Dr Maeghan Toews
Lecturer
School of Law
College of Business and Law
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am a Lecturer at the University of Adelaide Law School where I teach Tort Law and Medical Law and Ethics. I entered academia as a full-time researcher, having worked at the prestigious Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta from 2013 to 2016 on a wide range of health law projects pertaining to precision medicine, rare diseases, research ethics, non-invasive prenatal testing, regenerative medicine, biobanking, and genetics and genomics. I completed a 2-year, $150,000 research fellowship examining legal and ethical issues associated with organ donation and transplantation, which has become a central focus of my work. Following the Fellowship, I commenced my doctorate (completed Dec 2023), examining the regulation of human biomaterials and the struggle between institutional and individual control. This entailed a deep examination of statutory frameworks, property theory and case law, and privacy torts and statutes. My work is inherently interdisciplinary and international in scope, with collaborations with clinicians, ethicists, social scientists, and patient partners from all corners of the globe. Prior to entering the field of health law, I graduated cum laude from the esteemed Advanced Master's Programme in Public International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands, where I specialised in Peace, Justice and Development and completed my dissertation examining the interoperability provision in the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Prior to that, I spent several years in private legal practice as a commercial litigator after completing my Juris Doctor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, and my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Ontario.
My research interests are in the fields of health and medical law, with a focus on the legal and ethical regulation of human biomaterials. My work is inherently multi-disciplinary, involving collaborations with scientists, clinicians, bioethicists, and communications scholars. I have been involved in a wide range of projects on topics such as precision medicine, rare diseases, research ethics, non-invasive prenatal testing, regenerative medicine, biobanking, and genetics and genomics. I completed a 2-year research fellowship examining legal and ethical issues associated with organ donation and transplantation, which has become a central focus of my work. My work encompasses a range of methodologies, including traditional doctrinal legal scholarship, media studies, public surveys, and consensus-building.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 - ongoing | Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2013 - 2016 | Research Associate | University of Alberta |
| 2011 - 2012 | Litigation Associate | McLennan Ross LLP |
| 2009 - 2011 | Litigation Associate | McCarthy Tetrault LLP |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Distinction | Fellow | Higher Education Academy | United Kingdom | - |
| 2022 | Teaching Award | Law School Dean's Excellence Award, Learning and Teaching (Early Career) | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia | - |
| 2021 | Teaching Award | Faculty of Professions Executive Dean Award, First-Year Curriculum | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2018 | Scholarship | Viscount Bennett Scholarship | Law Society of Alberta | Canada | $10,000 |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | University of Alberta | Canada | PhD |
| 2013 | Leiden University | Netherlands | LLM (Adv) |
| 2009 | University of Toronto | Canada | JD |
| 2006 | University of Western Ontario | Canada | BA |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Admitted to the Bar | Law Society of Alberta | - |
| 2009 | Certificate of Transnational Legal Studies | Center for Transnational Legal Studies | UK |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Cavazzoni, E., Toews, M., & Opdam, H. I. (2024). Feasibility of organ donation following voluntary assisted dying in Australia: lessons from international practice. Medical Journal of Australia, 220(3), 164. |
| 2023 | Toews, M., Chandler, J. A., Pope, T., Pape, R., Weiss, M., & Sandiumenge, A. (2023). Legislation and Policy Recommendations on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation From an International Consensus Forum.. Transplantation direct, 9(5), E1395. Scopus12 WoS10 Europe PMC9 |
| 2019 | Smith, G., Gujari, D., Russell, O., Palmer, L., Toews, M., Wong, G., . . . Coates, P. T. (2019). International travel by Australians for overseas transplantation. Medical Journal of Australia, 211(10), 460. Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2019 | Marcon, A. R., Caulfield, T., & Toews, M. (2019). Public Solicitation and The Canadian Media: Two Cases of Living Liver Donation, Two Different Stories.. Transplant Direct, 5(12), e508. Scopus3 WoS1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2018 | Ogbogu, U., Zarzeczny, A., Baltz, J., Bedford, P., Du, J., Hyun, I., . . . Toews, M. (2018). Research on human embryos and reproductive materials: Revisiting canadian law and policy. Healthcare Policy, 13(3), 10-19. Scopus8 Europe PMC2 |
