The Public Health Law Webinar Series is a monthly series focused on providing the public health community with practical knowledge on emerging topics. The series is sponsored by American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics; Network for Public Health Law; Public Health Law Association; and Public Health Law Research Program. For dates of upcoming webinars, visit the Network’s Events Calendar.
When: Thursday, June 21 at 1 – 2 p.m. (ET). These webinars are free and open to all interested parties. Register here by 1 p.m. ET on June 19.
Presenters: Kathleen Hoke, Dachille, J.D., director, Network for Public Health Law – Eastern Region, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law; Rebecca Polinsky, J.D., research and practice fellow, Public Health Law Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Sharona Hoffman, J.D., LL.M., professor of law and bioethics and co-director of Law-Medicine Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
The 2012 Public Health Law Conference: Practical Approaches to Critical Challenges will cover a wide range of emerging public health topics. This month’s public health webinar will give a sneak preview into just three of the topics that will be covered in greater depth at the conference, including toxic exposures, emergency planning for vulnerable populations and electronic health records. Ms. Dachille will discuss the policy changes and efforts to reduce toxic exposures, including exposure to secondhand smoke and pesticides in multiunit housing and children’s lead exposure in homes. This topic will have a particular emphasis on public and low-income housing. Ms. Polinsky will present on the characteristics of older adults that make them more vulnerable in an emergency and the legal options to help protect them, as well as touch on the additional vulnerable populations that will be discussed at the conference. Finally, Ms. Hoffman will cover the use of electronic health records (EHR) for public health purposes, as well as the legal and ethical implications of EHR and state and federal perspectives on electronic health information exchange. This is an opportunity for webinar attendees to learn about these important subjects, gain insight into the conference and to ask questions that will help form the speakers’ final presentations. You may qualify for CLE credit.
When: The series includes six free webinars on the last Thursday of every month from 1-2 p.m. (ET). The next webinar is on May 31. Attendees do not need to pre-register. Find details here about each of the webinars and about logging in to register the day of the event.
Previous Webinars in the Series: Listen to and watch the April 26th Introduction Webinar.
What: States that store and provide residual dried blood spots (DBS) for secondary uses, or are considering storage and secondary uses, may face an array of legal issues. This webinar series is intended to cover these legal issues – and related ethical and policy issues – concerning secondary uses of DBS and associated data.
Next Webinar: May's webinar is on ownership and control of specimens. Presenters include David Orren, J.D., chief legal counsel, Minnesota Department of Health; Alissa Johnson, M.A., principal consultant, Johnson Policy Consulting; Piero Rinaldo, M.D., Ph.D., interim chair, Laboratory Genetics, Mayo Clinic; and Amy Hoffman, M.P.H. (moderator), project manager, NBSTRN.
Who: This webinar series is intended for public health attorneys, newborn screening programs and laboratories, institutional review boards, HIPAA privacy boards, privacy officers, researchers and others who have interest in legal, ethical and policy issues related to secondary uses of residual DBS.
These webinars are jointly presented by the Newborn Screening Translational Network (NBSTRN), the Network for Public Health Law, the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center (NNSGRC) and the Association for Public Health Laboratories (APHL).
