Public Health Law Conference

About the Event:

Attendees get access to the following workshops when they register for pre-conference workshops:

October 3

Public Health Law Academy – Train the Trainer 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Law and policy impact almost every public health challenge, and are essential tools for protecting and promoting the health of the public. Today’s public health professionals, especially those at the local, state or federal levels, need to have foundational knowledge of our legal system and the role it has played and continues to play in improving overall population health, yet understanding and analyzing the connection between law and health outcomes is one of the primary knowledge gaps among the public health workforce. This Train the Trainer workshop will prepare trainers, public health practitioners, lawyers, and other partners to assist in building the capacity of today’s public health professionals to understand and use law as a public health tool.

Hands-On Methods Training in Policy Surveillance: A Crash Course in Legal Mapping Techniques and Tools 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Attendees will be introduced to the policy surveillance process used to create empirical legal data. Through interactive exercises, participants will be introduced to each step of the process, including scoping, background research, question development, collecting and coding the law, quality control, publication, and tracking and updating.

Student Network: Career Paths in Public Health Law and Policy 3:00 - 5:30 p.m.

The Student Network Career Development Workshop will provide students and young professionals with a unique opportunity to learn about the field of public health law. Sessions will include a substantive panel that will discuss the role of a public health lawyer, a career panel featuring public health law professionals discussing their career paths and offering advice, and an interactive speed mentoring session that will enable attendees to connect with a number of experienced professionals. Students and recent graduates who are interested in developing a career in public health law are encouraged to attend.

October 4

Sharing Data Across Sectors to Improve the Health of Communities 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Building healthy communities requires access to relevant data from multiple sectors, including public health, health care, schools, human services, housing, and law enforcement. Data are essential for identifying health threats, designing interventions, coordinating care, measuring what works and planning for policy, systems and environmental change. A complex legal landscape, and lack of knowledge and training in law, result in actual and perceived barriers to data collection, use, and sharing. As a result, opportunities are missed to use and share electronic data to improve the health of communities, promote wellness, address social determinants of health and increase health equity. Additionally, privacy protection and regulatory compliance programs, policies, and organizational cultures unnecessarily “lock-down” access to data; fail to recognize the “big picture” community health value of data sharing; and may not realize public health’s unique status, which often makes it legal to share identifiable data for public health purposes. This workshop, co-produced by the Network for Public Health Law and Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH), will assist participants in navigating the legal framework to collect, use, and share data among public health, human services, healthcare and their community partners to improve health, while complying with legal and regulatory requirements and maintaining the public’s trust. Public Health Law in a Nutshell: Pillars, Policies, Practices 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Public health law is a multi-faceted field of theory and practice which is constantly changing to respond to new challenges, interpretations, and evidence-based findings. Based in part on the text,

Public Health Law in a Nutshell (3rd ed. 2018), Professor Hodge will explore the role of law as primary tool for improving public health outcomes. This session focuses on major pillars underlying the field that are examined via a policy lens. From this review are drawn practice-based conclusions and key “take home” messages. This session is designed to challenge not only how you think about the field of public health law, but also perceptions of your critical role within it.