Health Law, Policy and Bioethics
Health Law, Policy and Bioethics comprise an exciting and rapidly changing area of study that deals with a broad range of issues. One component concerns the provision of health care within the nation's public/private health care system. Although health care services consume more than 15 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, access to quality health care still eludes a large portion of our nation's citizens.
Public health, another component of the field, concerns the government's role in helping to ensure a healthy population. Some topics in public health include the state's power to control infectious diseases, and the regulation of food and drugs.
Bioethics is a central part of the field that includes the legal and ethical considerations that help to determine the appropriate relationship between patients and health care providers. Topics include informed consent, confidentiality of patient records, and appropriate care by physicians and other medical personnel. Bioethics is also concerned with the ethical questions posed by emerging technologies, such as those that prolong life and affect human reproduction.
Many of the basic courses in the law school curriculum inform the study of health law and bioethics, such as constitutional law, administrative law, and legislation. There are also a variety of specialty areas such as disability law and medical malpractice.
Students who study health law at IIT Chicago-Kent enjoy a wide range of courses and opportunities for practical experience that will enrich their knowledge and can make them more marketable in this competitive field. Chicago-Kent and the nearby University of Illinois at Chicago offer a joint-degree program for students who want to earn both a J.D. and a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees. There are externship opportunities with firms that specialize in health law.
Chicago-Kent's Institute for Science, Law and Technology (ISLAT) is devoted to examining the leading edge of science and law and the variety of issues posed by new technologies such as genetic testing. Recent ISLAT research projects include such topics as the propriety of granting gene patents, the ethical implications of nanotechnology, and the creation of guidelines for bio-historical research.
The IIT's Center for Diabetes Research and Policy combines Chicago-Kent's legal expertise with the research strengths of IIT's Department of Biomedical Engineering to help victims of the disease with new prevention plans and to represent those who are denied access to medical treatment.
Courses
- Consumer Health Benefits
- Disability Law
- Food and Drug Law
- Gender and the Law
- Genetics and the Law
- Health Care Law
- Health Care Law: A Strategic Overview
- Medical Malpractice
- Mental Health Law
- Products Liability
- Psychology and the Law
- Public Interest Law and Policy
Seminars and Skills Courses
- Emerging Technologies
- Health and Disability Law Clinic
- International Human Rights
- Law and Psychology
- Reproductive Technology
- Sexual Orientation and the Law