DrOlga Pandos

Dr Olga Pandos is a Lecturer in Law at Deakin Law School. She is also the Deputy Director of the Law, Health and Society Research Unit, Deakin Law School.

In 2020, I was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in the Supreme Court of South Australia. My research expertise is health law, ethics and emerging technologies. My doctoral thesis focussed on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats ('CRISPR Technology'). Drawing upon my scientific background in Biochemistry and Genetics, the thesis examined the ethical and regulatory implications of Heritable Human Genome Editing.

My research traverses beyond genome editing and genomics, with a specific focus on decision-making capacity, consent, supported decision-making, access to justice for vulnerable populations and reform. Within my research, I have consulted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, persons with a disability and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The intersection of health, medicine and the law are fundamental themes within my research.

I have extensive experience working within policy, law reform and consultation. I was a lead researcher and project manager at the South Australian Law Reform Institute for 4 years. My research has been published in leading peer review law and interdisciplinary journals. I have been an author of 6 Final Reports to the South Australian State Government. Most recently, I led and was lead author of the statutory independent review of the Mental Health Act in South Australia. Prior to my work at the South Australian Law Reform Institute, I worked as a policy officer for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.