Listen to and watch the webinar held on May 17
Presenters: Priscilla Keith, J.D., M.S., Director of Research and Projects and Adjunct Professor, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law; Eleanor D. Kinney, J.D., M.P.H., Professor and Co-Director, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law; and Linda Reddington, B.S.N., R.N., J.D., C.H.P.S.E., Reddington Legal, LLC
The advancement of technology in the last ten years has improved the state of health care, and led to the expectation of a more collaborative, synergistic approach to patient care. Federal and state governments have enacted privacy laws to ensure the security and privacy of patient records. Moreover, the public has the expectation that their health records will remain private with the exceptions most noted in the law. However, with the nation moving toward Electronic Health Records; the integration of hospitals, public health and providers; and the outsourcing of medical services to foreign countries, there are several questions including: What are the recent developments in these areas? What are the inherent privacy issues? And, how can it be used as a means for comparative effectiveness for patient care? The presenters in this webinar will speak to the recent developments regarding data exchange and surveillance, explore the inherent privacy issues associated with data exchange and data surveillance and discuss using data exchange and data surveillance as tools for comparative effectiveness.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on April 19
Presenters: Jennifer L. Pomeranz, J.D., M.P.H., director of legal initiatives, Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, Yale University; Lainie Rutkow, J.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of health policy and management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and senior fellow, Johns Hopkins Center for Law and the Public’s Health; Julie Ralston Aoki, J.D., staff attorney, Public Health Law Center, William Mitchell College of Law
The nation is currently facing urgent issues surrounding nutrition. Overweight and obesity rates have skyrocketed and excess weight contributes to many of the leading causes of death in the U.S. In addition, in 2008, overall medical care costs related to obesity for U.S. adults were estimated to be as high as $147 billion. Health disparities play a large role with prices of more healthful foods increasing faster than prices for less healthful foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has targeted nutrition, physical activity and obesity as a “winnable battle,” and this webinar will look at how law and policy might play a role in successfully improving nutrition. Topics covered will include sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, nutrition labeling revisions, consumer protection lawsuits, menu labeling, food marketing standards, front of package labeling and sodium reduction strategies. Panelists will discuss areas where public health has succeeded in changing the policy landscape and also discuss past efforts where success is less clear.
Listen to and watch this webinar held on March 15
Presenters: Elizabeth Sadove, J.D., senior regulatory counsel, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats; Brooke Courtney, J.D., M.P.H., regulatory counsel, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats; Heather McDowell, J.D., regulatory counsel, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats; Moderator: James G. Hodge, Jr., director, Network for Public Health Law - Western Region
Medical countermeasures (MCMs), such as drugs, vaccines and diagnostic devices, are often essential components of public health emergency responses. During and in preparation for such emergencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays a critical role in how federal, state and local agencies use MCMs. In this webinar, attorneys from the FDA’s Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats will discuss legal authorities related to MCMs. They will focus on Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) and recent EUA activities, including doxycycline mass dispensing and the National Postal Model, as well as shelf-life extension of stockpiled MCMs, preemption and more. Presenters will also discuss the potential impact of the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) on FDA’s emergency authority and on federal, state and local MCM preparedness and response efforts.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on February 16, 2012
Presenters: Aaron Wernham, M.D., director, Health Impact Project; Harmony Gmazel, M.S., land use planner, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Lansing, Michigan; Erin Fuse Brown, J.D., M.P.H., deputy director, the Network's Western Region at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Health impact assessments (HIAs) bring together scientific data, health expertise and public input to identify the potential—and often overlooked—health effects of proposed laws, regulations, projects and programs. HIAs provide decision makers with the information they need to advance smarter policies to help build safe, healthy, thriving communities. This webinar provided a basic overview of HIAs; examined the development of an innovative HIA tool; and explored the legal authority authorizing, supporting or prohibiting HIAs. The Great Lakes Public Health Coalition provided special support for this webinar.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on January 26, 2012
Presenters: Jeffrey Swanson, Ph.D., Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine; Paul S. Appelbaum, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Law, Columbia University; Michael Luo, Investigative Reporter, The New York Times; Joshua Horwitz, J.D., Executive Director, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
This webinar discusses the problem of gun violence in the U.S.—its prevalence, causes and potential legal and policy approaches to reduce the problem. The webinar focuses on what is known about the contribution of mental illness to violence and considers the implications of this (somewhat ambiguous) research literature for laws that seek to limit firearms access for people with mental disorders who may pose a danger. The presentation discusses research findings on whether current federal and state firearms restrictions reduce gun violence, and lays out an agenda for needed future research.
