In its Winter edition, the American University Washington College of Law’s Human Rights Brief published an article co-authored by Tamar Ezer of the Open Society Public Health Program, entitled, “Promoting Public Health through Clinical Legal Education: Initiatives in South Africa, Thailand and Ukraine” (available in PDF at: http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/17/2ezer.pdf?rd=1). In addition to Ezer, the article was authored by Ludmylla Deshko, Nicola Gunn Clark, Enga Kameni, and Bruce A. Lasky.
It draws on the clinical legal education work of four partners of the Open Society Public Health Program to explore how the law can be a powerful tool to promote public health in addressing diverse issues such as HIV/AIDS, palliative care, patient care, and access to medicines. It examines clinical legal education initiatives in these areas ranging from legal empowerment to direct services to policy advocacy. It also reflects on the potential of clinical legal education to develop professionals who can tackle today’s complex law and health problems.