Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program
Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program
The Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program focuses on the intersection of legal rights, health care, and public health, using a multi-faceted approach to help shape health law and policy. The Program undertakes scholarship and research on a range of health law and policy issues, including access to care and health outcomes and disparities. It supports policymakers, practitioners, students, and the broader community in the use of legal and policy strategies, with community engagement as a core principle. The Program seeks to build the next generation of leaders in health law and policy and serve as a resource to the broader community.
Amicus Briefs and Public Comments Project
The Amicus Briefs and Public Comments Project is a unique initiative representing public health deans and scholars to help shape the law and policy. The Project files amicus or “friend of the court” briefs to allow public health deans and scholars to speak directly to the courts on important health-related litigation. It also submits public comments from them to federal agencies to inform significant public health and health care policies.
Joint Law-Public Health Degree Programs
The joint JD/LLM program provides opportunities for law students, practicing lawyers, and health professions students. Endowed by Harold and Jane Hirsh, the program aims to foster an interdisciplinary approach to the study of health policy, health law, public health, and health care. The program prepares law degree candidates and practicing lawyers for a variety of health law-related careers.
Highlighted Research by Faculty Members
Faculty in the Health Policy and Management (HPM) Department stay up-to-date with the country’s most pressing public health challenges and conduct cutting edge research on hot topics in the field of health policy and law.
- Alison Barkoff has joined the Milken Institute School of Public Health as the Harold and Jane Hirsh Associate Professor of Health Law and Policy and the Director of the Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program
With decades of experience in health law and policy, Alison Barkoff most recently led the Administration for Community Living, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her work has been crucial in advancing aging and disability policy at the national level, overseeing important programs and initiatives that cover civil rights, long-term services and supports, housing, and disaster preparedness and response.
Alison has over 25 years of experience, including significant legal advocacy roles at the Department of Justice and leadership positions at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and the Center for Public Representation. She has played a key role in shaping national health policy with a focus on improving the lives of those who face the most significant barriers to care.