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Established in 1982, the Center for Health Law Studies was one of the first law school programs to focus on the intersection of the health care system and the legal system.
As a health law concentration student, you'll have access to top-tier faculty; leading scholars, practitioners and employers; and one-on-one support and guidance from staff who work together to give you a competitive edge as you pursue a career in health law.
Our health law graduates work across the country, where the Center's reputation is highly regarded. For 16 of the last 18 years, U.S. News & World Report has named the Center for Health Law Studies the nation's top health law program.
Student opportunities
The Center for Health Law Studies offers a variety of opportunities for students during their time at SLU LAW.
Make a Difference in the Legal Clinics
Second- and third-year students, supervised by practicing lawyers, work in the SLU LAW Legal Clinics as student attorneys. As a health law student, you'll have the opportunity to participate in case development and appellate advocacy concerning substantial legal matters such as state health policy.
Gain Experience in Field Placements
Field placements provide opportunities for law students to learn in health law practice settings. Placement experiences enrich students' legal education through skill development, increased understanding of substantive law, development of professional responsibility and identity, and institutional understanding.
In the field
Health law field placements and summer experiences have included (in addition to private firms):
- Ascension
- BJC Health Care
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Centura Health
- Express Scripts
- Families U.S.A.
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- Hospital Sisters Health System
- The Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation
- LEO Pharma
- The Mayo Clinic
- Mercy Health
- National Health Law Project
- National Rural Health Association
- Presence Health
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine
- SSM Health
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Texas Children's Hospital
- U.S. Attorneys' Offices
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- More
American Health Law Association Spotlights Center Faculty
In this video produced by AHLA as part of its campaign Health Law Disruption: 2030 and Beyond, Center Director Sidney D. Watson and Professors Rob Gatter, Ruqaiijah Yearby, Ana Santos Rutschman and Elizabeth Pendo discuss how SLU’s mission and advocacy-centered approach to learning prepares health lawyers for a more collaborative future.
Asha M. Natarajan, J.D., M.P.H., Class of 2012, Assistant United States Attorney, health care fraud , says,
"We had an entire class on the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute and learned why it makes health care business just so much more high risk. It was unbelievable to have that working knowledge going into practice."
Asha M. Natarajan, J.D., M.P.H., Class of 2012, Assistant United States Attorney, health care fraud says, "We had an entire class on the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute and learned why it makes health care business just so much more high risk. It was unbelievable to have that working knowledge going into practice."
Putting Your Education to work
Asha Natarajan landed one of her first jobs in part because the hiring partner specifically sought candidates from prestigious health law programs like SLU LAW's Center for Health Law Studies who could "hit the ground running."
James Callahan IV, J.D., Class of 2019, says,
“My big project was assisting in conducting a legal epidemiological study on the definition of telemedicine and telehealth in the United States.
Prior to this internship, I was interested in working as in-house counsel in a hospital, but after this experience I became interested in health policy or health care impact litigation, as well.”
James Callahan IV, J.D., Class of 2019 says, “My big project was assisting in conducting a legal epidemiological study on the definition of telemedicine and telehealth in the United States. Prior to this internship, I was interested in working as in-house counsel in a hospital, but after this experience I became interested in health policy or health care impact litigation, as well.”
Exploring New Horizons
James Callahan IV had always dreamed of working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but he thought that dream was over when he chose to go to law school instead of medical school. His experience as a health law concentration student paid off in Summer 2018 when he was hired there as a public health law intern.
In their words
Cutting-edge Faculty Research
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Robert Gatter
Director, Center for Health Law Studies
Courses TaughtAdministrative Law, Health Care Law, Health Law Semester in DC, Public Health Law, Seminar: Theories of Health Law, Theories of Health Law Seminar
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Kathleen Casey
Assistant Professor of Legal Research
Courses TaughtAdvanced Legal Research
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Elizabeth Pendo
Joseph J. Simeone Professor of Law
Courses TaughtBioethics, Civil Procedure I, Civil Procedure II, Disability Law, Health Care Ethics, Health Care Law
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Michael Sinha
Assistant Professor
Courses TaughtFDA Law and Policy, Patent Law, Public Health Law
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Malcolm J. Harkins III
Professor of Practice
Courses TaughtHealth Care Compliance & The Law, Health Law Agency Practice, Legal Issues in Long Term Care
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Sidney Watson
Jane and Bruce Robert Professor
Courses TaughtBioethics, Health Care Law, Health Law Policy & Advocacy I & II, Seminar: Access to Health Care, Torts
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Liz Chiarello
Associate Professor, Sociology; College of Arts and Sciences
Courses TaughtMedical Sociology, Law & Society, Organizations, Professions
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Jesse A. Goldner
John D. Valentine Professor of Law Emeritus
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Thomas L. Greaney
Chester A. Myers Professor of Law Emeritus
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Sandra H. Johnson
Professor Emerita
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Heather Bednarek
Associate Professor, Economics; Chaifetz School of Business
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Harold Braswell
Associate Professor; Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics
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Fred Rottnek
Professor, Director, Community Medicine; Program Director, Addiction Medicine Fellowship; School of Medicine
Summer Law Program in madrid
SLU LAW's ABA-approved summer program offers six weeks of enriching, rewarding education in one of the most exciting, historical and culturally rich cities in the world. Learn more >
We’ve Got Unique Courses
ExploreFDA Law and Policy
Explore legal and policy issues related to products regulated by the FDA. You will critically examine the regulatory framework for food, drugs, biologics, vaccines, medical devices and cosmetics, and consider the relationship between the regulatory framework and other laws, such as patent, antitrust and products liability.
Bioethics and the Law
Examine the ethical and legal issues related to areas of health care decision-making such as determination of death, organ transplantation, end-of-life care, genetics and more. You will be introduced to the leading approaches in analyzing the ethical issues involved, with a special emphasis on their influence in court cases and legislation.
Emerging Health Technologies: Innovation, Law and Policy
In this seminar you will first examine the role of tools including patents, market exclusivity, grants and prizes in spurring the production and dissemination of new technologies. You'll look at the roles of institutions supporting scientific research, like the NIH, Google and NASA. Finally, you'll explore discrete topics in biomedical innovation: the landscape surrounding the development of oncology drugs, gene therapies and precision medicine, and controversies surrounding drug price gouging, medical 3-D printing and more.
Disability Law
Enabling people with disabilities to participate in society is a new civil rights frontier, built on the achievements of prior movements while confronting both comparable and distinct dilemmas. In this course, you'll gain an in-depth study of current issues in disability law and policy, with emphasis on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its amendments that prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, education, housing, transportation and health care.
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