Each spring semester, the Center hosts a major conference convening leading scholars and practitioners in health law, policy and bioethics to discuss and debate in-depth frontline issues affecting social, legal and moral questions raised by contemporary issues in these fields. Though these in-depth conferences, combined with the Workshop programming, the Center aims to be a world-class forum for the development of novel and intellectual conceptual approaches to questions in these fields, urgently needed to address the complex issues and contemporary challenges of health law and policy today.
March 2007
Re-engineering Human Biology: What Should be the ethical and legal limits?
In this first major conference, the Center gathered leading figures in law, bioethics, science, and philosophy to explore the legal and ethical implications of the new biotechnology. The two day, conference convened more than fifty academics, among whom were many of the world’s leading legal and ethical scholars. Participants included Ronald Dworkin, Leon Kass, Douglas Melton, Richard Posner, Michael Sandel, and Frances Kamm. The highlight of the program was a
public panel on the conference themes, moderated by Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan. The public panel was attended by more than 350 students and scholars from the local area. The entire program was coordinated in collaboration with the Harvard University Program in Ethics and Health, and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and was financially sponsored by the Cammann Endowment in Law and Medicine.
Upcoming Conferences
The Center is currently in the planning stages for a major conference in June 2008 entitled “Healthcare Fragmentation: What Are the Causes and Possible Solutions?” This conference will analyze the legal, regulatory and business structures that perpetuate the challenges of coordinated care and potentially cause the internal fragmentation of the current structures supporting the American medical industry. In addition to examining ways current legal and regulatory practicies work to preclude clear communication across the funtional structures within the system, the conference will explore possible reforms. Check back soon for more information.