| 2017 | Toews, M., Giancaspro, M., Richards, B., & Ferrari, P. (2017). Kidney paired donation and the "valuable consideration" problem: The experiences of Australia, Canada, and the United States. Transplantation, 101(9), 1996-2002. Scopus10 WoS5 Europe PMC5 |
| 2017 | Gill, J., Tinckam, K., Fortin, M., Rose, C., Shick-Makaroff, K., Young, K., . . . Gill, J. (2017). Reciprocity to Increase Participation of Compatible Living Donor and Recipient Pairs in Kidney Paired Donation. American Journal of Transplantation, 17(7), 1723-1728. Scopus16 WoS13 Europe PMC9 |
| 2017 | Wright, A. J., Rose, C., Toews, M., Paquet, M., Corsilli, D., Le Cailhier, J. -F., & Gill, J. S. (2017). An Exception to the Rule or a Rule for the Exception? The Potential of Using HIV-Positive Donors in Canada. Transplantation, 101(4), 671-674. Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC3 |
| 2017 | Anthony, S., Toews, M., Caulfield, T., & Wright, L. (2017). Family veto in organ donation in Canada: framing within English-language newspaper articles. CMAJ open, 5(4), E768-E772. Scopus5 Europe PMC5 |
| 2017 | Toews, M. (2017). Increasing Organ Donation Rates: What's Legal & What's Not?. Law Society of SA Bulletin, 39(11), 18-19. |
| 2016 | Toews, M., & Caulfield, T. (2016). Evaluating the "family veto" of consent for organ donation. CMAJ, 188(17-18), E436-E437. Scopus26 WoS24 Europe PMC19 |
| 2016 | Caulfield, T., & Toews, M. (2016). Rare diseases and resource allocation policy: the role of Canadian legal and ethical norms. UBC Law Review, 49(2), 789-816. |
| 2016 | Rachul, C., Toews, M., & Caulfield, T. (2016). Controversies with Kalydeco: newspaper coverage in Canada and the United States of the cystic fibrosis "Wonder Drug". Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 15(5), 624-629. Scopus13 WoS9 Europe PMC9 |
| 2016 | Caulfield, T., Borry, P., Toews, M., Elger, B., Greely, H., & McGuire, A. (2016). Marginally scientific? Genetic testing of children and adolescents for lifestyle and health promotion. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 2(3), 627-644. Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC11 |
| 2015 | Toews, M. (2015). Commercialization of Human Genetic Research. eLS, 1-6. |
| 2015 | Toews, M., Zoeller, S., & Du, L. (2015). Inter-jurisdictional Comparison of Professional Regulations as a Tool to Address the Provision of Unproven Stem Cell Interventions. Health Law Review, 22(3), 14. |
| 2015 | Caulfield, T., Kamenova, K., Ogbogu, U., Zarzeczny, A., Baltz, J., Benjaminy, S., . . . Toews, M. (2015). Research Ethics and Stem Cells: Is it Time to Re-think Current Approaches to Oversight?. EMBO Reports, 16(1), 2-6. Scopus22 WoS18 Europe PMC16 |
| 2014 | Toews, M., & Caulfield, T. (2014). Physician Liability and Non-invasive Prenatal Testing. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 36(10), 907-914. Scopus12 WoS13 Europe PMC8 |
| 2014 | Ogbogu, U., Toews, M., Ollenberger, A., Borry, P., Nobile, H., Bergmann, M., & Caulfield, T. (2014). Newspaper coverage of biobanks. PeerJ, 2(1), 500-1-500-14. Scopus9 WoS12 Europe PMC5 |
| 2014 | Zarzeczny, A., Caulfield, T., Ogbogu, U., Bell, P., Crooks, V., Kamenova, K., . . . Zoeller, S. (2014). Professional regulation: a potentially valuable tool in responding to “stem cell tourism”. Stem Cell Reports, 3(3), 379-384. Scopus31 WoS26 Europe PMC17 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Toews, M. (2024). Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation. In B. White, F. McDonald, L. Willmott, & S. -N. Then (Eds.), Health Law in Australia (4th ed., pp. 833-868). Pyrmont NSW: Thomson Reuters. |
| 2018 | Toews, M. (2018). Organ and Tissue Donation. In B. White, F. McDonald, & L. Willmott (Eds.), HEALTH LAW IN AUSTRALIA. (3rd ed., pp. 773-808). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Toews, M. (2017). Overcoming the ‘Valuable Consideration’ Problem in Kidney Paired Donation: The Experiences in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) Annual Meeting. Brisbane, Australia. |
| 2016 | Toews, M., Caulfield, T., Anthony, S., & Wright, L. (2016). Understanding the Concerns Underlying Family Override of Consent for Deceased Donation: Newspaper Representations in the United States. Poster session presented at the meeting of American Society of Transplantation’s Cutting Edge of Transplantation Conference. Phoenix, Arizona, USA. |
| 2015 | Caulfield, T., Borry, P., Toews, M., Elger, B., Greely, H., & McGuire, A. (2015). Marginally Scientific? Genetic Testing of Children and Adolescents for Lifestyle and Health Promotion. Poster session presented at the meeting of CIHR, Canadian GE3LS and Health Services and Policy Research Conference. Vancouver, Canada. |
| 2014 | Toews, M., Zoeller, S., Du, L., & Zarzeczny, A. (2014). Inter-jurisdictional Comparison of Professional Regulatory Frameworks as a Tool to Address ‘Stem Cell Tourism. Poster session presented at the meeting of The Stem Cell Network’s Till & McCulloch Meeting. Ottawa, ON, Canada. |
- 2024: $4992 - M Toews, The Future of Biobanking in South Australia: Exploring the Promise and Pitfalls of Digital Technologies (internal funding, ABLE Faculty, University of Adelaide)
- 2023: $1800 - M Toews, Clarifying the Scope of Decision-making Authority for Deceased Tissue Donation in the Evolving Field of End-of-Life Law (internal funding, ABLE Faculty, University of Adelaide)
