We honor today Sara Rosenbaum, an exceptionally worthy recipient of the Jay Healey Award.
Sara is a remarkably creative and prolific researcher and scholar. She has published scores of articles in legal, medical, public health, and public policy journals as well as monographs, commissioned papers, blog posts, and a seminal health law teaching book.
Sara has also been an extraordinary advocate for health justice and underserved populations, beginning with her work with the Children’s Defense Fund and National Health Law Program and continuing through her advocacy with Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. She has also drafted numerous amicus briefs for the appellate courts and Supreme Court, including briefing defending Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and EMTALA. Her advocacy was key in establishing the Vaccines for Children program which covers millions of American low income children and contributed to the creation of the CHIP program and Affordable Care Act.
Sara has been a dedicated public servant. She was a founding commissioner and chair of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission and a member of CDC advisory commissions. She has led or participated in numerous National Academy of Medicine committees.
But above all Sara, like Jay Healey himself, has been an exemplary educator. She has taught classes and seminars at both the George Washington University’s Milken institute and Law School and mentored students in public health and law, as well as young health law faculty. Moreover, Sara has also approached all of her work–with Congress, the courts, federal agencies, public health organizations, and writing—as an educator, informing and challenging her many students.
Finally, Sara, as a grandmother of the health law field, has been a wonderful colleague, friend, and mentor to all of us, the health law educator community. Thank you, Sara.