James G. Hodge, Jr., J.D., LL.M., is the director of the Network’s Western Region Office. He is the Peter Kiewit Foundation Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Center for Public Health Law and Policy, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. Through scholarship, teaching, and projects, Professor Hodge delves into multiple areas of health law, public health law, global health law, ethics, and human rights. He has published more than 275 articles in journals of law, medicine, public health and bioethics; 2 books in public health law (including Public Health Law in a Nutshell (4th ed. 2021); 25 book chapters; dozens of reports; and guest edited 4 symposium issues.

He is listed among the Top 20 Most-Cited Health Law Scholars in Web of Science (2013-2017) and is ranked among the top 1% of all downloaded authors in the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). The recipient of the 2006 Henrik L. Blum Award for Excellence in Health Policy from the American Public Health Association, Professor Hodge has drafted (with others) several public health law reform initiatives including the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act. His diverse, funded projects include work on (1) emergency legal preparedness; (2) health impact assessments; (3) health information privacy; and (4) vaccination laws and policies. His work on these and other topics has been cited in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, US News & World Report, Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Atlantic, NBC News, CNN, Politico, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bloomberg News, among others, as well as journals including Science, JAMA, NEJM, and AJPH. During the COVID-19 pandemic alone, Professor Hodge was cited or quoted in over 600 print and online media sources.

Articles & Resources

A Quiet Epidemic: Solving Incidences of Vehicular Heatstroke

Law & Policy InsightsInjury Prevention and Safety

August 1, 2019
by James G. Hodge, Jr.

Since 1988 there have been 4,500 documented cases of children endangered because a parent or guardian left them unattended in a parked car. More than 36 children die annually across America each year from vehicular heatstroke. Federal law has been introduced to prevent these tragic deaths, but stronger state laws can also help protect children.

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Dementia Reimagined: Essential Insights and a Call for Supportive Laws and Policies

Law & Policy Insights

May 21, 2019
by James G. Hodge, Jr.

A 2018 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the U.S. burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will double by 2060. Responding to this national public health crisis of the mind facing millions of Americans and their families is essential. A recently released book, Dementia Reimagined, chronicles multiple opportunities to positively intervene in the lives of patients with dementia and their caregivers, and calls for national, state and local policy reforms to address deficiencies in the care and treatment of dementia.

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Border Wall Emergency 2019: Potential Impacts on Public Health Preparedness

Law & Policy Insights

March 28, 2019
by James G. Hodge, Jr.

President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to authorize and fund the construction of a border wall along the U.S. southern border prompted an unprecedented response from Congress, which then passed a resolution to terminate the declaration. Ongoing politicization and forthcoming statutory amendments or court decisions may fundamentally change the scope of national emergencies in the future.

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