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Contact Details

Phone
64 3 479 7365
Email
gareth.jones@otago.ac.nz
Position
Emeritus Professor
Department
Department of Anatomy
Qualifications
CNZM Bsc(Hons) MB BS(Lond) DSc(W Aust) MD(Otago) FRSB FAS
Research summary
Research uses of human tissue – ethical analyses

Research

Research interests include human anatomy and ethics, including uses of human cadavers and tissues; neuroethics, including neuroimaging and dementia; stem cell technology, including induced pluripotent stem cells; artificial reproductive technologies, including developmental issues; enhancement and therapy; bioethics and theology.

Professor Jones has had a long involvement in anatomy. Until recent times little attention was given to any ethical dimensions surrounding the acquisition of bodies, such as the use of unclaimed bodies and bodies of the mentally ill. More recently there has been intense interest in retention of body parts, and this raises tensions between issues of informed consent and the availability of material for research. The extensive use of plastinated human material in teaching and research also raises difficult ethical questions, especially in terms of large public exhibitions of plastinated cadavers. Other questions of interest concern definitions of brain death and the status of the human embryo, the moral status of the blastocyst. Questions such as these can only be addressed by reference to the human body, in embryological, neurobiological and cell biological terms.

Publications

Jones, D. G. (2026). Ethical issues in anatomy. In S. Standring & R. S. Tubbs (Eds.), Gray's anatomy: The anatomical basis of clinical practice. (43rd ed.) (pp. xxviii-xxx). Elsevier. Chapter in Book - Research

Jones, D. G. (2026). Encountering the dead: Ethical reflections of a human anatomist. Cambridge Scholars, 219p. Authored Book - Research

Jones, G. (2026). [Review of the book The ethics of precision medicine: The problems of prevention in healthcare]. Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith, 17, 282-284. doi: 10.56315/PSCF12-25Scherz Journal - Research Other

Jones, G. (2026). [Review of the book AI goes to church: Pastoral wisdom for artificial intelligence]. Christian Perspectives on Science & Technology, 5(19 March). Retrieved from https://journal.iscast.org/book-reviews/todd-korpi-ai-goes-to-church-pastoral-wisdom-for-artificial-intelligence Journal - Research Other

Jones, G. (2026). Jason Arday, a tragedy in the making. Otago Daily Times, 26 August. Retrieved from https://www.odt.co.nz/news/opinion/jason-arday-a-tragedy-in-the-making-a3xnwcsd Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

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