Her dissertation focussed on End of Life issues and advanced directives. In her early career, she was a ‘visiting’ lecturer at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, followed by an appointment as a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow in the Centre for Law and Medical Ethics. After her appointment as lecturer, she set up a distance learning Masters Degree in healthcare law and ethics.

Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer specialising in healthcare, clinical negligence and mental health law at Glasgow Caledonian University, where she also teaches professional ethics at Doctoral level. In 2010, completed a seven year tenure as Associate Dean/Head of Learning, Teaching and Quality . At present, she is subject lead for law.

Alison has been involved in consultancy work for the World Health Organisation and the Department of Health(England and Wales). She has sat on two BMA ethics’ committees, contributing to their Codes of Practice on Advance Statements. Following a research project, she was also a consultant to the organisation, Childlessness Overcome through Surrogacy(C.O.T.S). She has delivered numerous presentations in Britain and abroad, provided training for health care organisations, and taken part in radio and television broadcasts – she was also consultant on a medico-legal story line in Merseyside Television’s Brookside series.

More recently, Alison was appointed legal adviser to the Health Committee of the Scottish Parliament for the Adult Support and protection (Sc) Act 2007 and advised the Parliaments Health and Sport Committee on the high profile End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill in 2010.

She is an honorary tutor in Cardiff School of Medicine for  collaborative work with Cardiff University and the   British Pain Society on palliative care and resolution of law  and damages for patients in chronic pain.

Her current research interests lie in the area of ethical issues surrounding the provision of clinical advice on smoking cessation in the UK and Germany. She is also working on legal issues surrounding autonomy and healthcare.

Outside work, Alison is a keen runner and hill walker. During 2011 she ran two marathons, climbed the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales and was part of an expedition for the British Heart Foundation which successfully got to the summit of Mt Kilmanjaro!