Health Law Professorship to be Established at FSU's College of Law
By Jan Pudlow, Associate Editor

The following article first appeared in the Florida Bar News October 15, 2000.

With Florida State University's new medical school in the works, what better time to boost FSU's health law offerings? That was the thinking behind a $100,000 gift from the Bar's Health Law Section to establish a health law professorship at FSU's College of Law.

"We're delighted! Thrilled to have it! Very generous!" was the reaction from FSU College of Law Dean Don Weidner. Weidner made a presentation to the Health Law Section Executive Council on September 7, describing his vision of a health law faculty member committed to interacting with the health law profession and involved in the work of the section.

"The Health Law Section felt that the proposal from FSU gave them an opportunity to provide lasting and meaningful benefit to the people of the state of Florida, attorneys in the state, and specifically to increase awareness and development of health law as an area of practice in the state of Florida," said Bruce Lamb, the section's chair.

"The professorship gives ongoing recognition of the section, as well as an opportunity for FSU to develop health law as a topic for classes. The opportunity to participate at a time when FSU is getting a new medical school and to get in on the ground floor of that is also very attractive to us," Lamb added.

With the $100,000 gift, Weidner said, he will apply for a 50-percent match from the state. The gift will be deposited with the FSU Foundation as an endowment and interest on the total $150,000 will be used for the professorship.

"We recognize that health care law is an area of increasing and critical importance, both in Florida and nationally," Weidner said. "We're strengthening our offerings in the health care law area. And we are trying to take advantage of faculty strength and our location in Tallahassee, with many health-care law decision-makers and the new medical school at FSU, to strengthen our program and its impact."

The aim of the new professorship, Weidner said, is to "provide increased incentives and recognition for faculty members who will be interactive with members of the Health Law Section and will bring some of the working world members of health law into the law school."

Now, Weidner said, the FSU law school has some courses in health care and bioethics, but he wants to expand the curriculum to include health care financing, the proper roles of HMOs and medical malpractice, as well.

"The professorship is designed to encourage faculty to teach and write in the health care area and also to bring in broader issues into the law school or into the classroom, whether it's guest lecturers, visiting speakers on campus, or recommending additional courses for our curriculum," Weidner said.

In addition to this professorship, Weidner said, he has asked the provost for additional funding for a senior position in health care law."