Listen to and watch this webinar held on November 17, 2011
Presenters: Corey Davis, J.D., M.S.P.H, Staff Attorney, Network for Public Health Law–Southeastern Region; Tine Hansen-Turton, J.D., M.G.A., CEO, National Nursing Centers Consortium; and Julie Fairman, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N., Director, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
The benefits of accessible and high quality primary care are profound for individual and population health. By enabling early diagnosis and treatment of health risks and disease, primary care saves lives and results in more efficient use of resources. Despite the importance of primary care, access to primary care remains strikingly inadequate. A common problem is the scarcity of primary care providers. One potential intervention is to authorize nurse practitioners to provide primary care – a departure from the traditional model. This webinar will introduce evidence on the role of nurse practitioners as primary care providers; touch on issues of quality, cost and access; and discuss the current differences of related state laws. You may qualify for CLE credit.
Listen to and watch this webinar held on October 20, 2011
Driver distraction is a major cause of automobile accidents in the United State. At a fast pace, states are enacting laws that limit driving and the use of mobile communications devices (MCDs). These laws vary by the type of communication activities and categories of driver that they regulate, as well as by enforcement and punishments.
This webinar will discuss the scope of the problem, the nature of the risks, the evolution of state laws and the apparent divergence between the existing evidence about the problem and the laws. The webinar will end with a period of discussion in which participants can ask questions of the presenters.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on September 22, 2011. Click here to view the slides only.
Presenters: Julie Reagan, Ph.D., J.D., M.P.H., attorney and healthcare consultant, HAI Focus; and Rick Hogan, J.D., M.P.H., general counsel, Arkansas Department of Health
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections acquired by patients during the course of receiving medical care for some other condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 out of every 20 hospitalized patients will contract an HAI. The majority of U.S. states have responded by enacting HAI public reporting laws. This webinar provides a review of U.S. state and territorial HAI laws, the most common legal provisions and the role of the federal government, as well as a case example of Arkansas.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on July 28, 2011.
Presenters: Kerri McGowan Lowrey, J.D., M.P.H.; Daniel G. Larriviere, M.D., J.D.; Hosea H. Harvey, Ph.D., J.D.; and moderator, Evan Anderson, J.D.
Every year, almost half a million children visit emergency departments for head injuries, many of which are due to sports-related concussions. In the late 1990s, national sports leagues began instituting concussion policies for testing, treatment and return to play. However, many schools and local youth sports organizations have not followed suit. This webinar discusses the physiology of concussions in young athletes; various legislative approaches to address concussions in youth sports; implications in rural and poorer communities; and other legal innovations to address the problem.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on June 16, 2011.
Presenters: Eleanor D. Kinney, J.D., M.P.H., Professor and Co-Director, William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health, Indiana University School of Law; Priscilla Keith, J.D., M.S., Director of Research and Projects and Adjunct Professor, William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health, Indiana University School of Law; and moderator, Daniel M. Fox, A.B., A.M, Ph.D., president emeritus, Milbank Memorial Fund
Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) helps the medical and public health community make informed decisions that result in better health outcomes. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) supports the development of CER by authorizing the Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute. The purpose of the Institute is to improve health outcomes by developing and disseminating research about the effectiveness of different treatments and medicines. In addition, CER compares the health outcomes of different medical treatments. The question as this new initiative moves forward is: How will the era of health reform impact public health outcomes? This webinar investigates this question.
Listen to and watch the webinar held on May 19, 2011.
Presenters: Josh Fox, filmmaker of documentary on fracking, “Gasland”; Avner Vengosh, Ph.D, M.S., Professor, Nicholas School of Environment, Duke University; and John Quigley, M.P.A., principal, John H Quigley LLC
Hyrofracturing, or “fracking,” is a process for removing natural gas from rock formations deep beneath the earth’s surface. New approaches to fracking are raising significant questions about the process’ risk to human and environmental health. Public health and environmental advocates are urging policy-makers to prohibit fracking until the impact is fully evaluated. Several states have considered, and some have passed, legislation regulating fracking or imposing a moratorium during a period of study. This webinar examines the health hazards of fracking, related public health policies and the reactions of the public health community.
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