​Leadership and Advisory Board

Director: Dov Fox

Dov Fox is a professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teaches and writes in the areas of health law, criminal procedure, behavioral economics, intellectual property, and the regulation of biotechnology. His current research focuses on cognitive neuroscience, genomic research, and reproductive medicine. Fox served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He received an LLM degree as an academic fellow at Georgetown University Law Center. Fox has also worked at the President's Council on Bioethics; the consulting firm of McKinsey & Company; the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and the Civil Appellate Staff at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Rick Barton

Richard "Rick" D. Barton is an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teaches in the area of health care law and policy. Barton is a partner at the law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP in San Diego where he has represented health care providers for more than 25 years. He has tried more than 60 Superior Court jury trials and has argued cases before the California Court of Appeal, California Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Barton also serves as a consultant to health care providers in licensing and regulatory compliance issues.

Margaret Dalton 

Margaret Dalton '94 is the Vice Dean and a Professor of Law.  Her research focuses on health related disabilities that affect children and adolescents in school including behavior, ADHD and mental health. During her 12 years as Director of the Legal Clinics, she doubled the number of clinics, including establishing the Education & Disability Clinic, which she created in 2003 with a discretionary award from The California Endowment. Dean Dalton was a senior healthcare administrator before becoming an attorney, and credits that experience with informing her practice representing children with disabilities. After law school, she was a special project researcher for the California Office of Women's Health and directed the first study on the intersection of  domestic violence, health care and the criminal justice system.  She has extensive experience in special education law and the right of all children, regardless of disability, to have a free, appropriate public education. Dean Dalton teaches special education law, family law, and skills courses.

Mila Sohoni

Mila Sohoni is a professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law, where she teaches and writes in the areas of civil procedure, administrative law, federal courts and legislation. Her current research focuses on the constitutional and administrative law questions posed by the Affordable Care Act and its implementation. Sohoni served as a law clerk to The Honorable Judith W. Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She practiced law at Jenner & Block LLP in New York and Washington, D.C., and was an acting assistant professor of lawyering at NYU School of Law. Sohoni was also a science and technology correspondent for The Economist in New York and London.

Stephen C. Ferruolo

Stephen C. Ferruolo professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teaches in the areas of business, corporate and biotech law.

Ferruolo joined USD in 2011 after a 20-year career representing life science and technology companies as a partner in a national law firm. From 2003 to 2011, he served as vice president and general counsel of BIOCOM and then as its vice chairman from 2011 to 2014. In 2006, BIOCOM awarded him with the William W. Otterson Service Award for outstanding support of the life sciences industry in San Diego. In 2011, the Daily Journal listed him as one of the "Top 25 Biotech Lawyers in California." Ferruolo is listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the Life Sciences category and in the biotechnology law category of The Best Lawyers in America.

Advisory Board

San Diego's life science innovation economy was built on collaboration. The Center will establish an advisory board consisting of leaders from the region's medical, legal, and academic industries, as well as university and research institutions, and organizations such as CONNECT and BIOCOM.

The Advisory Board will meet regularly as a forum to bring together experts from the medical, legal, and academic industries. The role of the Advisory Board will be to set the agenda and goals of the Center, including proposing topics for the symposia and for policy studies. The Advisory Board will also identify and discuss policy, legal and ethical issues arising from the innovations in health care, biotechnology and medical technology research.

Research Fellows

Mead Solomon

Mead Solomon is a research fellow with the Center for Health Law Policy and Bioethics. He is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law where spent time as a legal intern for the Education and Disability Clinic and as a research assistant for Professor Dov Fox. He also worked as a refugee resettlement volunteer with Jewish Family Services.

Cameron Connelly

Cameron Connelly is a research fellow with the Center for Health Law Policy and Bioethics. He graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law with a concentration in Civil Litigation. While in law school, Connelly worked as a law clerk at the Law Offices of Thomas A. Collins, APC and served as an ambassador for the Student Bar Association. He was also a member of the USD Law Chapter of the Business Law Society.