Health Law & Policy Fellowship

Sabrina Bernstein ’24 has a passion for the right to health care, disability rights, bioethics, and the law. She received her bachelor’s degree in English literature and political science from Trinity College. While at Trinity, she worked as a legislative intern for Connecticut State Senator Mary Daugherty Abrams, chair of the Public Health Committee, and conducted research on S.B. 1101, “An Act Concerning an Evaluation of Hospitals operated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.” This bill aimed to enforce a review of all the improvements to the operations, conditions, culture, and finances of Whiting Forensic Hospital and Connecticut Valley Hospital. Sabrina also volunteered as a Ruderman Inclusion Ambassador on campus, helping to advocate for accessibility for students with disabilities. To further her knowledge of health law and policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, she took the Harvard EdX course “Bioethics: The Law, Medicine, and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies & Genetics.” From her 2L year at Brooklyn Law School, through her participation in the Health Law Clinic, Sabrina worked as an intern for Community Health Advocates where she helped low-income New Yorkers with medical insurance issues. She participated in the BLS Disability Right’s Clinic in 2023. As a Fellow, Sabrina has used her background and combined her passions for health law and disability rights to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive equal and unbiased care.

Sloane Forbush ’24 has a research focus on effective policy solutions to the public health crisis of gun violence. Sloane completed her undergraduate degree at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. After graduating, she moved to New York City, where she pursued multiple roles in the legal, public affairs, and startup space in her early career. During her time at Brooklyn Law School, Sloane has interned for the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center doing housing and eviction defense work, participated as a student intern at Brooklyn’s LGBTQ Advocacy Clinic, is past community development chair of Brooklyn Law School Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI), and has been articles editor for the Brooklyn Law Review. Sloane has a passion for and interest in gun violence prevention because her family is personally impacted. As a Health Law and Policy Fellow, Sloane conducted research exploring paths toward creating an equitable, comprehensive, and intersectional gun safety policy and its power to create a cultural shift.

Megan Henley ’24 grew up in Tennessee and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee. Her interest in health law and policy began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she started at an elder law firm specializing in Medicaid and advanced planning for aging and disabled populations. During her time at Brooklyn Law School, Megan has interned at Grimaldi & Yeung, working with clients on guardianships and estate administration; she has worked at the New York Legal Assistance Group’s elder law practice; at the Legal Wellness Institute, through the Health Law Practice & Policy Externship at BLS; and as a judicial extern to the Hon. Rosemarie Montalbano of the Kings County Surrogate’s Court. In addition, Megan was a founding member of the Indigenous Rights Advocacy Project. She has worked with Spanish-speaking clients with Sanctuary for Families’ Uncontested Divorce Project, and with OUTLaws’ Name Change Project. As a Health Law and Policy Fellow, Megan has used her background in direct client work to focus on how to protect vulnerable individuals’ autonomy and safety when introducing new health care technology and policy.

Syed Zulqarnain Hussaini ’24 graduated from CUNY Queens College with a B.B.A in corporate finance, a B.A. in economics, and a B.A. in English. He spent a number of years working for medical practices in various positions ranging from health regulation to financial oversight. Combined with his finance and economics background, Syed developed a compelling interest in both corporate and health law. While at Brooklyn Law, he gained practical experience working for New Jersey–based Carella Byrne, a multifaceted law firm that focuses on litigation, and with attorney Subhan Tariq on debt collection litigation matters. Through Brooklyn Law School's Health Law Externship Clinic, Syed worked with the New York Legal Assistance Group in their legal health unit and at Hercules Pharmaceuticals. As a Health Law and Policy Fellow, his research considers the positive and negative impacts of the market shift toward consolidation of the healthcare industry and its effects on the costs and quality of patient care.

Elisabeth Mayer ’24 received a bachelor’s degree in medical anthropology from Harvard University and a master’s in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she concentrated in health policy. After graduate school, Elisabeth spent more than 15 years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she worked in a range of roles, including regulatory affairs, clinical operations management, strategic planning, and government relations. At Brooklyn Law School, Elisabeth studied health law and had the opportunity to work on projects that address the intersections of public health with disability law, environment law, housing law, and criminal law. As an Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Fellow at Community Health Advocates, she helped clients navigate the complexities of insurance coverage and worked to overturn coverage denials. She has been active in the Law School’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society; If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice; and has completed internships with BLS’s Disability and Civil Rights Clinic and New York City Council Legislation and Policy Clinic and interned at the Center for HIV Law and Policy. In fall 2023 she worked in the Office of the General Counsel of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. As a Fellow, Elisabeth has done research that explores measures of improving equitable access to organ transplants for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who have historically been deprioritized as transplant candidates.

