Rate My Professor Clare Delany

Professor Clare Delany is Professor and Coordinator of Research Higher Degree Programs in the Department of Medical Education, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Her academic background includes a PhD in applied ethics, Master of Health and Medical Law, Master of Physiotherapy, and Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy). Initially trained as a physiotherapist and serving as Senior Lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy, she transitioned to roles in medical education and clinical ethics. She holds concurrent positions as Clinical Ethicist at the Children’s Bioethics Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital, and consultant Clinical Ethicist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Professor Delany chairs the University of Melbourne Central Human Research Ethics Committee and leads the Student Engagement and Experience research group in medical education research.

Professor Delany's research specializations and academic interests center on clinical ethics, clinical education, applied ethics, bioethics, research ethics, and medical education. She developed the world’s first ethical framework for decision-making about a child’s future fertility in the context of chemotherapy risks. Major publications include the co-authored book A Practical Guide for Clinical Educators with Elizabeth Molloy (2018), Teaching clinical reasoning by making thinking visible: An action research project with allied health clinical educators (2014), From Persuasion to Coercion: Responding to the Reluctant Patient in Rehabilitation (2016), Balancing health worker well-being and duty to care: an ethical approach to staff safety in COVID-19 and beyond (2020), The active engagement model of applied ethics as a structure for ethical reflection in the context of course-based service learning (2017), How physiotherapists perceive, interpret, and respond to the ethical dimensions of practice: A qualitative study (2018), and Critical dialogue method of ethics consultation: making clinical ethics visible (2025). Her contributions extend to clinical ethics consultations, public lectures such as on ABC Radio’s Philosopher’s Zone, and educational resources influencing ethical practices in paediatrics, oncology, physiotherapy, and health professions education.