October 2017
Volume 5, Number 2
Greetings from the Center Directors

The Center for Health Policy and Law is busy! We hope you enjoy our newsletter, which offers information about our numerous faculty publications,  events and new initiatives. 

Here are some of the highlights: 
  • We welcomed a new research and publication director, an associate teaching professor and a legal fellow to our team; 
  • We welcomed the first cohort of Health Law Scholars to the JD class of 2020; 
  • We launched a new blog, publichealthlawwatch.org, in conjunction with a consortium of public health law academics, researchers, practitioners and experts from across the United States; and 
  • Our last conference, focused on legal, ethical and policy responses to emerging infectious diseases, was keynoted by Dr. Anthony Fauci of NIAID and Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Wendy E. Parmet, Faculty Director
Jennifer Lea Huer, Managing Director
About the Center for Health Policy and Law

Based in Northeastern University School of Law, the  Center for Health Policy and Law draws from participating departments across Northeastern University to provide a rich context for students and researchers interested in public health law, health and human rights, health governance, intellectual property, bioethics, health care delivery law, and the regulation of our health care system. It is guided by faculty and staff with diverse areas of expertise and is affiliated with an array of university-wide institutes, programs and experiential learning opportunities.
U.S. News & World Report Ranks Northeastern #14 for Health Care Law
This year's conference will bring together experts, policymakers and academics to discuss the causes behind deaths of despair (death from suicide, chronic substance use and overdoses) and their linkage
Michael Boticelli
to other determinants of health, such as education, labor markets and marital patterns. We will explor e potential political, policy and legal responses for addressing broader determinants and examine patte rns among diverse  populations, as well as analyze continuing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities.

L uncheon Speaker: Michael Boticelli, Executive Director, The Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine, Boston Medical Center; former Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Obama Administration
Curfman Joins Northeastern Team

Dr. Gregory Curfman recently joined the center as research and publication director and physician scholar . Dr. Curfman will continue to serve as the editor-in-chief of Harvard Health Publishing and as an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Curfman is also health policy and law editor of JAMA Internal Medicine. He formerly served as editor of The New England Journal of Medicine. Read about Dr. Curfman in 
Ahmed Selected for Princeton University Fellowship

Professor Aziza Ahmed is at Princeton University this year as one of six academics chosen as a  Law and Public Affairs Fellow. Professor Ahmed is working on a book project focused on how social movements have shaped health programs and outcomes over time  -       specifically the way in which feminist lawyers have shaped the way epidemiologists and legislators have looked at the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Welcome New Faculty and Fellow

Jason Potter has joined the faculty as associate teaching professor. Professor Potter brings a wealth of expertise and publication history on health policy and law, particularly pharmacological HIV/AIDS prevention. His recent article on "PrEP and Our Youth: Implications in Law and Policy" was published by the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law. He will be presenting at NASTAD's 2017 PrEP Financing and Access series and the 2017 Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit. At Northeastern, Professor Potter is developing and teaching a first-of-its kind course in legal skills through the lens of the social determinants of health.
Elisabeth Ryan is the center's first legal fellow. She is overseeing a new initiative, Public Health Law Watch (see below). Ms. Ryan earned an MPH from Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she focused on violence as a public health issue, the intersection of criminal justice and public health, and the ways in which a public health approach can help vulnerable populations. She earned her JD from Boston College Law School.
Public Health Law Watch

This summer, the Center for Health Policy and Law, in conjunction with the George Consortium (a national network of public health law scholars, experts and practitioners), launched an initiative focused on surveilling legal and policy developments at the national and local levels. A related blog, Public Health Law Watch, will help elevate public health issues to the mainstream conversation, while also providing meaningful commentary and analysis, as well as policy recommendations on topics including tobacco regulation, drug policy, public health funding, reproductive and sexual health, gun violence and more. For information about contributing, write to el.ryan@northeastern.edu.
Northeastern Welcomes First Health Law Scholars

As the health law program continues to grow and thrive at Northeastern, the law school welcomed its first cadre of Health Law Scholars this fall. Recipients receive full-tuition scholarships based on their demonstrated interest in and commitment to pursuing careers in health policy and law.
New Course on Legal/Health Blogging

The Center for Health Policy and Law will offer a new seminar this year, Legal Blogging: Health Law. The seminar will focus on writing short, engaging text that delivers useful information, and will include an opportunity to write for the Public Health Law Watch blog.
Lessons from the Courtroom

