Center for Law in Science and Global Health
Academics
J.D. Program Health Law Concentration Track
Established in 1996, the J.D. Concentration track seeks to provide law students with an understanding of health law from a regulatory, financing, liability and ethics perspective. Students are required to take courses on health care finance, medical negligence and biomedical ethics. In addition concentration track students must complete a substantial analytic writing project in health law and are encouraged to engage in the health law-focused public service externship. Several of the courses are cross-listed between the law school and the public health school, medical school, public affairs, Jackson School or department of philosophy.
As a result of our health law program, we have been able to place our graduates in health law practices in major firms and health industry corporations and organizations. Currently, we have recent UW graduates practicing health law at Davis Wright & Tremaine; Bennett, Bigelow & Leedom; Foster, Pepper and Schefelman; Reed McClure; Chemnick, Moen & Greenstreet; Premera Blue Cross and Blue Shield; the Washington State Hospital Association; the State Attorney General offices at UW Medical Center and the Consumer Protection Division; the State Department of Health; and numerous legislative committees.
Concurrent J.D./M.P.H. Degree Program
Most recently, we have formalized our concurrent J.D./M.P.H. program in Public Health Genetics. Over the last several years, a number of students have sought dual degrees in law and public health. By exploiting synergistic course offerings, a student can obtain both degrees in a four-year course of study, rather than the customary five years that would be required. The goal of the concurrent degree program is to offer students the opportunity to combine in-depth professional educational training in the two professions so that they will be equipped and prepared to work in both venues. Graduates with the joint degree will not be limited to the traditional career opportunities of legal work in a law firm, but will also have the ability to move more directly into government, national and international public agency and public interest organizations focusing on public health and health care issues, services and resources.
At the present time, the concurrent degree program is formalized with respect to the public health genetics M.P.H. track. We are in the process of gathering data to formalize a concurrent degree with respect to the Health Services track. In addition, we are in the early stages of collaborating with the Department of Medical Ethics in the Medical School and the School of Public Health and Community Medicine about establishing a public health track in human rights and bioethics. This would have a strong international focus and would draw M.D.s/M.D. candidates into a concurrent M.D./M.P.H. degree program, J.D.s/J.D. candidates into a concurrent J.D./M.P.H. degree program, and create a new opportunity for potential M.P.H. candidates seeking a specialty focus in international human rights and bioethics.