Credit: Edinburgh Law School

Her winning essay, From Risk to Capacity: The Limits of Fusion Law in Reforming Involuntary Treatment, was recognised in the competition, which celebrates outstanding student writing on ethics and law in health, medicine and the life sciences.

Ms McPhillips has a particular interest in public health ethics. Her current dissertation examines HIV/AIDS-related stigma in Scotland, exploring the relationship between public health law, ethics and LGBTQ+ health inequalities through a socio-legal lens. She hopes to continue her studies on the PgDip in Law while developing her research into contemporary legal and ethical issues affecting Scotland.

Sophie Sargent and Aaliya Roy Kundal were runners-up in the postgraduate category. In the undergraduate category, University of Edinburgh student Eve Davis took first place, with William Terry and Larissa Froggatt named as runners-up.

The competition invites students to submit an essay within the broad scope of the Mason Institute’s work on ethics and law at the interface between health, medicine and the life sciences, on a national and global scale. Essays may be newly written, or previously written and submitted for one of the student’s courses within the past academic year.

Entries are judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, clarity and style of writing, critical analysis and quality of argument, relevance, persuasive force, and originality of approach.