Law Commons^™

Putting Theory Into Practice: Thoughts From The Trenches On Developing A Doctrinally Integrated Semester-In-Practice Program In Health Law And Policy, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

With the employment market for attorneys currently in a subpar state, legal employers have the attention of both law students and law schools, and these employers are demanding practice-ready practitioners. In response, law schools are turning increasingly to experiential learning opportunities of various types. For law schools with concentrations, certificate programs, or centers of excellence, experiential learning presents synergies upon which to capitalize in offering students specialized, hands-on training that matches their interests and makes them more attractive employment candidates upon graduation.

The Health Care Quality Improvement Act Of 1986 Meets The Era Of Health Care Reform: Continuing Themes And Common Threads, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

The articles the 13th Annual Southern Illinois Healthcare/Southern Illinois University Health Policy Institute symposium issue of The Journal of Legal Medicine plait the cords connecting 1986’s HCQIA and 2011’s PPACA. Such a historically contextual approach to viewing key themes and how they are stitched, over time, into the fabric of the nation’s health law and policy leads to a much more robust understanding not only of where U.S. health law and policy has come from—and why—but also aids in developing informed and integrated health law and policy moving forward.

Review Of "Health Law And Bioethics: Cases In Context", Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

A review of the book "Health Law and Bioethics: Cases in Context"

Emerging Issues In Health Care Regulation: Protecting Patients Or Punishing Providers, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

No credible claim can assuage the assertion that medical errors beleaguer the health care industry and pose grave danger to patients. As with any issue that impacts both a significant segment of the population and a sizable component of the economy, the government has a vested interest. To that end, governmental forces, both state and federal, increasingly have turned toward the enactment of quality of care and patient protection regulation. Yet, such a command-and-control solution, although comparatively easy to institute, may not provide the optimal resolution. In fact, such top-down regulatory responses to health care quality and patient safety concerns …

Foreword, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

Foreword for the book "Nanotechnology, Ethics, and Society"

The Nelsi Landscape, Michele L. Mekel, Nigel M. De S. Cameron

Michele L Mekel

In the sci-fi world of Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age," the nanoscale science and technology challenges being grappled with at present had long been resolved and far surpassed. In this futuristic world, however, nano's ethical, legal, and social implications (NELSI) were still beleaguering humanity. His novel serves as a cautionary tale for today's "nanoethicists," science and technology studies (STS) scholars, nanoscale scientists and technologists, nanoentrepreneurs, nanoinvestors, policymakers, regulators, and society as a whole.

At this nascent stage of nanoscale science, technology, and engineering, there is still time to proactively and openly tackle NELSI in tandem with, or even one step …

Review Of "Nano-Hype: The Truth Behind The Nanotechnology Buzz", Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

The hype - both positive and negative - surrounding nanotechnology dwarfs its industry and its present panoply of products. No pun is intended by this statement, nor is it meant as a slight to the field. This phenomenon of nanotechnology hype is laid out in clever prose and in well-footnoted detail by David Berube, professor of communication studies in the Department of English at the University of South Carolina, in his book, "Nano-hype: The Truth Behind the Nanotechnology Buzz."

Civil Engagement Versus Social Engineering: What Can Be Learned From Nanojury Uk, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

Although nanotechnology is pervasive in scientific circles, it has only just begun to cross the public's radar screen here in the United States and around the world. But, as nanotechnology moves from under the microscope into the mainstream at an ever-accelerating pace, and as the citizenry begins to take notice of this nascent technology that promises everything from revolutionizing the economy to curing intractable diseases, understanding public sentiment toward nanotechnology and the societal issues it raises is critical to the formulation of appropriate nanopolicy.

Nanotechnologies: Small Science, Big Potential, And Bigger Issues, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

Ethical, legal, and social implications must be taken into account when considering environmental, health, and safety issues, as well as the constitution of human nature. The hyperbole related to emerging technologies must be broken down around the marketing of nanotechnologies in order to discuss, much more candidly, pressing ethical and legal risks.

Study Of Canadian Health Policy Research Centres: Final Report, Michele L. Mekel, Samuel Shortt

Michele L Mekel

With today’s escalating demands for accountability, Canada’s academic-linked health policy centres are feeling pressure from key funders to prove their effectiveness. At the same time, their contributions through applied health services and policy research and knowledge-transfer activities have become increasingly critical to health policy development and decision making.

To assist in easing the tension, this study identifies key operational success strategies so individual centres can adopt those that are most suited to their particular structural model. Furthermore, this study documents the challenges shared by centres so that they can jointly develop tools and solutions. Utilizing the findings in these ways, …

A Hobson's Choice: Ensuring Open Government Or Conserving Government Funds, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

Part and Parcel of American democracy is the notion that governmental functions should be carried out in a manner that is open to public scrutiny and accessible to the people. Capturing this belief, sunshine laws and freedom of information statutes requiring public access to government meetings and records began to emerge as early as 1898. Following the 1966 passage of the Federal Freedom of Information Act, states that lacked such provisions adopted open records and open meetings laws. Currently all 50 states and the District of Columbia have statutory provisions that allow public access to official records and meetings. Nevertheless, …

Cybercoverage For Cyber-Risks: An Overview Of Insurers' Responses To The Perils Of E-Commerce, Michele L. Mekel, Robert H. Jerry Ii

Michele L Mekel

With nearly 7% of the world's population currently online and e-commerce forecast to hit $6.8 trillion by 2004, one need not be Nostradamus to predict that the Internet means great change for all industries--including the insurance industry. Presently, however, the proverbial cart is leading the horse as the insurance industry struggles to develop strategies to quantify, cover, and contain "cyber-risks." Policyholders also face new challenges as they confront the possibility that their traditional insurance coverages are woefully inadequate either to secure their electronic and intellectual property assets or to guard against their potential e-commerce liabilities to third parties.

Kiss And Tell: Making The Case For The Tortious Transmission Of Herpes And Human Papillomavirus, Michele L. Mekel

Michele L Mekel

Recognizing theories of recovery for a tort committed an estimated 6 million times per year in the United States alone at an annual cost in excess of $4 billion is logical--if not imperative. Not all jurisdictions, however, recognize theories of recovery when the tort in question is the wrongful transmission of herpes and/or human papillomavirus ("HPV"), two of the most common, incurable sexually transmitted diseases ("STDs") in America. Nevertheless, in Deuschle v. Jobe, the Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri took a significant step by acknowledging an unmarried sexual partner's right to bring negligence and intentional tort …