2017
- Three ways the Charlie Gard case could affect future end-of-life cases globally, The Conversation 25/07/2017
- ABC Lateline with David Lipson, Cryonics, Interview with Dr Neera Bhatia and Marta Sandberg, 14/02/2017
- ABC News: Opinion, Cryonics: Are freezing bodies all hype, hope, or is it just logistical and ethical hell?, 24/11/2016
- Cryonics: Hope, Hype or Hell?, The Conversation, 23/11/2016
- Debate over the definition of death, does the law need to change, Jill Margo, The Australian Financial Review, 27/11/2015
- New forms of heart transplant illegal, journal article warns, Craig Butt, Sydney Morning Herald, Canberra Times, The Age, 21/09/2015
- ABC 774 DRive: Radio Interview with Raphael Epstein, 21/09/15
Projects
- New Ideas Grant, Project: 'Unregulated methods of creating non-traditional families and assisted reproductive technology, 2022, $9,446 (with Prof Catherine Mills).
- SSN Grant, Project: 'Immortalising organs: a feminist study of emerging placental technologies', 2021, $7,500 (with Dr Jaya Keaney, Dr Jacqueline Dalziell, Dr Marnie Winter and A/Prof Dominique Martin).
- Nuffield Council on Bioethics (U.K.), Project: 'Disagreements in the care of critically ill children: Challenges for policy in changing social and medical contexts', 2018: $4,555 (with Prof Richard Huxtable, Dr Giles Birchley and Dr Jonathan Ives).
- Deakin University Research Network (DURN), Project: 'End of Life Care', 2018: $110,000 (with Peter Martin, Rebecca Bartel).
- Deakin University Research Network (DURN), Project: 'Gen(e)quality', 2018: $110,000 (with Jeffrey Craig, Evie Kendall, Maurizio Meloni, Olga Hogan).
Publications
Growing Human Organs Inside Animals
Julian Koplin, Neera Bhatia
(2023), Vol. I, pp. 607-623, Handbook of Bioethical Decisions, Berlin, Germany, B1
Jan Bollen, Courtney Hempton, Neera Bhatia, James Tibballs
(2023), Medical Journal of Australia, C1
N Bhatia
(2022), Vol. 19, pp. 357-361, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Berlin, Germany, C1
Neera Bhatia, James Tibballs
(2022), Vol. 45, pp. 1-31, University of New South Wales Law Journal, Sydney, N.S.W., C1
A Preisz, N Bhatia, P Michalson
(2022), pp. 1-13, Clinical Ethics, London, Eng., C1
Neera Bhatia, Julian Koplin, Ainslee Spadaro
(2022), pp. 1-28, Australian Feminist Law Journal, Abingdon, Eng., C1
Neera Bhatia, Lily Porceddu
(2022), Vol. 43, pp. 912-949, Adelaide Law Review, Adelaide, S.Aust., C1
L Porceddu, N Bhatia
(2021), Vol. 18, pp. 199-204, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Netherlands, C1
Neera Bhatia, Lily Porceddu
(2021), Vol. 44, pp. 513-547, University of New South Wales Law Journal, Kensington, N.S.W., C1
James Tibballs, Neera Bhatia
(2021), Vol. 28, pp. 831-854, Journal of law and medicine, Rozelle, N.S.W., C1
Deciding For When You Can't Decide: The Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (Vic)
Courtney Hempton, Neera Bhatia
(2020), Vol. 17, pp. 109-120, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Berlin, Germany, C1
Neera Bhatia, Giles Birchley
(2020), Vol. 28, pp. 696-730, Medical Law Review, Oxford, Eng., C1
N Bhatia
(2020), Vol. 17, pp. 731-735, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Netherlands, C1
N Bhatia
(2020), Vol. 17, pp. 455-460, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Netherlands, C1
A human rights-based approach to compulsory treatment of young people experiencing mental disorder
J Kotzmann, N Bhatia, M McMahon
(2018), Vol. 24, pp. 20-43, Australian journal of human rights, Abingdon, Eng., C1
L Willmott, B White, N Bhatia
(2018), Vol. 25, pp. 944-972, Journal of law and medicine, New York, N.Y., C1
Disagreements in the care of critically ill children: emerging issues in a changing landscape
N Bhatia
(2018), London, Eng., A6
End of life decision-making for (extremely) premature or critically impaired infants
N Bhatia
(2017), pp. 249-263, Tensions and traumas in health law, Sydney, N.S.W., B1
N Bhatia, J Tibballs
(2017), Vol. 27, pp. 946-974, New Zealand Universities law review, New York, N.Y., C1
How should Australia respond to media- publicised developments on euthanasia in Belgium?
N Bhatia, B White, L Deliens
(2016), Vol. 23, pp. 835-848, Journal of law and medicine, Sydney, N.S.W., C1
N Bhatia, N Bhatia
(2015), Abingdon, Eng., A1
N Bhatia, J Tibballs
(2015), Vol. 12, pp. 449-459, Journal of bioethical inquiry, Berlin, Germany, C1
Transplantation of the heart after circulatory death of the donor: time for a change in law?
J Tibballs, N Bhatia
(2015), Vol. 203, pp. 268-271, Medical journal of Australia, Sydney, N.S.W., C1
Cutting the cord: Can society over-invest in extremely premature and critically impaired neonates?
N Bhatia
(2015), Vol. 23, pp. 443-456, Journal of law and medicine, North Ryde, N.S.W., C1
Best interests of neonates : time for a fundamental re-think
N Bhatia, M Bagaric
(2013), Vol. 20, pp. 852-865, Journal of law and medicine, Rozelle, N.S.W., C1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Industry and Other Funding
Disagreements in the care of critically ill children: Challenges for policy in changing social and medical contexts.
A/Prof Neera Bhatia
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
- 2018: $4,319
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report