David Noh ’24 grew up in Oakland Gardens, Queens, N.Y., and attended Queens College for his undergraduate studies. He then pursued a career in public service in New York City government, where, as a councilmanic aide, he was adept at researching City rules and regulations in order to provide well-informed responses to district residents. David’s passion for public health and health law stems from his family’s experience with the U.S. healthcare system and from witnessing the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed the system’s strengths and flaws. At Brooklyn Law, David studied health law with Professor Frank Pasquale, and learned about the U.S. healthcare system and the various actors and parties who have shaped it. He has been a judicial extern to the Hon. Gregory H. Woods, District Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and has served as a legal intern for the New York County Supreme Court Mediation Program, among others. He has also been a delegate to the Law School’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and Legal Hackers. As a Fellow, David researched the positive and negative impacts of increased private equity investments in medical care, considering cost, access, and quality of care.

Imad Rafi ’24 received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Stony Brook University. His interest in health law was sparked by his fascination with the intersection of law and healthcare in his previous role as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Imad’s senior undergraduate thesis, “Qui Tam Lawsuits in The Healthcare Industry: The Case for Narrowing the Scope of the False Claims Act,” delved into the complexities and potential reforms surrounding qui tam actions in healthcare. During law school, he gained valuable legal experience as a summer intern for the Honorable Jennifer E. Willis, Magistrate Judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Imad has been active in the Law School’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society, Muslim Students Association, Brooklyn Advocates for Judicial Reform, and South Asian Law Students Association. He interned with the Office of the General Counsel at St. Peter’s Health Partners, a hospital system in Albany, where he focused on legal research of compliance issues, and at the nonprofit VNS Health, where he worked on compliance and regulatory issues and healthcare contracts. Imad’s research focuses on examining proposed reforms of the audit practices of the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General and the potential implications of those reforms for New York’s healthcare system.

Anish Vaidya ’25 received his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and English from Rutgers University. He worked at a global contract research organization compiling lab testing data into concise reports for multi-national pharmaceutical company clients. Reports included evaluations of the FDA compliance of completed research, with a focus on adherence to “good laboratory practice” and “good clinical practice.” While at Brooklyn Law, Anish has interned with the legal department of Bristol Myers Squibb, where he researched and drafted legal memoranda on various projects supporting legal teams responsible for manufacturing, operations, quality, environmental, cell therapy, supply chain, and commercialization law. He has been active in BLS’ Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law, the Alternate Dispute Resolution Honor Society, South Asian Law Students Association, and Legal Hackers. Anish has also served as a judicial intern at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He hopes to apply his background in the life sciences to support lifesaving scientific developments, and he holds a particular interest in cell therapy products. His research as a Fellow delves into the need for legal regulation that balances the benefits and risks of natural psychoactive substances kava and kratom, as they gain popularity.

Kylie Bae ’23 graduated from the University of California Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s Science degree in Nursing. After college, Kylie went to work for the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Silicon Valley. To provide the best care for the veterans, she trained in cutting-edge, state-of-the-art healthcare technology. For generations, her family provided healthcare to people in need. Kylie’s interest in healthcare systems developed from witnessing firsthand her family’s dedicated work in promoting public health and advancing the well-being of people.

Shoshana Finkel is a 3L at Brooklyn Law School. This is her second year as a Health Law and Policy Fellow. During her first year of the fellowship, Shoshana conducted a research project on state regulation of COVID-19 disease control in residential facilities for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. This past summer, Shoshana was an intern at the CDC Public Health Law Program, where she developed her fellowship research into a legal epidemiological study of the relationship between regulatory responses to the pandemic and morbidity and mortality data of residents of congregate care facilities. Additionally, during her time at the CDC, Shoshana developed a report on the enforcement of mandated reporting by providers to state vaccine registries. During her time in law school, she has also worked at NYLAG Legal Health, the Disability and Civil Rights Clinic at BLS, and as an extern to the Hon. Katherine Levine of the Kings County Supreme Court. She is the 3L Co-Chair of the Disability Advocacy Law Students Association and loves to cook and explore New York City.

