Dr Abbie Hampton

My research specialism is infectious diseases and international law, particularly Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) and the delivery of global health justice. This formed the basis of my PhD, which sought to determine whether ABS approaches are capable of delivering global health justice during a health emergency in the context of access to vaccines and other medical countermeasures, examining the requirements of global health justice within this context and providing recommendations for policy reform.

My research surrounds infectious diseases and international law, with a particular focus on:

• Law and Pandemic Preparedness,
• Pathogen Access and Benefit sharing (ABS) and Global Health Justice,
• Equitable Access to Vaccine and Other Medical Countermeasures During a Pandemic/Health Emergency, and
• The Securitisation of Health.

Methodologically, my work takes a socio-legal approach and is concerned with the extent to which bilateral (the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol) and multilateral (the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework) ABS mechanisms are capable of delivering fairness, equity, and global health justice to low-income countries in the context of access to vaccine and other medical countermeasures during a health emergency.

Rourke M, Hampton A, Eccleston-Turner M.R, & Switzer S, ‘A Little Fairer is Not Good Enough: Why ABS Will NOT Ensure Equity,’ Geneva Health Files view online

Hampton A, Eccleston-Turner M.R, Rourke M & Switzer S, ‘“Equity” and the Pandemic Treaty: the cruel optimism of Access and Benefit Sharing’ International and Comparative Law Quarterly (2023)

Ainslie J, Hampton A, et al, ‘Equity in Global Health Law - Policy Brief’ Project Funded by Scottish Council for Global Affairs and the ESRC IAA Policy Impact Fund, July 2023.

Hampton A, Eccleston-Turner M.R, Rourke M & Switzer S, ‘Equity in the pandemic treaty: access and benefit-sharing as a policy device or a rhetorical device?’ Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics (2023)

Hampton A, ‘Pathogen Dematerialisation and the ABS Loophole’ Journal of Law and the Biosciences (2023) 

Hampton A, 'Pathogen Dematerialisation as an Existential Threat to Global Health Justice' VerfBlog, 15/8/2022

Upton H, Hampton A, Eccleston-Turner M.R, 'Accountability, transparency, and good governance: the WHO’s decision making during an emergency’ in Redhead C (ed) “Pandemic and Beyond volume 4: Law and Ethics (MUP, 2023) (pending publication) 

Hampton A, Upton H, Eccleston-Turner M.R, ‘The WHO’s procurement of pandemic vaccines: private law by a public body’ in McArdle. S & Switzer. S (eds), Elgar Companion to the Law and Practice of the World Health Organization (pending publication) (Edward Elgar)

Hampton A, ‘Lawrence O. Gostin and Benjamin Mason Meier (eds), Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights,’ Medical Law Review (2021)

• Criminal Law LW2220 
• Criminal Law (Advanced) LW3220
• Equity & Trusts LW2370

International law and infectious diseases, particularly pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing & access to vaccines and other medical countermeasures.

• Hampton A, ‘Vaccine distribution and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS): Securing Global Health Justice?’ University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Law Conference, May 2023. 
• Hampton A, ‘Equity in the Pandemic Treaty’ and ‘Equity and ABS’ Pandemic Treaty Knowledge Exchange, March 2023.
• Hampton A, ‘Pathogen Dematerialisation as an Existential Threat to Global Health Justice’ Multidisciplinary Forum on Longtermism and the Law, June 2022.
• Hampton A, ‘Against the Securitisation of Pandemic Influenza’ University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Law Conference, February 2020.