Implications of religion and culture on legal regulation of end of life health care

Clara Wong, B.A. (Distinction), LL.B. (Honours), P.C.L.L. (Honours), J.D., LL.M., studied law at University of Toronto and The University of Hong Kong. Her Master of Laws degree at the University of Toronto was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Training Fellowship in Health Law and Policy. In her thesis, she analyzed cultural implications on the legal standards for substitute judgments in end of life health care and on medical negligence. Clara was called to the Bar of Hong Kong in 2008, and to the Bar of Ontario, Canada in 2010. She worked for an international law firm in Hong Kong, where she practised primarily corporate finance and commercial litigation law. She subsequently acted as Consultant to the Performance Improvement and Compliance Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, advising on a regulations development project for long-term care homes in the province. Clara has also served in the Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, advising the Ontario government on major provincial health issues and initiatives. At the Brocher Foundation, her research addresses legal-medical issues related to a recent governmental proposal on advance directives and substitute decision-making in Hong Kong. Drawing on the experience of Switzerland and other European countries has enriched her examination of this and other issues of academic interest, such as developing culture-specific models for palliative care.