Key details
Dr Victoria Adkins
Lecturer in Law
Victoria joined the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ in January 2022 as a Lecturer in Law. Victoria completed her own law degree at the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ in 2011 and previously worked in regulation before moving into academia. Victoria completed a Masters in Medical Ethics and Law at Kings College London in 2017 and completed her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London in 2024.
Victoria’s PhD research explored the views of specific healthcare professionals in relation to the prospect of partial ectogenesis (the partial gestation of a foetus outside of the human body) and her research interests include medicalisation and law, ethics and policy in relation to reproduction. Victoria is also particularly interested in qualitative research.
Victoria is currently a Visiting Collaborator with the Future of Human Reproduction research team at Lancaster University and is currently a co-investigation on an empirical research project, funded by the same team. This project seeks to explore the experiences of parents who have had children cared for in neonatal intensive care and how this impacts their attitudes towards the implementation of artificial placentas.
Victoria is the module leader of Medical Law on the LLB and has previously taught at Royal Holloway and Queen Mary in London.
Responsibilities within the university
Module Leader:
Medical Law (Level 6 LLB)
Human Rights (Level 4 LLB)
Recognition
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Recognised Practitioner in Advising (UKAT)
Research / Scholarly interests
- Reproductive health, law and policy
- Medicalisation and the relationship between doctors and patients
- Qualitative research
Funded research projects
| Date | Awarding Body and Title of Grant | Total Amount Awarded |
|---|---|---|
Jan- Dec 2024 | University of Lancaster The Future of Human Reproduction Research Programme, Small Research Grant (co-applicant) | £14,705.54 |
June- Sept 2024 | University of Lancaster The Future of Human Reproduction Research Programme, Visiting Collaborator Grant (sole applicant) | £2,304 |
2018- 2022 | Royal Holloway, University of London PhD Studentship | £59,244 |
June 2020 | Royal Holloway, University of London First Prize, Postgraduate Research Annual Conference 2020 Presentation Title: Artificial wombs and seeking consensus | £250 |
Recent publications
BOOK CHAPTERS
Finn, S., Marshall, J., Pathe-Smith, A. and Adkins, V., Pregnancy: Transformations in Philosophy and Legal Practice. In Transformation and the History of Philosophy (pp. 345-360). Routledge.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Adkins, V. and Romanis, E.C., 2024. AAPT, pregnancy loss and planning ahead. Journal of Medical Ethics. doi: 10.1136/jme-2024-109934
Romanis, E.C. and Adkins, V., 2024. Artificial placentas, pregnancy loss and loss-sensitive care. Journal of Medical Ethics, 50(5), pp.299-307. doi: 10.1136/jme-2023-109412
Adkins, V., 2023. The Warnock report and partial ectogestation: retracing the past to step into the future. Medical Law Review, 31(3), pp.424-440.doi.org/10.1093/medlaw/fwad008
Adkins, V., 2021. Impact of ectogenesis on the medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth. Journal of Medical Ethics, 47(4), pp.239-243.
Presentations
INVITED TALKS
Apr 2024
Normative Implications of the Metaphysics of Extra-Corporeal Gestation, University of Liverpool (virtual)
Presentation Title: Partial ectogestation and unexpected contributions to the existing medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth
Nov 2022
The Future of Human Reproduction workshop: ‘Envisaging Reproductive Futures: Extra Corporeal Gestation’
Presentation Title: The Birds and the Bees…and the Artificial Womb (an overview)
May 2022
Realistic Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of LiFE-S (Liquid Fetal Extracorporeal Support, or “Artificial Womb”) Technology
Brocher Foundation, Geneva
Invited workshop participant and panel member
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Apr 2024
UKAT Annual Conference, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ
Presentation title: Consumer attitudes, personal tutoring and being part of the problem
Apr 2024
Conversations about justice: a cross-Centre seminar series, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ
Presentation Title: Partial ectogestation and unexpected contributions to the existing medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth
Mar 2024
SLSA Annual Conference 2023, University of Portsmouth
Presentation Title: Partial ectogestation and unexpected contributions to the existing medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth
Nov 2023
Personal Tutor Symposium, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ
Presentation title: Consumer attitudes, personal tutoring and being part of the problem
Jun 2023
BSA Human Reproduction Study Group Annual Conference, UCL
Presentation title: Artificial Placentas, Pregnancy Loss and Loss-sensitive care
April 2023
SLSA Annual Conference 2023, University of Ulster
Presentation Title: The Artificially Gestated Entity: Location, location, location
July 2022
Postgraduate Bioethics Conference, Bristol
Presentation Title: Partial Ectogenesis: Bridging the gap between nature and technology
June 2021
Postgraduate Bioethics Conference (virtual)
Presentation Title: Partial ectogenesis in practice: Preliminary views of UK healthcare professionals
Mar 2021
SLSA Annual Conference 2021 (virtual)
Presentation Title: Interviewing for the Future of Partial Ectogenesis
Nov 2020
Royal Holloway, University of London
Families and Children Research Cluster, Webinar Series 2020-2021
Presentation Title: The Reality of Ectogenesis: A turn in the literature and some preliminary data
June 2020
Royal Holloway, University of London
Postgraduate Research Annual Conference 2020
Presentation Title: Artificial wombs and seeking consensus
June 2019
Royal Holloway, University of London
Postgraduate Research Annual Conference 2019
Presentation Title: The Birds and the Bees…and the Artificial Womb: Taking stock of the literature so far