As the Saint Louis University School of Law Center for Health Law Studies celebrates 40 years as a nationally recognized leader in health law education, it’s the focus on advocacy through scholarship and research that has made the center what it is today — a reflection of the world around it. This anniversary year has been no exception. The center's faculty have produced timely and meaningful scholarship that strives to make an impact in the greater community.
Robert Gatter, J.D.
Professor Robert Gatter is the director of the Center for Health Law Studies. He has spent much of his time since the COVID-19 pandemic focusing on the improvement of public health laws and policies. He has served as the reporter for the Uniform Law Commission, focusing on the model state law for public health emergency powers.
Kelly Gillespie, J.D., Ph.D., RN
Professor Kelly Gillespie, a former registered nurse, is an expert in drug policy. With practical experience in pain management care, Gillespie focuses her scholarship on the law and policy of substance abuse disorder and opioid prescribing. She is the co-author of an amicus brief in the recent United States Supreme Court case, Ruan v. United States, that examined a physician’s responsibility in the overprescribing of opioids. The court’s ruling ultimately aligned with Gillespie’s brief, stating that the crime of prescribing controlled substances outside the usual course of practice requires that the defendant “knowingly or intentionally” acted in an unlawful manner.
Michael Sinha, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.
A medical doctor by trade, Professor Michael Sinha focused much of his scholarship this year on pharmaceutical law and policy. He published a piece in the American University Law Review on the regulation of the generic pharmaceutical industry. He also published an article titled “Court Intrusion Into Science and Medicine – the Mifepristone Decision” in the widely read Journal of the American Medical Association. The article was written in conjunction with Daniel Aaron, M.D., J.D. and Teneille Brown, J.D., both of the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.
Jamille Fields Allsbrook, J.D., M.P.H.
A new addition to the School of Law faculty, professor Jamille Fields Allsbrook comes to the University with a background in health law and policy. She focuses much of her research and scholarship on health equity and health outcomes in maternal health for Black women. She has published her policy research with the Center for American Progress and Health Affairs.
Taleed El-Sabawi, J.D., Ph.D., M.S.
Visiting from Florida International University College of Law, professor Taleed El-Sabawi focuses her scholarship and research on health care access of incarcerated individuals, particularly those in withdrawal. Her recent article, published in November of 2023 in the UCLA Law Review titled “Death By Withdrawal,” focuses on the policies and practices in jails and prisons around the country that continue to facilitate the death, pain, and suffering of people who use drugs by refusing to properly screen and medically manage withdrawal for persons in custody.
Story by Jessica Ciccone, senior director of communications and strategy, SLU LAW.
This piece was written for the 2023 SLU Research Institute Annual Impact Report. The Impact Report is printed each spring to celebrate the successes of our researchers from the previous year and share the story of SLU's rise as a preeminent Jesuit research university. Read the report for more information.