Dr Eliana Close

Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Business and Law

Doctor of Philsophy (Queensland University of Technology), Master of Arts (University of Oxford), BSc(Hons)(Psych) (University of Calgary)

Dr Eliana Close is a Senior Research Fellow in the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at the Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology. She is currently leading a Canadian Case Study as part of the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, Enhancing end-of-life decision-making: Optimal regulation of voluntary assisted dying (2020-2024, headed by Professor Ben White). Eliana is an experienced transdisciplinary socio-legal researcher with a background in law and psychology. Her research is focused on the regulation of end-of-life decision making, in particular conflicts over life-sustaining treatment, rationing healthcare resources, and voluntary assisted dying. Background Eliana was awarded her Bachelor of Science (First Class in Honours) in Psychology from the University of Calgary, Canada in 2002. She completed her MA in Law (LLB equivalent) at the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. After Oxford, Eliana worked as a Strategy & Business Operations Associate at Google in Silicon Valley, as part of a small team of consultants working on high-profile cross-functional projects for the executive management team. At the same time, Eliana completed conversion exams with the National Federation of Law Societies, to enable her to complete her practical legal training in Canada. Eliana articled at the Alberta Court of Appeal, under the supervision of Justice Peter Martin. She was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2010, and practised as a Crown Prosecutor for the Alberta Ministry of Justice. As part of the Criminal Driving Unit, Eliana specialised in complex litigation under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and conducted summary conviction appeals in the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench. Eliana came to QUT in 2012, as Senior Research Assistant and Research Fellow on the Australian Research Council Linkage Project, Futile Treatment at the End of Life: Legal, policy, sociological and economic perspectives. She has taught undergraduate criminal law, and teaches health law to medical students and health professionals. Research interests Eliana is interested in the legal and ethical dilemmas that arise as part of the changing landscape of death and dying. Her research interests include:

• regulation of end-of-life decision making;
• non-beneficial or 'futile' treatment;
• voluntary assisted dying;
• conflicts over withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU);
• bedside rationing of healthcare resources; and
• pandemic ICU triage.

Eliana was awarded an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award from QUT for her PhD (by published papers) on the regulation of disputes about potentially life-sustaining treatment. More details of Eliana's publications can be found here: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Close,_Eliana.html

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