Caitlyn Genovese ’23 is a second-year law student at Brooklyn Law School, eager to use her scientific background as it applies to the legal world. Caitlyn graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Biology, minoring in Psychology. While in college, she worked in a neurobiology laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina, focusing on dopaminergic pathways driving addiction, depression, and motivated behavior. After college, she continued her research experiences as a lab manager and research technician at Weill Cornell Medicine in the Cesarman Laboratory. At Weill Cornell, Caitlyn collaborated with her colleagues on projects focused on Kaposi Sarcoma. Her main project focused on point-of-care diagnostic studies to deploy portable diagnostic devices and education on proper laboratory procedures to facilitate independent testing capabilities in sub-Saharan Africa. Her secondary project focused on studying Wilms’ Tumor I expression as a potential target for immunotherapy. This work at Weill Cornell inspired Caitlyn to seek a Juris Doctorate, ultimately leading her to Brooklyn Law School. Her collaborative work at Weill Cornell is published in Blood Advances, and she expects a second publication to be forthcoming. Caitlyn was chosen as a 1L Legal Council on Diversity (LCLD) Summer Scholar at Pfizer in their New York Headquarters. As a 1L Summer Scholar she worked in Pfizer’s Intellectual Property department on current patent litigation and intellectual property enforcement. As a Fellow, Caitlyn hopes to use her background to find a more balanced junction between health law, intellectual property, and scientific development to create a more inclusive global health opportunity for all.

Alyson Jensen ’23 is interested in implementing innovative policy-based programs to promote more equitable health outcomes and access to health care for low-income and vulnerable populations. As a Health Law & Policy Fellow, she hopes to develop policy proposals related to Medicaid expansions for immigrant and undocumented individuals across the life course, including Medicaid estate recovery reform and expansion of Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports. She currently partners with community-based and safety-net organizations to improve health care access and utilization for immigrant communities and vulnerable populations across NYC as the Senior Manager of Community Partnerships for the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Alyson’s previous experiences in health systems reform and advocacy include facilitating geriatric care services for Medicaid-eligible seniors, expanding access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at farmer’s markets, implementing needs assessments for public school wellness councils, and promoting a healthier National School Lunch Program at schools with high free and reduced price meal participation. She holds an MPH in Population and Family Health with a certificate in Health Policy from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and a BA in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.

At the height of the pandemic, Slay Latham ’22 (they/them/theirs) moved from their hometown in the Bay Area to New York to follow the dream of becoming an attorney. When they applied to law school, they knew they wanted to use their law degree as a tool for ensuring the survival of the LGBTQ+ community in and outside of the confines of the law. As a transgender person they know the law is often used as a tool for oppression rather than liberation. "All over the country, trans people, especially transgender youth, are under attack and need support. Efforts to target transgender Americans and their access to healthcare have skyrocketed since 2018, and I refuse to accept that any state has the authority to deem a population of people so undesirable that the medical care they need to survive becomes a crime. By March of 2022 at least 240 bills specifically designed to harm queer people had been introduced," said Latham. As Latham enters their final year, they feel an even deeper commitment to fight back against a rising wave of legislative hate. Their hope is that one day all trans people will be able to live in a world that not only sees our humanity but sets us up to live our lives free of violence.

After working in the health policy and employee benefits space in Washington D.C., Carly came to law school to pursue a career in health law and policy. Currently the President of The Health Law and Policy Association, Carly has taken advantage of many of the health law opportunities at Brooklyn Law School including health law courses and the health law and policy externship. Carly is passionate about health law issues because it’s a complex and challenging area that encompasses a vast array of issues that deeply affect people’s lives. Carly hopes to use this fellowship to focus on an area of interest while trying to identify a way to use her research in an advocacy context.

Camille Tucker ’23 is a rising 3P student at Brooklyn Law School and a full-time elementary and middle school science teacher. She studied environmental science in high school and for her undergraduate degree, where she learned about the importance of using good science to inform laws and public policy. Her interest in health law, science and the law, and biotechnology have all grown during her time at Brooklyn Law School, thanks in large part to courses like Environmental Science and Mental Health Law, as well as a summer internship at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She is looking forward to participating in the Health Law and Policy Fellowship this academic year.

