Jocelyn Grant Downie OC FRSC is the James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law at Schulich School of Law. She was the first Dalhousie scholar to be named a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow.

Jocelyn Downie
Born1962 (age 61–62)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Academic background
EducationB.A., M.A., Queen's University
LLB., University of Toronto
LLM, SJD, University of Michigan
ThesisDying justice: an argument for law reform with respect to voluntary assisted death in Canada. (1999)
Academic work
InstitutionsSchulich School of Law
Main interestsend-of-life law, policy, and care

Early life and education

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While studying at Queen's University, Downie volunteered at Kingston General Hospital as a candy striper. While there, she saw an advertisement for palliative care volunteers and trained to become one.[1] After earning her Bachelor of Arts and Master's degree, Downie earned her M.Litt at the University of Cambridge. Upon her return to Canada, Downie accepted a position as a research associate at the Westminster Institute for Ethics and Human Values.[2]

Career

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After law school, Downie clerked for Chief Justice Lamer at the Supreme Court of Canada, and after graduate school she was the director of Dalhousie Health Law Institute.[3] In 2004, she published "Dying Justice: A Case for Decriminalizing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in Canada."[4] In her role as director, she was selected to be a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy[5] and sat on the Experts Committee for Human Research Participant Protection in Canada.[6] In 2010, Downie was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.[7]

In 2015, Downie was involved in the result of Carter v Canada. She served as a Special Advisor to the Canadian Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide and worked with the pro bono legal team in the case.[8] In the same year, Downie became the first scholar in Nova Scotia to be named a Pierre Trudeau Trudeau Foundation Fellow.[9] She used this fellowship to gather data regarding assisted dying in Canada.[10] She also sat on the Provincial-Territorial Expert Advisory Group on Physician-Assisted Dying.[11] The next year, she received the 2016 CIHR Barer-Flood Prize in Health Services and Policy Research.[12] On July 1, 2016, Downie was appointed to University Research Professor for a five-year period.[13]

In 2018, Downie was appointed the James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law at Schulich School of Law.[3] She was also named a member of the Order of Canada.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Douchet, Jane (October 14, 2016). "Caring Deeply for the Dying". halifaxmag.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Sherwin, Susan (1998). The Politics of Women's Health: Exploring Agency and Autonomy. Temple University Press. pp. 307–308. ISBN 9781566396332. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Doucet, Jane (August 20, 2018). "KUDOS! Professor Jocelyn Downie appointed inaugural James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Martel, Joane. "Dying Justice: A Case for Decriminalizing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in Canada, Jocelyn Downie". Alberta Law Review. 42 (4): 1147.
  5. ^ "ProActive Disclosure for the Canada Research Chairs (2008)" (PDF). chairs-chaires.gc.ca. 2008. p. 4. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  6. ^ "HUMAN RESEARCH PARTICIPANT PROTECTION IN CANADA". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Smulders, Marilyn (November 30, 2010). "DAL PROFS INDUCTED INTO ROYAL SOCIETY". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Future of Assisted Death in Canada- Ottawa- February 23rd 2016". dyingwithdignity.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  9. ^ "Dalhousie University Professor Jocelyn Downie receives prestigious Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation fellowship for end‑of‑life care research". dal.ca. October 22, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  10. ^ Doucet, Jane (October 20, 2015). "LAW'S JOCELYN DOWNIE TO CONDUCT GROUNDBREAKING END‑OF‑LIFE RESEARCH WITH TRUDEAU FELLOWSHIP". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  11. ^ "Provincial-Territorial Expert Advisory Group Convened On Physician-Assisted Dying". news.ontario.ca. August 14, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  12. ^ Doucet, Jane (October 23, 2017). "KUDOS! Professor Jocelyn Downie receives 2016 CIHR Barer‑Flood Prize in Health Services and Policy Research at a ceremony in Edmonton". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  13. ^ Doucet, Jane (April 19, 2016). "KUDOS! Recognizing four Schulich School of Law colleagues' recent achievements". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  14. ^ Matt Reeder; Jane Doucet (January 5, 2018). "LAW PROF JOCELYN DOWNIE NAMED TO ORDER OF CANADA". dal.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
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  • CV, via Canadian Studies, Dalhousie University