The Northeastern University Nurse Anesthesia Program (NAP) and the Center for Health Policy and Law are collaborating on an initiative to help graduate nursing students better understand their role in potential litigation. As part of this collaborative effort, NAP and law students will participate in a two-part mock deposition exercise.
Immigrant Access to Health Care

The Center for Health Policy and Law, in collaboration with advocacy and community-based organizations, Health Law Advocates (HLA) and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), is lending its expertise in the development of a toolkit designed to provide health care professionals with vital information and guidance related to removing barriers for immigrant health care access in the Commonwealth. This initiative will continue to evolve based on the needs of the immigrant community and current events.
Publications, Speaking Events and Updates
Selected highlights from our core and affiliated faculty. Please visit our website for a full listing. 
Aziza Ahmed , Professor of Law

Brook Baker, Professor of Law

Leo Beletsky, Associate Professor of Law and Health Sciences

Gregory Curfman, Research and Publication Director and Physician Scholar 

Martha Davis, Associate Dean and Professor of Law

Richard Daynard, University Distinguished Professor of Law 

Patricia Illingworth , Professor of Philosophy and Business; Lecturer in Law and Public Policy 

Matthew Miller, Professor of Health Sciences and Epidemiology

Wendy E. Parmet, Matthews Distinguished University Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Center for Health Policy and Law; Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs

Elisabeth Ryan, Legal Fellow 

Kara Swanson, Professor of Law 
Faculty in the News
Our faculty are frequently quoted in leading national publications. Follow our News page to see the full listing.
Escaping Big Pharma's Pricing With Patent-Free Drugs
In  The New York Times , Professor Brook Baker says "the model of non-profit, open-source research and development is a viable alternative to exclusive reliance on patent and data monopolies."  (more)

Amid Opioid Crisis, Insurers Restrict Pricey, Less Addictive Painkillers
Professor Leo Beletsky points to the insurance system as "one of the major causes of the [opioid] crisis" in  The New York Times  and  ProPublica

BookMarks: The Health of Newcomers
Health Affairs offers an insightful review of Patricia Illingworth and Wendy Parmet's new book, The Health of Newcomers: Immigration, Health Policy, and the Case for Global Solidarity. (more)

This Week in Health Law
Professor Wendy Parmet talks about her new book, co-authored with Professor Patricia Illingworth, The Health of Newcomers: Immigration, Health Policy, and the Case for Global Solidarity. (more)

Fallen Forensics: Judges Routinely Allow Disavowed Science
"More often than not, it undermines confidence in the verdict, which is enough to get a new trial," Professor Daniel Medwed tells ABC News in regard to the reliability of forensic evidence that is challenged through DNA testing or other new evidence. (more)

Tobacco Company Says Tony Gwynn Was Warned
Professor Richard Daynard tells  USA Today that tobacco companies "do what they can to blame the victim. Their basic defense is, `Only a very weak-willed person would use this product, and it's his fault and not ours.' My understanding is that ain't going to work with Tony Gwynn, with what people know about him." (more)
Events
Visit our calendar page for further details on upcoming events. 
October 30, 2017
Stephen Rosenfeld has a rich history advocating for health care consumers in Massachusetts and beyond. He is a founder of Health Law Advocates (HLA), a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to gaining access to health care for vulnerable populations in Massachusetts. Mr. Rosenfeld has served in numerous positions within HLA and its sister organizations, including as volunteer legal director of HLA, acting president and a board member for Health Care for All (HCFA), and senior legal advisor and board member for Community Catalyst. He has also served on the boards of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Commonwealth Care Alliance.
Health Law Workshop: Professor Aziza Ahmed
October 30, 2017 (Harvard Law School)
Professor Aziza Ahmed will discuss her research on the role of science and activism in shaping global and national law and policy with a focus on criminal laws that impact health. Her focus includes reproductive and sexual health and rights, international law, legal and policy responses to HIV.
  • September 28: Stephen Latham, Director, Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics
  • October 11: Dr. Paul Hattis, Associate Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts School of Medicine
  • October 25: Dr. Michael Sinha, Postdoctoral Fellow, Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School 
  • November 29: David Zgarrick, Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, BouvĂ© College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University
Health Law Employment Panel 
March 2018
Co-sponsored by the Health Law Society.
Annual Health Law Conference 
Diseases of Despair: The Role of Policy and Law
April 13, 2018
Health Law-Related Concentrations and Certificate Programs
Health Law-Related Dual-Degree Programs
Health-Related Institutes and Programs
Email  lawhealth@northeastern.edu  if you would like to subscribe to our mailing list and stay up-to-date on events, scholarship and opportunities for collaboration.