Valerie Gutmann Koch
@vgkoch.bsky.social
Medical ethics and law. Law prof at DePaul University College of Law and Faculty Director of the Jaharis Health Law Institute. Director of Law & Ethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, the University of Chicago.
petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2026/09/04/i... He was a mentor, advisor, and friend to so many of us.
In Memoriam: Peter Barton Hutt - Petrie-Flom Center
I am sad to report the passing of Peter Barton Hutt at 91. Peter was the "dean" of the food and drug law bar, a longtime partner at Covington, arguably FDA's most important chief counsel in the modern...
petrieflom.law.harvard.edu
It will be interesting to see how Chatrie alters judicial approaches to “abandoned DNA.” If you’re not voluntarily disclosing records when you use a phone and tell things to Google, are you voluntarily abandoning DNA when you sit down on a chair or toss a cigarette butt?
The families of two Black infants who were unknowingly enrolled as test subjects in a mid-1960s vaccine trial for a respiratory virus and died shortly afterward have sued the U.S. government.
Suit Says Black Infants Were Subjected to Experimental Vaccine Without Consent
The babies were part of a vaccine trial for a respiratory virus in the 1960s and died shortly after. Their families said they had been unaware of the trial until recently.
nyti.ms
They Started I.V.F., Then Split. Now Who Gets Custody of the Embryos? www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/u...
They Started I.V.F., Then Split. Now Who Gets Custody of the Embryos?
nytimes.com
Genetic testing can identify the mutation, but prompts difficult decisions about whether to undergo a preventive stomach removal surgery and its complications.
The Family That Decided to Have Their Stomachs Removed - The Atlantic
Māori families with a mutation for aggressive gastric cancer have had their stomachs preemptively removed. How do you live without one?
theatlantic.com
DePaul Law’s top-ranked Health Law Program trains students to tackle today’s legal, ethical and policy challenges in health care. Now under the leadership of Professor Valerie Koch, the Jaharis Health Law Institute continues its impact. https://ow.ly/2npu50XjeMl
Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines for the Allocation of Critical Care Resources to Adults During Crisis-Level Shortages journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/f...
journals.lww.com
Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...
Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells
nytimes.com
🏆 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
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
2026 Annual Jaharis Health Law Symposium
Annual symposium hosted by the Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute—Wired Minds, Legal Lines: Governing Neurotechnology
2026jhli.eventbrite.com
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 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
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.
statnews.com
blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/12/i...
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
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....
The Opioid Crisis Meets Genomics
<p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of the first polygenic risk score test has been met with powerful criticism. The test, AvertD, was ap
papers.ssrn.com
Another year of uplifting bioethics and law news at our annual Legal Updates panel. #asbh25 @thaddeuspope.bsky.social @aderse.bsky.social Katie Watson
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
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.
ow.ly
Patients shouldn’t be pressured to ‘just check that box’ on informed consent forms www.statnews.com/2025/10/08/i... via @statnews.com
Patients shouldn’t be pressured to ‘just check that box’ on informed consent forms
Doctors should actually discuss informed-consent paperwork with their patients.
statnews.com
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...
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.
statnews.com
'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.'
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
science.org
Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? The answer, in short, is no. www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/c...
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.
statnews.com
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...
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.org