- 20214-2016: $150,000 CAD - M Toews, Legal and Policy Strategies to Optimize Organ Donation in Alberta (James Kreppner Fellowship, Canadian Blood Services)
I teach a range of compulsory and elective courses and have extensive experience in curriculum design and delivery, having coordinated many courses at the Adelaide Law School. Given the size of my first-year Tort Law course (300+ students), I am also an experienced team leader, and pride myself on managing courses effectively and fostering a collegial teaching environment. My success has been recognised in the following achievements:
- Awarded status as Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2024)
- Recipient of the Law School Dean's Excellence Award, Learning and Teaching (Early Career) (2022)
- Recipient of the Faculty of Professions Executive Dean Award, First-Year Curriculum - Tort Law Teaching Team (2021)
The following chart summarises my teaching experience at the University of Adelaide:
|
Subject |
Role |
Years |
|
Tort Law (LAW 1507)
|
Course Coord./Lecturer/Seminar Leader |
2019-present |
| Lecturer/Seminar Leader | 2018 | |
| Seminar Leader | 2017 | |
|
Medical Law & Ethics (LAW 2516)
|
Course Coord./Lecturer/Seminar Leader |
2021 (summer); 2022 (summer & Tri 3); 2023 (summer & Tri 3); 2024 (summer) |
| Lecturer/Seminar Leader | 2017 & 2018 | |
|
Law and the Body (LAW2574)
|
Course Coord./Lecturer/Seminar Leader |
2021 |
|
Medical Professional & Personal Development (MEDIC ST 1103B)
|
Seminar Co-Leader |
2021 |
|
Evidence & Advocacy (LAW 3502)
|
Lecturer & Seminar Leader |
2019 |
| Seminar Leader | 2017-2018 |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Legal Impossibility or Public Policy?: Revisiting the Validity of Wrongful Life Claims in Light of Australia’s Legal and Policy Developments Following Harriton v Stephens | The University of Adelaide | - | Honours | - | Monique Blight |
| 2023 - 2023 | Principal Supervisor | A Doctor's Duty to Follow-up in Australia: A Review of the Law and Impact of a Duty to Follow-up Risk Factors on Modern Medical Practice | The University of Adelaide | - | Other | - | Zoe Tammita |
| 2022 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Liability for the Publication of Third-Party Material: Confusion in the Context of Social Media and the Internet | University of Adelaide | - | Honours | - | Lachlan Dorey |
| 2022 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | The Need for Greater Regulation of Genetic Databases in Australia | The University of Adelaide | - | Honours | - | Claudia Floreani |
| Date | Role | Board name | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Vice-Chair | Student Misconduct Tribunal | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2014 - 2016 | Board Member | Biomedical Research Ethics Board | University of Alberta | Canada |
| 2014 - 2015 | Board Member | Advisory Board for Organ Donation after Cardio-circulatory Death of Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit | University of Alberta Hospital | - |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Southern Adelaide Clinical Human Research Ethics Committee | Southern Adelaide Local Health Network | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Wellbeing Champions Network | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Student Staff Liaison Committee | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | People and Culture Committee (ABLE Faculty) | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2023 - 2024 | Member | Learning and Teaching Committee | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia |
| 2021 - 2021 | Member | Academic Programs Committee | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia |
| 2018 - 2021 | Member | Lex Salus | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia |
| 2017 - 2018 | Member | Academic Programs Committee | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia |
| 2015 - 2016 | Board Member | Clinical Ethics Committee | University of Alberta Hospital | Canada |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program | Canada |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | The Transplantation Society | Canada |
| 2009 - ongoing | Member | Law Society of Alberta | Canada |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2024 | Academic Integrity Officer | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2022 - 2023 | Dissertation Coordinator | University of Adelaide, Law School | Australia |
| Date | Topic | Presented at | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2023 | Evaluating the Strength of Australian Donation and Transplantation Law against International Legal Norms | Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting | TSANZ | Australia |
| 2021 - 2021 | Regulating Biomaterials in the Age of Datafied Bodies: Reforming the Discourse | Australasian Association of Bioethics & Health Law Annual Conference | AABHL | Australia |
| 2021 - 2021 | Legal Foundations: Recommendations for Donation & Transplantation Legislation | International Donation and Transplantation Legislative Policy Forum | Transplant Quebec | Canada |
| 2021 - 2021 | Media Representations of Public Solicitation for Organ Donors | Key Policy Issues in Organ Donation & Transplantation | University of Ottawa | Canada |
