This seminar explores the legal, ethical, and social issues raised by developments in health, medicine, and life sciences at the U.S. and global levels. First, it provides an overview of normative theories that shape the development of the field of bioethics, linking these theories to the legal and social dynamics that continue to shape discussions about equality and justice. It then examines a range of themes and priority topics from a theoretical and practical perspective, such as end-of-life issues, reproductive rights, human research, access to medicines and vaccines. Students develop an in-depth perspective on how law and ethics intersect and shape discourse on these key topics. This seminar is particularly instructive for students who want to gain practical insight into the interaction of law with ethical dilemmas in health, medicine and science. Decision-making and innovation in healthcare is increasingly driven and enabled by huge amounts of data. The importance of data has led to an inevitable push-pull dynamic between privacy concerns and demands for medical progress and cost containment. Data is both a privacy risk and a huge asset. This course explores legal and ethical issues at the intersection of health information, including where data comes from, how it is and should be protected, how it can be used, and the risks to its integrity and security. This course will cover a range of topics, including the protection of health information, the future use of data assets, and conflicts of interest. Examples of policies to protect and promote employee health include rules around alcohol and tobacco consumption in the workplace, wearing masks and gloves to minimize the risk of exposure to disease and chemicals, and wellness policies such as recreation and healthy eating. Health policy is an integral part of the U.S.
health care system – one that helps shape and protect the health and well-being of our people. The policy affects fundamental issues such as access to healthcare, costs, delivery methods and data protection. It includes the rules and regulations set by legislators at the local, state, and national levels. The main goal of the course is to educate students about the regulation of private health insurance at the federal and state levels, with the rare opportunity to experience the real-time changes of this complex system. Through this course, students gain a broader understanding of administrative law and it has influenced the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. By the end of the course, students will be able to describe how private health insurance is regulated at the federal and state levels, key reforms initiated by the Affordable Care Act, implementation at the federal and state levels, and likely areas of legislative change in the face of real-time debate. This manual is designed as a resource to provide up-to-date and practical guidance for national health planning and strategy. In this seminar, students will learn LGBTQ health law and policy from a variety of perspectives, including medicine, public health, women`s studies, and U.S. foreign policy, and gain a deeper understanding of the social abuse and ostracism of LGBTQ people at the individual and community level. Topics include LGBTQ-inclusive data collection, clinical and cultural literacy, reproductive justice, international human rights law, and health issues faced by LGBTQ youth and seniors. This course also explores how LGBTQ individuals and families are treated under federal, state, and international law, and how these policies affect access to health care and contribute to health inequalities. Through intensive study and an expert program, the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health`s MPH program provides students with the skills and knowledge essential to address a wide range of health challenges in society.
This course examines the law that governs the foundations of the employee-employer relationship and examines various public policy issues related to the regulation of employment standards. Topics may include: the common law doctrine of arbitrary employment and the development of contractual and tortious exceptions to that doctrine; legal measures to protect workers against unfair dismissal; the law of work-related privacy breaches (e.g., drug tests, genetic screenings, polygraph machines, etc.); the National Industrial Relations Act; regulation of labour compensation (e.g. Fair Labour Standards Act, applicable wage laws); regulation of occupational health and safety (e.g. Occupational Health and Safety Act).
