Donald Chalmers is Distinguished Professor at the University of Tasmania and in the Centre for Law and Genetics. He is a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

In 2010, he received the University of Tasmania Distinguished Service Medal, the NHMRC Ethics Award and the Australian Red Cross Distinguished Service Award.

His major research interests focus on medical research ethics and the regulatory aspects of human genetics. He has been chief investigator on Australian Research Council discovery grants, with colleagues on the legal, ethical and governance implications of genetics, particularly commercialisation, biobanking and personalised medicine and on an NHMRC program grant on cancer genetics, He has published in health law and genetics, research ethics and law reform criminal law, legal studies trusts, authored a number of government and Law Reform Commissioner reports and made regular submissions to government enquiries. Throughout his career, he has been involved in teaching, administration and served on many State, national and international committees.

Biography

Before joining the University of Tasmania, Don Chalmers was a law clerk with solicitors in England:  before joining the University of Papua New Guinea, Faculty of Law as a Senior Tutor then lecturer from 1973 to 78. He joined the University of Tasmania, Faculty of Law as a Lecturer in 1978 with promotions to Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor in 1989. He was appointed Distinguished Professor in 2009.

He has served on many State, national and international committees with a focus on medical research and ethics. In Tasmania, he was Chair, Tasmania Enquiry into Artificial Conception & Related Matters, 1984-85 Member of the Law Reform Commission 1982-87 and Law Reform Commissioner for Tasmania, 1991-1997

Nationally, he is a member of the Board of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. He was Chair of the NHMRC Australian Health Ethics Committee 1994 – 2000 during which time he worked with the ARC and learned academies to publish the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research involving Humans. He has also been Deputy Chair NHMRC Embryo Research Licensing Committee 2002-12 and a member of the NHMRC Human Genetics Advisory Committee 2006-09. He was Chair of the Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee 2002-2012, a member of the Advisory Council, Organ and Tissue Authority 2008-12, the Board of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Council, 2008-11, the Board of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, 1998-2006 and of the Commonwealth Biotechnology Advisory Council, 1999-2002. He was Chair of the Australian Red Cross Ethics Committee 2000 -2010; consultant to the ALRC Report on the genetic privacy 2001-2003 and Chair of the Australian Institute of Health, Law and Ethics from 2002-2005.He was a Member, Schools Board of Tasmania 1988-93. And Chief Examiner, Legal Studies, Schools Board of Tasmania, 1980-

Internationally, he chaired the Data Access Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium and wa a member of the Human Genome Organisation Ethics Committee and the Global Alliance for Genomic Health. He was a member of the International Scientific Review Panels of Genome Canada from 2004 to 2009. He was an Adjunct Professor of Law of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Career summary

Languages (other than English)

French and beginner Japanese.

Administrative expertise

Don has been involved continuously in the Faculty as Dean and Head of the School of Law and also of the School of Commerce and Law from 1987 to 2009. He also served on University Council, Senate and many administrative committees as well as the TUU Board (1989-2002) and the University Staff Association.

Teaching

Don has taught core subjects (Introduction to Law, Contracts, Trusts) and electives (Law and Ethics of Health care and Biotechnology Law) in the Faculty of Law continuously since appointment as well as delivering lectures in other faculties of Medicine, Engineering and Business. He has supervised over 30 postgraduate students.

Teaching expertise

• LAW251 Contract Law
• LAW618 Biotechnology Law
• CAM101 Foundations of Medicine

Research Appointments

• Deputy Chair of the NHMRC Embryo Research Licensing Committee 2003 – 2012
• Member, NHMRC National Biobanking Strategy Committee, 2011- 2012
• Member of the NHMRC Human Genetics Advisory Committee 2006 -2009
• Chair, Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, Gene Technology Act 2002 (Cth) 2002- 2012
• Member, NHMRC National Biobanking Strategy Committee, 2011- 2012
• Member Advisory Council, Organ and Tissue Authority 2008-2012
• Member of the Board of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Council, 2008- 2011
• Member, Health Sector Advisory Council, CSIRO, 2002-2009
• Member, Humanities and Creative Arts, Research Evaluation Committee for Excellence in Research for Australia initiative, 2009
• Member of the Scientific Review Panels, Genome Canada, 2004-10
• International Reviewer, Nuffield Council of Bioethics UK 2005.
• Adviser, National Bioethics Advisory Commission, USA, 2001
• Fellow and Co-chair of the Salzburg Seminar on Biotechnology 2001
• Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio, Italy 2000;
• National Bioethics Advisory Commission Report on Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants on Research Ethics in Australia National Bioethics Advisory Commission, USA, 2001

Research Invitations

• Bioethics Governance- New Developments, and Shiga University, 2015-18
• The ELSI.2 Initiative Osaka University Nakanoshima Center February 2013
• The promise of Personalised Medicine – Hope or Hype ? James Isbister Lecture ARCBS
• Brisbane, June 2013
• The promise of Personalised Medicine – Hope or Hype ? Kester Brown Lecture, ANZ College Anaesthetists, September 2012
• National Framework for the Development of Ethical Principles in Gene Technology-Review, National Institutional Biosafety Committee Forum, Canberra June 2011
• 'Research governance and research ethics committees in an increasingly globalised research environment' Annual Congress Japanese Association for Bioethics Waseda University Tokyo: 15 October 2011