Jennifer Piatt, J.D., (“Jen”) is a deputy director with the Network’s Western Region Office. She also serves as a Research Scholar and Co-Director of the Center for Public Health Law and Policy at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. She earned her J.D. at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in the spring of 2018.

After law school, Jen served as a law clerk to Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer of the Arizona Supreme Court, providing research and drafting assistance and preparing bench memos for cases granted review. Jen also has experience working in private practice as a pharmacy regulatory attorney at Quarles & Brady LLP, in the firm’s Phoenix, Arizona office. In this role, Jen advised multiple clients on pharmacy and drug wholesale compliance and regulatory issues, provided contract drafting assistance, assisted with state pharmacy and wholesale licensing, and assisted clients going before state boards of pharmacy. Jen now concentrates her work with the Center for Public Health Law and the Network in areas of emergency preparedness and response, Crisis Standards of Care, vaccination, and reproductive health.

Articles & Resources

Abortion Access: A Post-Roe Public Health Emergency

Fact SheetReproductive Health and Equity Maternal and Child HealthPublic Health Emergency: Legal Preparedness and ResponseLegislation and Legal ChallengesHealth and Health Care

September 9, 2022
by Jennifer Piatt

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Dobbs) that the fully overturned Roe v. Wade (Roe) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (Casey), cases which upheld constitutional rights to abortion. In the aftermath, legal authorities to regulate and even ban abortion have shifted back largely to state (or local) governments. Profound national reactions and public health repercussions may necessitate extraordinary responses, including the potential use of federal emergency response powers. This Memo briefly outlays federal emergency declarations and powers focused on this outcome.

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Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: The New Reproductive Health Landscape

WebinarsReproductive Health and Equity Health and Health Care

June 29, 2022
by Erica White and Jennifer Piatt

On Friday, June 24th, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no constitutional right to abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Attend this webinar to gain an understanding of the outcome and major themes revealed by the Dobbs decision, as well as potential impacts on additional constitutional rights. Learn about alternate key legal challenges to preserve abortion access, including challenges based in state constitutional language and federal preemption; and find out about current and emerging state-based actions designed to preserve and promote reproductive health.

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Addressing Disparities in Crisis Standard of Care Implementation

Law & Policy InsightsCOVID-19 and Health EquityCrisis Standards of Care

November 17, 2021
by Jennifer Piatt

While the impacts of the pandemic have shifted slightly over time, COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact Hispanic, Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations. These disparities have also shone a light on decision-making tools incorporated into Crisis Standard of Care plans, which are intended to save the most lives through triage decisions when resources are scarce and patient populations are surging, as they have been during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is critical that triage policies incorporate equitable allocation criteria to avoid continued and exacerbation of disparities, and to begin attempts to reduce and eliminate them.

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Back-to-School Legal Trends and Challenges Relating to COVID-19

Fact SheetCOVID-19EducationEmergency Legal Preparedness and ResponseHealth in School

September 8, 2021
by Colleen Healy Boufides, Jennifer Piatt and Leila Barraza

This fact sheet offers a broad-level overview of issues associated with the return to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also serves as a starting point and initial resource for individuals seeking information on what actions can be taken to protect K–12 students, as well as school faculty and staff, from COVID-19 in a school setting.v

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Crisis Standards of Care: Legal Issues Underlying Key Decisions Regarding Scarce Resources

Issue BriefCrisis Standards of CareHealth and Health Care

September 7, 2021
by Jennifer Piatt

This issue brief examines evidence of racial disparities with respect to COVID-19 infections and deaths, possible causes, and legal protections against race discrimination. It also provides an overview of CSC planning, including key ethical features that may be utilized to ensure that CSC planning incorporates concerns about racial inequity.

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