| 2019 - 2019 | Law of the Body: A New Body of Law? | Ethics and Technology Studies Research Circle | University of Macau | China |
| 2018 - 2018 | The Law of Buying, Selling, and Trafficking Human Organs | Australian Medical Students Society EdForum: Organ Trafficking: Would You Sell Your Kidney? | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2017 - 2017 | Organ Donation in the Public Eye: Donor Solicitation in the Media | Renal Unit | Royal Adelaide Hospital | Australia |
| 2017 - 2017 | Models of Consent for Deceased Donation | Public Forum: Ethical Issues in Donation and Transplantation | Deakin University | Australia |
| 2017 - 2017 | Public Solicitation of Living Donors | Ethical Issues in Donation and Transplantation – Professional Education Symposium | Deakin University | - |
| 2017 - 2017 | Organ Donation: Legal Controversies and Conundrums | Continuing Professional Development Program | University of Adelaide Law School | Australia |
| 2017 - 2017 | Deceased Donation in Canada: Is it Time to move to Opt-Out Consent? | Canadian National Transplant Research Program | CNTRP | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Public Discussion of "Vital Bonds: The Nature of Things", Documentary Film Premiere | Royal Alberta Museum | CBC | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Is Family Override Illegal? | Critical Care Canada Forum | CCCF | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Family Veto of Consent for Deceased Donation: Law, Policy, and Practice | Canadian Society for Transplantation/Canadian National Transplant Research Program Joint Annual Scientific Meeting | CST/CNTRP | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Consent for Deceased Donor Intervention Research: Law and Ethics | Emerging Research Methods and the Consent Challenge | University of Alberta | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Physicians as Resource Allocators: The Legal and Ethical Norms that Impact Physician Decision-making in Canada | World Association of Medical Law | WAML | United States |
| 2016 - 2016 | Family Override of Consent for Deceased Donation: The Law and Policy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America | Ethical, Legal, and Psychosocial Aspects of Transplantation (ELPAT), 4th Congress | ELPAT | Italy |
| 2016 - 2016 | Organ Donation Dilemmas: Assessing the Framework of Consent for Donation | Rotary Club of Edmonton West | Rotary Club | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Payment for Organs? Legal and Ethical Limits on Strategies to Increase Organ Donation | Edmonton Nerd Nite, Telus World of Science | Nerd Nite | Canada |
| 2016 - 2016 | Decision-making and Deceased Donation: Whose Wishes Matter? | Canadian Transplant Association | CTA | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Consent for Deceased Donation in Canada: To Opt In or Out? | Multi-Organ Transplant Group, Grand Rounds | University of Dalhousie | - |
| 2015 - 2015 | Donating Organs after Death: Who Decides? | Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week | University of Alberta | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Family Override: From Legal Analysis to Practice Change | Deceased Donation Advisory Committee and the Donation & Transplant Administrators Advisory Committee | Canadian Blood Services | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Family Override of Consent for Deceased Organ Donation: The Disconnect between Law and Policy | Canadian Society of Transplantation Annual Scientific Meeting | CST | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Family Override of Consent for Deceased Donation: Law, Policy and Practice | Alberta Transplant Institute, Seminar Series | ATI | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Family Override of Consent for Deceased Organ Donation | Canadian National Transplant Research Program, Second Annual Scientific Meeting | CNTRP | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Implications of Commercialization Pressure in Genomic Research | Heath Research Ethics Group | Alberta Innovates Health Solutions | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Time to Consider Financial Incentives for Deceased and Living Donation | The Kidney Foundation, Transplant Summit | The Kidney Foundation | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Genetic Research under Pressure: Implications of the Drive to Commercialize Research Findings | Biological Speaker Series | MacEwan University | Canada |
| 2015 - 2015 | Consent for Deceased Organ Donation under Canadian Law | Health Law Institute Seminar Series | University of Alberta | Canada |
| 2014 - 2014 | Stem Cell Science: Ethics 101 | StemCellTalks | The Stem Cell Network | Canada |
| 2014 - 2014 | Quick Policy Fixes | Canadian National Transplant Research Program, First Annual Scientific Meeting | CNTRP | Canada |
| 2014 - 2014 | Policy Pitfalls and NIPT: Regulation, Return of Results and Media Representations | 22nd Annual Symposium: New Developments in Prenatal Diagnosis and Medical Genetics | Sinai Health | Canada |
| 2014 - 2014 | Patient Safety and the Law | SafetyNET Annual Project Meeting | SafetyNET | Canada |
Connect With Me
External Profiles
