New masters in law and health focuses on pandemic response
The University of Kent has launched a masters in law and health focused on the coronavirus response.
Kent Law School yesterday announced its ‘Law and Health LLM’ exploring issues at the intersection of health, law and regulation. The first intake will be from September 2020, and students will grasp the role and scope of health law in contemporary domestic and global society.
This year, for example, the law school plans to “offer a jumping off point for broader study” by focusing on the issues raised by the response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Sally Sheldon, pathway convenor and a specialist in healthcare law and ethics, said: “COVID-19 has affected all of us in multiple ways and, as a society we are struggling with the acute legal issues it raises.” She continued to outline some of the issues the LLM will seek to address:
“How far is right to curtailing individual liberties to protect public health? How far should legal standards and regulatory controls be relaxed in light of the pandemic? What is the pandemic revealing about social inequalities in health and how law can address them? The Kent LLM offers a space for studying these issues in light of the broad principles of health law.”
The course has been designed both for those with a background in law as well as healthcare professionals across the sector, including those with training in medicine, nursing, midwifery and related disciplines.
It will offer further career development for those already working in these fields, the university says, or preparation for those interested in pursuing a career in law, health, the public and voluntary sectors, or government. It is available to be studied full-time over one year or part-time over 15 months.
