Valerie Gutmann Koch

Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells

Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...

Headshot of Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and bangs, wearing tortoiseshell glasses, small teal earrings, a delicate necklace, and a black blazer, smiling warmly against a neutral gray background.

🏆 Congratulations to Gretchen Schwarze, MD, MPP, FACS — recipient of the 2026 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes!

Dr. Schwarze's "Best Case/Worst Case" communication tool has transformed preoperative conversations for patients across the US and beyond. #Bioethics

2026 Annual Jaharis Health Law Symposium Annual symposium hosted by the Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute—Wired Minds, Legal Lines: Governing Neurotechnology

The 2026 Jaharis Health Law Symposium, “Wired Minds, Legal Lines,” is almost here! Explore how neurotech is moving into everyday life, and the legal and ethical questions it raises. Free CLE | March 12 | In-person and online: https://2026JHLI.eventbrite.com

Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

Join us for the 2026 Jaharis Health Law Symposium! "Wired Minds, Legal Lines" will explore data privacy, neurorights and innovation in neurotech. Free CLE | March 12 | In person and online: https://2026JHLI.eventbrite.com

As more patients order lab tests online, doctors don't know what to do with the results Hoping to catch serious illnesses early, more Americans are ordering lab tests online, but their doctors don't know what to do with the results.

As more patients order lab tests online, doctors don’t know what to do with the results www.statnews.com/2026/01/09/p... via @statnews.com by @ravindranize.bsky.social

Good evidence DTC testing – beyond anecdotes – leads to health benefits? Nah. Harm: > anxiety > over-diagnosis > costs etc etc etc

Illinois Legalizes Physician-Assisted Suicide For Terminally Ill Patients The law, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday, allows eligible adults with a terminal illness to obtain life-ending medication under strict safeguards beginning in 2026 after years of advocacy.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/12/i...

dph.illinois.gov/resource-cen...

Save the date! 2026 Jaharis Health Law Symposium: “Wired Minds, Legal Lines: Governing Neurotechnology.”

Explore privacy, consent and innovation in the age of neurotech with experts, including Minnesota Law’s Francis X. Shen.

Mar 12 | In-person & Online: https://2026JHLI.eventbrite.com

Proud that my article, The Opioid Crisis Meets Genomics, is now published in the Seton Hall Law Review. Thanks to everyone who provided thoughtful commentary and insights!

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Photo of 4 panelists

Another year of uplifting bioethics and law news at our annual Legal Updates panel. #asbh25 @thaddeuspope.bsky.social @aderse.bsky.social Katie Watson

2024-2025 DePaul Law Faculty Achievements Flipsnack is a digital catalog maker that makes it easy to create, publish and share html5 flipbooks. Upload a PDF or design from scratch flyers, magazines, books and more.

This year marks an exciting new chapter for DePaul Law. Under the leadership of Dean Geoffrey Rapp, we continue to advance academic excellence, innovation and public engagement.

We invite you to read about all of our 2024-2025 achievements here: ow.ly/QQNa50Xb8LA

Patients shouldn’t be pressured to ‘just check that box’ on informed consent forms Doctors should actually discuss informed-consent paperwork with their patients.

Patients shouldn’t be pressured to ‘just check that box’ on informed consent forms www.statnews.com/2025/10/08/i... via @statnews.com

CDC approves updated Covid-19, chickenpox vaccine recommendations The CDC has accepted advisers' recommendations on Covid vaccinations, though there may still be uncertainty in some states about whether a prescription is needed to access them.

The CDC has accepted advisers' recommendations on Covid vaccinations, though there may still be uncertainty in some states about whether a prescription is needed to access them.
www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/c...

FDA rescinds LDT final rule Regulation of lab developed tests returns to its status before the agency attempted to expand its jurisdiction and industry groups sued to stop it.

www.medtechdive.com/news/FDA-res...

The precarious future of consumer genetic privacy Congress and other lawmakers must act to robustly protect direct-to-consumer genetic data and biospecimens into the future

'According to a recent lawsuit, 23andMe failed to notify consumers with Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage that their personal genetic information appeared to have been compiled into “specially curated lists” that were shared and sold on the dark web.'

Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? No Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? It's not that simple.

Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? The answer, in short, is no.
www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/c...

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent: The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Do you remember the Human Genome Project? I’m not sure the Trump administration wants you to The NIH archives of the Human Genome Project could fall victim to Trump administration cuts, writes a former archivist.

The NIH archives of the Human Genome Project could fall victim to Trump administration cuts, writes a former archivist. buff.ly/H1WkRpn

The US Is Storing Migrant Children’s DNA in a Criminal Database Customs and Border Protection has swabbed the DNA of migrant children as young as 4, whose genetic data is uploaded to an FBI-run database that can track them if they commit crimes in the future.

At the start of the year, WIRED made a commitment to stop paywalling articles primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act @freedom.press. This includes this critical piece here.

The US Is storing migrant children’s DNA in a criminal database:

23andMe Sale Shows Your Genetic Data Is Worth $17 23andMe sold the genetic data of 15 million people for $256 million to a pharmaceutical company called Regeneron.

www.404media.co/23andme-sale...

Judicial Invalidation of the FDA’s Laboratory-Developed Test Rule — Legal and Public Health Consequences | NEJM Recently, a federal judge struck down an FDA rule on laboratory-developed tests. If this invalidation stands, it will have consequences for clinical care and the FDA’s authority over medical devices.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

The 23andMe Bankruptcy: Uncertainty, Caution, and a Call to Action (Part 1) - Petrie-Flom Center Even with so many major headlines competing for attention last month, it was hard to miss the news that 23andMe had filed for bankruptcy.

petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/04/28/t...

Nuffield Council on Bioethics raises ethical concerns about the use of polygenic indices as predictors in education - Nuffield Council on Bioethics A new report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) urges caution over the use of polygenic indices (PGI) data to inform educational policy and practice. We suggest next steps for policymakers ...

www.nuffieldbioethics.org/news-blog/nu...

HHS eliminates advisory committee on newborn screening ahead of vote on rare disorders The committee’s central role was to recommend which conditions should be included on a universal screening panel for infants.

www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Genetics Community Raises Alarms As GeneReviews Faces Federal Scrutiny ACMG, NSGC, and others in the genetics community are monitoring whether the widely used online clinical genetics database could be at risk.

www.genomeweb.com/policy-legis...

Happy Friday #HealthLaw friends! The deadline for abstract submissions for the 2025 @slulaw.bsky.social & ASLME Health Law Scholars Workshop is MONDAY, APRIL 14th.

Your taxes can wait; this can't!

More info about the workshop & the submission process here: www.slu.edu/law/health/s...

Federal advisory panel on ethical, legal issues in human health research disbanded A committee of experts that advises HHS on emerging ethical and legal issues in human health research has been disbanded, according to an email obtained by STAT.

www.statnews.com/2025/04/03/h...