2023 Fellows in Health Law & Policy and Family Law & Policy Present Research

05/19/2023

This year’s Health Law & Policy Fellows presented the findings of their major research projects in health and family law—ranging from the privacy implications of health-data sharing to parents’ rights under federal laws regarding adoption—to the Law School community and friends.

The Fellows’ work, presented on April 14, was completed under the direction of Professor Karen Porter, Arthur Pinto & Stephen Bohlen Associate Dean of Inclusion & Diversity and Executive Director of the Center for Health, Science & Public Policy and Marsha Garrison Family Law & Policy Fellowship (under the direction of Marsha Garrison, 1901 Distinguished Professor of Law, and Professor Cynthia Godsoe). Godsoe served as moderator for the presentations.

“This event is important to our Fellows, all of whom have been carefully chosen and given the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member to engage in research projects that enable them to hone their skills and demonstrate their expertise in their chosen field of family and health law,” said Garrison. “These projects are an opportunity to do research, legal analysis, critical thinking, and to develop innovative solutions to important public policy problems.”

Porter expressed admiration for the Fellows’ work.

“I am extremely proud of the work each fellow has done this year,” Porter said. “Their pursuit of the fellowship speaks to their curiosity regarding and engagement with problems that need creative solutions. They are also wonderful examples of the strength of our student body.”

The program also has the support of various faculty members who serve as mentors to the Fellows, including Jeffrey D. Forchelli Professor of Law Frank Pasquale, professors Susan Hazeldean and Sarah Lorr, Adjunct Professor and Reference Librarian Sue Silverman, and Administrative Judge and Adjunct Professor Matthew D’Emic.

Health Law & Policy Fellows

Kylie Bae ’23, a registered nurse with extensive experience in health care for veterans, explored the history of care for soldiers during wartime, the influence of pioneers such as Florence Nightingale, and the current state of laws to protect and serve soldiers, civilians, and health care workers in war zones.

Shoshana Finkel ’23, who completed a second year as a Fellow, also co-chaired the Disability Advocacy Law Students Association and completed a 2022 internship at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Public Health Law Program. Finkel’s research paper focused on how state immunization systems can be improved by leveraging CDC standards.

Caitlyn Genovese ’24, a 1L Legal Council on Diversity (LCLD) Summer Scholar at Pfizer specializing in intellectual property issues, created a research project asserting the need for greater regulation of food additives by the Food and Drug Administration, in light of the rise in chronic diseases associated with diet and nutrition.

Alyson Jenson ’24 is the senior manager of community partnerships for the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Jenson’s research resulted in a policy toolkit for state and local governments to expand health care access and coverage for undocumented immigrants.

Slay Latham ’23, an advocate for the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people, researched legal protections at both federal and state levels for TGNC law students and created a guide based on that research. The guide covers issues such as reporting misconduct and navigating the legal implications of a name change as it relates to the Bar exam and licensing.

Carly Sternberg ’23, current president of the Health Law and Policy Association, and a legal intern with the Law School’s Disability and Civil Rights Clinic, presented arguments for creating technical changes in period-tracking applications to protect the privacy of users’ data, and shield them from criminal liability under states’ current abortion and trigger laws.

Deanna Arpi Youssoufian ’23, who has a background in cognitive and developmental neuroscience, also served as the managing editor of the Brooklyn Law Review. Youssoufian’s research addressed the privacy concerns and proposals for legal solutions within the realm of cross-border sharing of personal health data of rare-disease patients.

Camille Tucker, a 3P student at the Law School and a full-time elementary and middle school science teacher, is continuing her Fellowship into 2024, when she will present the results of her research.

Family Law & Policy Fellows

Chelsea Daniels ’23 was vice president of the Law School’s Women of Color Alliance and will be working post-graduation with the Division of Family Court Legal Services at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Her work scrutinizes the legal system’s response to parents’ mental health and substance abuse struggles and offers ways to improve family court practices that currently lack clear guidance for parents struggling with these issues.

Erin Larkin Jensen ’23, who interned with the Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Practice, explored the family policing system’s surveillance of youth in the foster-care system, and its detrimental effects, especially on pregnant and parenting teens.

Jami Nicolson ’24, who will be working with the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice this summer, researched the rise in child custody cases in which claims of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) are made—typically by men against women—when domestic abuse and child sexual abuse allegations are involved.

Alison Peebles ’24, a member of Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest and Edward V. Sparer Fellow, studied the negative effects of the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act, a mandate for states to move to terminate parents’ rights after a child has spent a specified time in foster care. Alison will be working this summer at Brooklyn Defender Services, in its Family Defense Practice.

See abstracts from Health Law & Policy Fellows.

See abstracts from Marsha Garrison Family Law & Policy Fellows.