Arpi Youssoufian ’23 graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Barnard College in 2016 and Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education from Harvard University in 2017, and continued at Harvard for three years as a post-graduate Research Associate in cognitive and developmental neuroscience. At Brooklyn Law School, she works as a Research Assistant for Professor Adam Kolber and serves as the Managing Editor of the Brooklyn Law Review. Arpi spent her 2L summer at WilmerHale, and previously served as a federal judicial intern in the Southern District of New York and the District of Massachusetts. Arpi pivoted to law school from her career in the sciences after recognizing the need for effective translation between the two fields, and broadly aims to bridge the divide between medical, health, and scientific research and legal practice in furtherance of a just and more equitable society.

Michael L. Cederblom ’22 graduated cum laude in 2018 with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. In college, he worked as a research assistant, researching the effect of mindset on smoking cessation in conjunction with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His interest in health ultimately stems from his family background in the healthcare industry; this has been strengthened through his experience and coursework in law school. Michael previously worked at Community Health Advocates, as a federal judicial intern in the Eastern District of New York, and as a summer associate in the Health Care & Life Sciences Group at Debevoise & Plimpton where he will return in 2022. He currently works as a research assistant for Professor Frank Pasquale on issues related to COVID-19, privacy, and antitrust. He will work at the N.Y.C. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the fall of 2021. Michael's article on digital contact tracing and pandemic response will be published in the Loyola Chicago Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences in the Winter of 2021. Michael is a Notes Editor of Brooklyn Law Review and a co-founder and current Co-President of the Antitrust and Competition Law Association at Brooklyn Law. As a Fellow, Michael hopes to explore the intersection of public health, law, and philosophy to make public health policy more equitable during times of crisis.

Shoshana Finkel ’23 is a second year law student at Brooklyn Law School. She is passionate about finding ways for governments, healthcare systems, and community groups to create equitable healthcare solutions. She has presented research at the American Public Health Association national conference on maternal health among women with disabilities, and has written and presented widely on disability inclusion in academia. Shoshana has previously worked in advocacy and research at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, the Ruderman Family Foundation, Centene, Disability Policy Consortium, and NYC Health+Hospitals. Most recently she has worked as a legal intern with Legal Hand (Center for Court Innovation) and the New York Legal Assistance Group. Shoshana also loves cooking, playing board games, and spending time in nature.

Caraline Mikkelsen ’23 is interested in exploring the role our current mental health laws play in helping family members assist their ill relative with mental illness. Caraline graduated from University of Richmond with a B.A. in Psychology, and minors in Criminal Justice and Law & Liberal Arts. At Richmond, she served as Class President for the Westhampton College Government Association, where she led various large student events to uphold traditions of the college and to improve the campus community. She also did an internship at the D.C.'s Public Defender Services' Mental Health Division where she attended treatment plan meetings for clients that were involuntarily committed in psychiatric hospitals to make sure their rights were protected on the ward and to ensure that they had access to resources upon discharge to successfully transition back into the community. After she graduated, she worked as a paralegal at two firms, namely in corporate immigration law, and products liability. A year prior to coming to law school, she pursued a new opportunity at a general practice defense firm that has a robust mental health law department, an area she aspires to practice in the future. Since she has started law school as an evening student, she has maintained her full-time job during the day. In addition, she has involved herself in the law school's new student advising program, referred to as SAMP, where she mentors other part-time students. She is also a member of the Disability Advocacy and Law Association Program where she successfully started a petition for the University to offer Mental Health Law course in Spring 2022. She is currently training for the New York City Marathon for this November 2021, where all the proceeds she is raising will be donated to the National Alliance for Mental Illness in New York City. Caraline also completed Independent Research this past academic year in topics related to mental health law, and looks forward to expanding on her research efforts through this fellowship opportunity.

Leisa Rockelein ’23 is a 2L at Brooklyn Law School. She grew up on Long Island, NY and attended Binghamton University for her undergraduate studies. She always had a strong interest in science, which was cemented when she minored in environmental studies in college. She has also been passionate about mental health, physical health, and overall wellness since a young age and pursued many extracurriculars in college around these topics. Beginning in the 1st grade, she was diagnosed with multiple health challenges from chronic illnesses to autoimmune diseases to mental illness. While she had always been a passionate advocate for health and disability rights, this grew even stronger in the recent pandemic. In her 1L year, she attended a panel on Environmental Justice & Covid-19 put together by the Environmental Law Society and the Health Law & Policy Association. The discussion cut across multiple issues she was passionate about Health Law & Policy. Leisa cannot wait to begin her research as a Health Law & Policy Fellow.

