Center Overview

The Health Law Program at the Southern Illinois University School of Law was developed in the early 1980s to advance education and research regarding critical issues in health law and public policy and medical ethics. After dedicating more than twenty years to teaching, research, and service activities addressing healthcare regulation, patient safety and medical liability, bioethics, public health, mental health, and food and drug law, the SIU School of Law formally established the Center for Health Law and Policy in 2004.

The Center for Health Law and Policy is dedicated to:
• Helping students prepare for careers in health law and policy to serve the public interest.
• Expanding and enhancing educational, research, and program activities within Illinois and nationally.
• Continuing collaborative efforts in education, research, and program development with Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, and the School of Law and building on the strengths of the SIU J.D./M.D. program, the Journal of Legal Medicine, the National Health Law Moot Court Competition, the Elder Law Clinic, the Domestic Violence Clinic, and the Grayson Memorial Lecture.
• Establishing public and private sector partnerships that address the state’s needs and strengthen the University’s leadership role in the region.

Major support for the Health Law and Policy program comes from the Garwin Family Foundation, Southern Illinois Healthcare, and the American College of Legal Medicine. Contact Scott Kruger at the SIU School of Law Development Office, (618) 453-8723, for more information about opportunities to support the work of the Center.


Directors:
W. Eugene Basanta, J.D., L.L.M.
Marshall B. Kapp, J.D., M.P.H.

Program assistant:
Bonnie Miller

Program manager:
Peg Kowalczyk