Donna E. Levin is Chair of the Network for Public Health Law’s (Network) Advisory Board. A highly respected leader in public health law, Donna’s career spans 45 years. Donna recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Law Section of the American Public Health Association.
Donna was National Director of the Network from 2014 to 2022, where she oversaw organizational strategy and operations. Under Donna’s leadership, the Network became a trusted partner to thousands of public health departments around the country. Most notably, Donna directed the Network’s efforts to monitor and help health departments address legislative attempts to limit their legal authority in the wake of the COVID pandemic. This critical work continues today, and is integral to the Network’s continued provision of capacity building support to public health officials so they can protect and promote the health of communities.
Before joining the Network, Donna spent 26 years as General Counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where she had oversight of Office of General Counsel and led her team in providing guidance on statutory and regulatory authority, the development of major policy initiatives of the Department, and legislation affecting public health.
Donna was also Adjunct Professor of Public Health Law at Suffolk University School of Law, and was a lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health. She served as a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies’ Committee on Guidance for Establishing Standards of Care in Disaster Situations.
Donna’s legal expertise includes the areas of newborn screening; genetics and privacy laws; health insurance consumer protections; biotechnology; emergency public health response; and public health aspects of health care and health care cost reform. She has authored numerous articles and presented on many of these topics.
Donna received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, and was a member of the Boston Bar Association’s Health Law Steering Committee.
Donna E. Levin Appointed as Chair of the Network for Public Health Law’s Advisory Board The Network for Public Health Law (Network) announces the appointment…
The backlash in response to public health measures taken during the pandemic has resulted in many states passing laws restricting the ability of public health to take action to protect the health of their communities. However, there are many states that have taken innovative actions that strengthen public health authority and provide mechanisms that support a strong public health infrastructure.
This report, produced by the Network as part of the Act for Public Health initiative, examines laws impacting public health authority that have been passed as of May 20, 2022 and provides analysis of how they significantly weaken the collective ability of public health to respond effectively in future pandemics and other emergencies, and to carry out day-to-day public health activities.
The Network for Public Health Law (Network) is searching for a new National Director to provide strategic direction, lead organizational development, and oversee the work of its National Office and five Region Offices. The ideal candidate is an energetic hands-on leader with unquestionable integrity and high ethical standards, who is able to lead and inspire with an entrepreneurial mindset. The National Director must have exceptional ability to proactively engage and facilitate discussions with a broad range of stakeholders to champion the Network and its mission to provide visionary leadership in the use of law to protect, promote, and improve health and health equity. As the position is integral to ensuring organizational stability and growth, the National Director must have a strong track record in identifying and securing diverse sources of revenue, including philanthropic and government funding, as well as earned-income.
Climate change is a public health threat that has already begun to erode the availability of safe and accessible housing, a critical social determinant of health. Climate-caused extreme weather events, like increased flooding are not experienced equally across all populations; rather, the primary harms are being disproportionately experienced by frontline communities of color and those living in low-income neighborhoods. Health equity requires identifying law and policy solutions that prioritize the needs of communities most vulnerable to climate harms and understanding the role that climate change plays in undermining housing security. Attend this webinar to learn about these topics, which will include a climate-focused lens as well as identifying law and policy approaches to housing affordability and availability.
The Network for Public Health Law (Network) today announced that its National Director, Donna E. Levin, is retiring July 1 after a remarkable career which spanned 44 years in public health law, eight of those at the Network. Donna will be integral to guiding the leadership transition process for the Network over the next four months.
In 2010, the same year that the Network launched, the ACA was enacted and the nation took a critical step toward improving access to health care. Now, ten years later and in the wake of the pandemic, we know there is still much to be done and that we must build not only on the advances made by the ACA, but strategize and argue for systemic change on multiple levels.
by Overview 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET | May 27, 2021Families have experienced unique vulnerabilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some…
In this webinar, presenters will describe the nature of the laws being announced from the judicial bench or proposed in state legislatures, the process by which they are being formulated in every level and branch of government, and the principles that should guide legal developments as we seek to balance the facts, expert opinion, and civic participation, as well as guard against harmful unforeseen consequences.
Attend this webinar to learn about an innovative, multi-sector approach to identifying and removing barriers to OAT in eight sectors.
In 2010, the same year that the Network launched, the ACA was enacted and the nation took a critical step toward improving access to health care. Now, ten years later and in the wake of the pandemic, we know there is still much to be done and that we must build not only on the advances made by the ACA, but strategize and argue for systemic change on multiple levels.
This webinar examined the decisions health care workers must make to address scarce resource allocation including, ethical decision-making, provider liability and other legal issues, and the role of Crisis Standards of Care.
