Mark Bratton was born and brought up in Beirut, Lebanon. He attended the American Community School of Beirut and Millfield School in Street, Somerset. He studied history at University College, London University (BA Hons 1984), law at the City University, London (Postgraduate Diploma 1985), for the Bar at the Inns of Court School of Law, Gray's Inn, London (Called by the Middle Temple 1987, Jules Thorne Major Scholarship), theology at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University (BA 1993, Diploma in Ministry 1994), medical law and ethics at King's College London University (MA 1998).
He is currently completing a PhD in medical ethics and law at the Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick (thesis title Judicial Conceptions of Personal Autonomy in Treatment Refusal and Assisted Suicide Cases) under the supervision of Dr Anne Slowther (University of Warwick), Professor Andrew Parker (University of Gloucestershire) and Professor Bill Fulford (University of Warwick). Mark is an Associate Fellow of the Institute of Clinical Excellence in the Warwick Medical School. He teaches medical ethics and law to undergraduate and graduate medical students, and to clincians of every rank at the Warwick Medical School and the University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire. He has devised a Special Studies Module in the Warwick Medical School on Spirituality and Medicince: The Patient as a Whole Person.
Before University, Mark worked as an auxiliary nurse at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham (1981). He worked as part of a team of research assistants at the Law Commission, London (1987-88), served his pupillage in the Chambers of George Carman, Q.C., New Court, Temple, London under the tutelage of Duncan Pratt, and John Wardell (now Q.C.)(1988-89), and practiced law as legal advisor to the Department of Health (1989-91). After theological college, Mark served his title at St. John's w. St. James, West Ealing, London, (1994-98), was Anglican and Senior Chaplain at the University of Warwick (1998 - 2009) and is now priest-in-charge of St. John Baptist, Berskwell (0.8) while continuing his academic work in medical ethics and law. He was also Area Dean of Coventry (South) (2002-2009).
While a theological student, Mark was seconded for six months (1993-94) to the Venerable English College, Rome. While in Rome, he studied at the Gregorian University, the Pontifical Dominican University (the 'Angelicum') and the Pontifical Benedictine University (San Anselmo). Largely on the strength of this experience, Mark was appointed as a 'younger theologian' to the Council of Christian Unity (1996-2001), a member of the English Anglican Roman Catholic Committee (English ARC) (1996-2001) and Anglican Observer on the Methodist-Roman Catholic Committee (1996-2001). Mark represented the Diocese of Coventry on General Synod (2005-2010) and a Synod-elected member of the Archbishops' Council Mission and Public Affairs Council.
Mark has published two books on the theology and ethics of developments in human genome science, (2009) The Human Genome Project (Grove:Cambridge) and (ed.) (2009) God, Ethics and the Human Genome as well as a number of academic articles in respected peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Medical Ethics (JME) and Philosophy, Psychiatry and Psychology (PPP). He has reviewed articles for JME and PPP and reviewed books for religious journals, e.g. Journal of Contemparary Religion.
Mark was until recently a member of the Coventry Research Ethics Committee (2002-2010), including Vice-Chair (2007-2010), and a member and Acting Chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee (2010). He is currently a member and Vice-Chair of the University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Ethics Committee (2007-).
In his parish role, Mark is an ex-officio Trustee of the Berkswell Charities, a Foundation Governor of Berkswell Church of England Primary School.
