On May 7, 2024, the MSL hosted Day 2 of its 6th Annual Symposium, a culminating event for students who have spent the year exploring interdisciplnary subjects touching on various aspects of law, policy, business, tech, and more.
Throughout the course of the two-day event, attendees were exposed to two dozen presentations led by current MSLs and alumni. Presentations examined the application of law and regulation in business, healthcare, global policy, and technology and device development, and invited post-session discussion from online and in-person viewers.
Highlights from Day 1 of the MSL Symposium can be found here. A roundup of presentation highlights from Day 2 can be found below.
Group 2: Healthcare, Regulation, and Policy on a Global Scale
Each of these presentations provided deep insights into pressing global and healthcare issues, showcasing the training our MSL students have received and demonstrating the issues MSL graduates will tackle in the real world.
Alime Dzaferi, Emily Guerrero, Nayab Khan, and Tahsin Thaver presented a critical analysis on “Waste Management in Pakistan.” Based on a project from their Health and Human Rights class, they explored significant health and environmental challenges in Pakistan and proposed practical solutions to enhance waste management practices at both national and local levels.
Anjali Patel took us “From Idea to Product: Creation of a Medical Device.” She defined medical devices and detailed the stringent safety and effectiveness standards required by the FDA for product approval and market launch.
Ekene Onwubiko led a thought-provoking session on, “Organ Donation Policies in the U.S.,” examining the impact of various policies on organ availability and donor choices. Her presentation concluded with strategic recommendations for hybrid models and public education campaigns aimed at improving organ donation rates and equity in transplantation.
Minnoli Aya explored, “Health Economics: Understanding the Landscape for Fertility Treatments.” She highlighted the crucial role of insurance coverage in accessing nfertility treatments and how policy changes in several states are addressing (and can address) this pressing issue.
Group 3: A Culmination of Law, Business, Policy, Regulation, and Technology
Our third group of presenters covered a wide range of interesting topics at the intersection of law, business, policy, regulation, and technology. The range of issues covered in this session exemplified the MSL program’s breadth and the wide-ranging interests of our students.
Sonali Bhakta examined the compliance challenges that educational institutions face in navigating complex privacy regulations. Her presentation provided insights into key issues like data collection practices and consent management, along with best practices for data governance and enhanced security to safeguard student privacy.
Kristin Weivoda explored California’s Racial Justice Act, aimed at addressing systemic racial bias in the criminal justice system. She discussed the Act’s provisions, obstacles to implementation, and its potential to advance racial equity and fairness. She encouraged MSL graduates and other legal professionals to use their skillsets to contribute to further reform efforts.
Kara Ferracuti unpacked the issue of regulatory capture, using the Boeing and FAA scandals as a case study. She explained how regulators can become beholden to (or captured by) the very industries they oversee and highlighted dangers of unchecked corporate influence.
Jamie Averch laid out her vision for a Women in Sports Law Advocacy Firm to provide comprehensive legal support and advocacy for female athletes and organizations, aiming to address gender disparities in the male-dominated sports industry.
Group 4: A Focus on International Law and Regulation
These presentations showcased how some MSL students have brought a global focus to their studies, using the program to further their international and comparative interests.Together, these presentations underscore the diverse disciplinary and geographical interests of MSL students and show how these interests can be furthered and developed through MSL study.
A thought-provoking session explored the intersection of law, indigenous rights, and the environment in Panama. MSL student Cameron Andrew Brown‘s presentation, “Rights for Nature? Lessons from the Crossroads of the Americas,” analyzed how enshrining legal rights for nature in the constitution has empowered indigenous communities in environmental protection efforts. Brown made a compelling case that other countries should consider Panama’s approach.
On the healthcare front, Maggie Jiang discussed China’s latest medical insurance reforms in her talk, “Challenges in Enhancing Support for Chronic Disease Patients.” She evaluated whether fee distribution changes will effectively improve care access and affordability for those with chronic conditions. Her research highlighted the complex policy tradeoffs in healthcare system design.
The session’s international focus continued as Raj Patel explored the “Geo-Political Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina” through both historical analysis and first-hand perspectives from his experiential learning trip to eastern Europe. Patel demonstrated how synthesizing legal knowledge with on-the-ground experience and perspective can deepen our understanding of global issues.
This session of presentations focused on global issues and demonstrated the importance of learning and applying lessons across borders. In addition, this session highlighted the special opportunity MSL students have to participate with JD and LLM students in International Team Project classes, which expose them to study and travel in another country.
Group 5: MSL Entrepreneurs and Healthcare Innovation
Day 2 of the MSL’s 6th Annual Symposium wrapped with presentations focused on innovation in the healthcare space.
Annie Chen, Emily Guerrero, Nayab Khan, and Tahsin Thaver showcased “NeuroMuse,” an innovative medical device they developed in the MSL’s Entrepreneurship Lab course. Their device uses music therapy to alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms in dementia patients.
Suman Atluri, Alime Dzaferi, and Shavan Patel unveiled “Ready to Room.” Another business concept developed in the Entrepreneurship Lab course, this early-stage startup aims to enhance emergency department efficiency by using patient tracking technology to reduce wait times and improve both patient and provider experiences.
Sravya Prabhala then explored the critical need for regulatory frameworks to evolve as AI-powered medical devices become more prevalent. Her talk emphasized the need for the FDA to ensure safety and efficacy in the U.S. med tech market, even in a relatively uncharted area like AI-enabled devices.
To close out the day, we had the privilege of welcoming MSL alum Dr. Charles Frank for a featured presentation on Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, a company whose goal is to revolutionize cancer diagnosis using a novel bedside diagnostic pathology device. The presentation covered topics touched on throughout the Symposium, including subjects all hashtagentrepreneurs must address, such as corporate formation, intellectual property, governance, and AI integration.
Special Alumni Session: A Startup Seeking to Revolutionize Cancer Diagnosis
MSL Alumni Charles Frank, MD, brought us a presentation on Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, a medical company developing a revolutionary bedside diagnostic pathology device that immediately determines if a surgical specimen is cancerous.
Dr. Frank was joined by Caelum’s CEO, Rachel Wellner, MD, MPH, FACS, and the company’s COO, Scott Kratzer (a Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management MBA). This energetic trio kept us on our toes in tying together many Symposium themes.
We are grateful to all of our presenters for sharing their work and focusing on important issues at the intersection of law and STEM. Our presenters did the best possible job of describing the MSL program and who can benefit from this novel, interdisciplinary study. We’re incredibly proud of what our MSL students and alums have accomplished and look forward to continuing these discussions and seeing what other issues our graduates will take on in the future.
Missed out on Day 1 of Symposium? Our Day 1 recap is available here.
