Health Law and Policy
Over one dollar in six in the US economy is spent on health care, and the need for wise public and organizational policy decisions to control costs, to improve quality, and to increase access has never been greater. In the public health arena, the nation confronts a rising tide of noncommunicable disease, resurgent threats of infectious disease, and other problems that will demand legal and policy interventions. Stanford Law School is second to none as a training ground for tomorrow’s leaders in health law and policy. Four renowned Law School faculty members offer courses in health care law, public health law, and bioethics and advise students interested in careers in the field. Courses in mental health law, food and drug law, mass tort litigation, environmental law, policy analysis skills, and other critical areas help expand students’ intellectual toolkit. Joint degree programs with the Stanford University School of Medicine, the ability to cross-register for health-related courses taught in other Stanford professional schools and departments, and research opportunities through Stanford’s health-focused research institutes round out the experience.
Faculty on Point
Faculty Research Projects
Henry T. Greely
Hank Greely has been publishing widely on the issues raised by human germline genome editing and He Jiankui’s “CRISPR’d babies.” Hank Greely has worked on various issues around “human brain surrogates,” from human/non-human brain chimeras, to human neural organoids, to partial or whole human brains kept “alive” outside the body. Hank Greely is writing a book called “Playing With Life” about who advances in the biosciences are, in effect, letting humans change living organisms in ways and to extents never before imagined…and exploring what kind of world(s) we may end up with.
Daniel P. Kessler
Daniel Kessler is investigating how choice of organizational form by physicians (for example, solo versus group practice), and integration between physicians and hospitals, affect competition and the cost and quality of care. Daniel Kessler is studying how different types of prescription drug insurance affect opioid prescribing behavior by physicians.
Michelle M. Mello
Michelle Mello is exploring approaches to regulating high-priced prescription drugs, issues in vaccination policy, and lessons learned about emergency health powers laws during COVID-19. Michelle Mello and David Studdert are studying how governance of data transfers between universities and external organizations for research purposes could be improved.
David M. Studdert
David Studdert is leading a study examining the relationship between firearm ownership and risks of mortality among residents of California. David Studdert is conducting an international study assessing the role of traffic laws and their enforcement in preventing road accidents. David Studdert and Michelle Mello are investigating how the experience of being sued changes the way physicians deliver care.
Research Programs and Centers
Linkages between SLS and health-focused research centers around Stanford University make for rich environment for research on health law and policy. These centers include:
Center for Law and the Biosciences
Stanford Program in Neuroscience and Society
Center for Health Policy / Primary Care Outcomes Research
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics
Stanford Center on Longevity
School of Medicine Department of Health Research and Policy
Clinical Excellence Research Center
Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health
Publications
Governing Emerging Technologies—Looking Forward with Horizon Scanning and Looking Back with Technology Audits
Global Public Policy and Governance
Many technologies, particularly in the life sciences, are subject to governance regulation. Discussion of such governance tends to focus on limits on research and experimental uses and then on a decision whether, and how, to allow wide use. Two other important aspects of technology governance, one earlier and one later,…
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