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USD Law Professor Orly Lobel Receives Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant

SAN DIEGO (February 4, 2010) — University of San Diego School of Law Professor Orly Lobel and co-primary investigator Assistant Professor On Amir of the University of California, San Diego, Rady School of Management have been awarded one of 15 new research grants bestowed nationally by the Public Health Law Research Program (PHLR) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The grants fund research that will help policymakers and researchers understand how laws can affect public health.

"Policy-makers need to know the public health consequences of the laws they enact," said Michelle Larkin, public health team director and senior program officer at RWJF. "By funding research that brings together legal and public health scholars we have a better understanding of how laws can improve health. Some of the studies we are funding are national in scope; others are based on specific state or local laws. We hope the results of the state and local studies will inform lawmakers in other parts of the country."

Professors Lobel and Amir’s project will explore how individuals make decisions about: 1) vaccinations, 2) sexual behavior, 3) preventative medication and health habits, 4) medical procedures and treatment, and 5) health insurance coverage. The study will map existing case law and regulations on the presentation of risk-related information, such as the validity and interpretation of waivers and disclaimers and will uncover patterns in choices and preferences building on behavioral insights. The project was funded $150,000 for 18 months.

Orly Lobel writes and teaches in the areas of employment law, administrative law, legal theory, torts, consumer law and trade secrets. Prior to coming to USD, she taught at Yale Law School and served as a fellow at the Harvard University Center for Ethics and the Professions, the Kennedy School of Government's Hauser Center for Non-Profit Research, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. A graduate of Tel Aviv University Law School, she clerked on the Israeli Supreme Court and did her graduate studies at Harvard Law School. Her current research focuses on new models of law and governance in the context of the new economy, the labor market, privatization and new public management techniques. Professor Lobel received her LL.B. in 1998 from Tel Aviv University and both her LL.M. in 2000 and her S.J.D. in 2006 from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Amir received his Ph.D. in management science and marketing from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management. While completing his doctorate he held the AMA Sheth Doctoral Consortium Fellowship, the CS Holding Fellowship and the Walter A. Rosenblith Fellowship. He also received several research awards from the Marketing Science Institute for his work on consumer choice and reasoning. Dr. Amir’s research focuses on using psychological and economic principles to identify successful strategies in different consumption environments. He investigates pricing issues and the dynamics of preferences in the market. He also investigates different consumer decision-making mechanisms and their influences on the offline and online marketplaces.

About the Public Health Law Research Program
Public Health Law Research, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program at Temple University, is a national initiative to promote effective regulatory, legal and policy solutions to improve public health. The program is dedicated to building the evidence base for laws that improve public health. The organization works by funding research, improving research methods, and making evidence more accessible to policy-makers, the media and the public.

About the University of San Diego School of Law
The University of San Diego School of Law is a center of academic excellence focused on preparing its students for legal practice in the new century. One of the most selective law schools in the country, the School of Law’s nationally recognized faculty create a demanding, yet welcoming environment that emphasizes individualized education. USD law school graduates consistently score higher than the state average on the California Bar Exam and go on to practice law throughout the country and abroad, forming an influential network of alumni. The USD School of Law is one of only 81 law schools in the country to have a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished rank of American law schools. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.