Hasan Tariq ’22 worked for over a decade in a healthcare facility providing services to low-income people with HIV and AIDS. His clients were mostly people of color with histories of mental illness and substance abuse. A sizable minority also identified as LGBTQ. Meeting the healthcare needs of people from vulnerable and marginalized communities was sometimes complicated by the fact that the afflictions, behaviors and conditions of such groups are often stigmatized or criminalized, which could alienate people who require health care services but distrust a health care system in which they are underrepresented and stereotyped. Tariq is interested in ways that Health Law and developments in science and technology can help to mitigate bias and discrimination in ways that lead to better public health outcomes.

Sarah Colgan ’21 graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science. Her interest in public health and health law stems from her work at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she worked on projects ranging from patient outreach to population health. After entering law school, she worked for a number of health law-related organizations, including the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and at a medical malpractice defense litigation firm. Additionally, she is the Vice President of the Health Law and Policy Association and is an Article Editor for the Journal of Law and Policy, where her Note focusing on health equity will be published in the fall. As a fellow, she hopes to continue to research policies and legislation that will address the systemic inequalities in our health care system and help to achieve health equity.

Marissa Espinoza is interested in the challenges that governments face in promoting public health policies amid anti-science public sentiment and a changing media landscape. Marissa graduated from Hofstra University with a B.A. in Economics, Political Science, and Psychology, and minors in Spanish, and Civic Engagement. At Hofstra, she received a Firestone Fellowship to conduct research on the 2008 financial crisis. Her senior thesis was a critical analysis of the Federal Reserve’s policy of quantitative easing post-financial crisis, and won the Max Tenenbaum Endowed Memorial Prize for top Economics department thesis. After graduation, Marissa completed a Fulbright Scholarship in Ecuador focused on the rising growth of financialization in Ecuador and the threat it poses to the stability of the Ecuadorian financial system and economy. Marissa works full-time in state government and is a member of Brooklyn Law’s Moot Court Appellate Division and the Brooklyn Journal of Law and Policy. She plans to continue working in public policy and government after graduation.

Daniel Lichtenauer graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. In college, he was awarded the McKinney Prize for persuasive speech and worked as a research assistant in the college’s microbiology lab. Upon graduation, he joined the staff at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a Clinical Research Specialist, a position he held for five years. There, he was a resource for oncologists seeking novel therapy for patients whose disease had progressed on standard treatment and identified eligible candidates for government and industry-sponsored research protocols. His passion for accessible health care began in high school, where he led Kids for World Health, a student organization that raised funds and awareness for the treatment of neglected diseases in Africa. Daniel’s research interests include informed consent and the socioeconomic barriers of access to clinical trials. This summer, Daniel was an intern at the Legal Wellness Institute at The Family Center, an organization that provides holistic legal services for medically fragile New Yorkers.

Sydney Wolchok is a second-year law student at Brooklyn Law School. She studied Environmental Sciences and Human Health while at Emory University. She received a Master of Public Health from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health from the Environmental Health Sciences Department with a concentration in Climate and Health. At Mailman, Sydney focused on adverse health outcomes that are a result of detrimental environmental effects. Unfortunately, the most intense and concentrated environmental effects are seen in underserved and vulnerable populations; particularly in communities of children, the elderly, people of color, and low-income residents. Sydney hopes to bring her background in environmental health sciences to the field of law fighting for environmental justice and bridging the gap between scientists and decision makers to formulate effective and realistic policy solutions. Her passion for environmental health and dedication to this field will allow her to focus on the intersection between the law, environmental science, and human health. Sydney was a legal intern at the US EPA Region 2 Office in the New York Caribbean Superfund Branch as a BLSPI Fellow during her 1L summer. Sydney is excited to continue to explore her interest in environmental law through Brooklyn Law School's Health Law & Policy Fellowship.

Marissa Wong is a third-year law student at Brooklyn Law School. Marissa graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and worked in marketing for two and a half years. She developed an interest in health law during her time as a judicial intern, where she researched cases regarding insurance and health care law. Taking health law classes at Brooklyn Law solidified her interests. With the COVID-19 pandemic uprooting many areas of the law and our everyday lives, she became even more intrigued in the intersection between health law and the nation's law.