College of Law > Academics > Centers, Institutes & Initiatives > Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute > Jaharis COVID-19 Response

Jaharis COVID-19 Response

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Jaharis health law faculty are public academics. Not only do they educate students, but they widely share their expertise and analysis on issues of international importance. Never was that job more important than now.

Wendy Epstein, Professor of Law and Institute Director

Professor Wendy Netter Epstein is an expert in the financing and delivery of health care and matters of health equity. During the pandemic, she has written on issues concerning vaccines, telehealth, pandemic guidelines, and insurance coverage, among others

Max Helveston, Professor of Law

Professor Max Helveston is an expert in issues related to insurance, consumer protection and data privacy. Returning to the faculty full-time after serving as the associate dean of academic affairs and strategic initiative for the past three years, he has started work on several projects related to the commercialization of consumer health data, innovations in health care delivery and the regulation of the health insurance plans offered by large, self- insured employers. Additionally, he has begun working with Professor Wendy Epstein and legal scholars at other institutions on pieces addressing health equity issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Alice Setrini

Alice Setrini is the Executive Director of the Jaharis Health Law Institute. She has experience collaborating with a wide range of medical partners engaging in multidisciplinary approaches to legal service delivery. She has lectured on using Medical-Legal Partnerships to address social determinants of health to improve health outcomes and address systemic barriers keeping people in poverty.

Joshua Sarnoff, Professor of Law

Professor Sarnoff is an expert in the intersection between patent law and health law. He has written about how the COVID-19 public health crisis illustrates the need for our legal system to adopt a right to repair and supply products in emergencies.

Sharon Bassan

Sharon Bassan is a legal scholar with expertise in (bio)ethics, health policy, innovation, and information technology law and ethics. She is currently the Jaharis Faculty Fellow in Health Law and Intellectual Property at the DePaul University College of Law.

Valerie Gutmann Koch, Jaharis Faculty Fellow

Jaharis Fellow Valerie Koch is an expert in ventilator allocation policy, having worked on the issue for many years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also writes more generally about crisis standards of care and medical malpractice liability.

Ana Santos Rutschman, Jaharis Faculty Fellow Alumna

Jaharis Fellow Alumna Ana Santos Rutschman is an expert in pandemics and vaccine innovation.  She also has spoken at length about Missouri’s lawsuit suing China over COVID-19.

The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the lives of nearly all people and businesses, with the health care industry at the epicenter of the crisis.  As the health care community faces unprecedented challenges in delivering care, DePaul College of Law in partnership with the American Health Law Association (AHLA) and dbase media produced a series of Public Service Announcement (PSA) videos to heighten awareness of the ever-shifting legal landscape in light of the coronavirus. 

COVID-19: Health Law Disruption features narratives from AHLA authorities, including Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute Faculty Director Wendy Netter Epstein, current and former Jaharis fellows, and other legal experts from private practice, in house counsel and other industry sectors to discuss how health law has rapidly changed in response to the pandemic.   Together, these videos offer a deep dive into pressing topics such as the current and future impact of new waivers; how rural and other providers are facing challenges with limited resources, supplies, staffing and capacity issues; and how long-term care facilities may minimize risk to patients and staff. 

Wendy Netter Epstein, Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute

Valerie Gutmann Koch, Jaharis Faculty Fellow

Ana Santos Rutschman, Jaharis Faculty Fellow Alumna

The full PSA mini-series can be found on the Coronavirus Hub on AHLA's website and channels managed by dBase Media. 

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