Master of Science in Law: Symposium
Each year, the Master of Science in Law (MSL) program hosts a symposium to showcase the work of its students and to highlight the importance of cross-disciplinary awareness. This annual event showcases the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge at the intersection of STEM, law, business, and policy.
We invite you to view the presentations below, which cover a range of thought-provoking and timely topics, including data privacy, AI, medical devices, entrepreneurship, healthcare policy, and more, and hope they will inspire you to further investigate how this cross-disciplinary program can positively impact your career.
2026 MSL Symposium Schedule
The 8th Annual MSL Symposium will take place on May 11 from 1:30-6:15 pm and May 12 from 12:30-5:00 pm. Attendees can attend online or in-person. Online attendees should use this Zoom link.
Monday, May 11
1:30–2:15pm Session 1
1:30–1:45 Hazal Su Ceylan, Brains, Behavior, and Blame: Neuroscientific Evidence in American and Italian Criminal Courts
This study examines how neuroimaging and neuroscientific evidence is admitted, interpreted, and weighted in criminal proceedings across the United States and Italy. Drawing on landmark cases and evolving legal frameworks, it reveals how both judicial systems navigate the tension between scientific complexity and legal standards of proof.
1:45–2:00 Sarah Ellen Dean, The Dark Side of Dams: Displacement and Distress in Panama
While hydroelectric projects are portrayed as beneficial, they frequently impose negative health impacts on the communities they are situated in, raising concerns about human rights violations. For example, the Chan-75 dam in Panama has forcibly displaced over 1,000 Indigenous Ngäbe people, altering the social and cultural fabric of Ngäbe communities. This research investigates the negative health effects associated with the displacement of Indigenous Ngäbe people from their ancestral lands and is a collaborative project undertaken by students from Pritzker School of Law, Kellogg School of Management, and Feinberg School of Medicine as part of the interdisciplinary Health & Human Rights course.
2:00–2:15 Sravani Prekki, Coverage, Capital, and Community: The Globalization of Insurance in India
As insurance markets have expanded globally, India has emerged as a striking case study in how market-driven healthcare financing reshapes access, affordability, and health equity at the community level. This presentation examines the adoption of private and public insurance models in India, the structural trade-offs they introduce, and the open question of whether this framework ultimately serves India's diverse and largely informal-economy population.
2:15–2:30pm Break
2:30–3:30pm Session 2
2:30–2:45 Anoosha Adtani, Avneet Singh, Hadia Mohammadzadah, Judith Adomako, The Triple Threat: How the Law, STEM, and Business Intersect to Address Postpartum Hemorrhage
Motivated by disparities in maternal outcomes and a shared interest in women’s health, our Entrepreneurship Lab team explored postpartum hemorrhage as a critical gap in early recognition rather than response. This presentation highlights how we translated clinical insights, stakeholder interviews, and interdisciplinary MSL training into a potential solution to improve maternal care delivery outcomes.
2:45–3:00 Isaiah Chung, Death By A Thousand Cuts: How Small Errors in AI Diagnostic Models Result in Significant Clinical Outcomes
When AI diagnostic models are introduced into an environment different than the one they were trained in, the tiniest change can shift the result from health to harm. In rural communities, this phenomenon is exacerbated. A demonstrable proof at the intersection of mathematics, law, and medicine shows how we can adjust AI adaptation to create faster, cleaner, and healthier lives with machine learning.
3:00–3:15 Hailey Hakes, Where Law Meets Life: Disparities in Rural Healthcare
The law has unintentionally led to health disparities and healthcare deserts, especially in rural communities. This leads to ethical tensions, and healthcare provider burnout, which can be addressed by modifications to the current system structure.
3:15–3:30 Emma Rachum, Disproportionate by Design: Race, Industry, and America’s Cancer Valley
In the United States, the burden of industrial pollution is not distributed by chance, but rather systemically by a regulatory system that has historically undervalued the lives of the communities most exposed. Decades of discriminatory land use decisions, exclusionary zoning, and regulatory neglect have structurally concentrated petrochemical facilities, waste sites, and industrial corridors in Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities, producing a pattern of environmental harm so consistent it demands accountability. This presentation examines the mechanisms enabling this injustice, and the human consequences of environmental racism in America, arguing that environmental injustice is not a byproduct of industrialization but a feature of it.
3:30–4:00pm Refreshment Break
Prospective Student Welcome
4:00–4:45pm Session 3
4:00–4:15 Wendy Lee, Genetic Testing and Privacy Rights: Who Owns Your DNA?
This presentation examines the legal and ethical implications of genetic testing, focusing on privacy rights and the question of ownership of genetic information. It analyzes the dual role of DNA databases in advancing health awareness and public safety through criminal investigations and the identification of missing persons, while raising significant concerns about consent, data use, and individual privacy.
4:15–4:30 Bhumi Merai, The Challenge of Protecting Privacy in the Age of Surveillance.
Privacy laws have given us the illusion of control; they force companies to disclose what they collect, but not to stop collecting, leaving users in a system where consent is coerced and opting out means being left behind in a digital world. Until companies make the ethical choice to stop treating human behavior as a product to be harvested and sold, no amount of regulation will save privacy from quietly becoming a thing of the past.
4:30–4:45 Featured Alumni Presentation Zoey Zayne, What if the Warning Signs of School Safety Risk are Already Visible But We Have Normalized Ignoring Them Because They are Inconvenient to Confront?
This presentation draws on student-level data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to examine how youth engagement with social media at addictive levels manifests as observable digital risk behaviors and aligns with perceptions of school safety during the school day. When these behaviors are visible, they are no longer abstract they are evidence, raising questions of duty of care, mandated reporting, and institutional accountability because at some point, a failure to recognize risk becomes a failure to respond, and a failure to respond carries consequences.
4:45–5:00pm Break
5:00–6:15pm Keynote
Wamwari Waichungo, PhD, Head of Global Regulatory & Scientific Affairs, Archer Daniels Midland
Career Convergence: Blending Educational Backgrounds, Skills, Work Experiences, and Industry Knowledge to Create a Versatile Professional Identity
As automation, artificial intelligence, and national and global economic shifts redefine today's workplace, we need to merge diverse skills and expertise, so that we are better positioned to adapt to the evolving work environment. Embracing non-linear career paths and constantly converging new skills with past experience creates a versatile, resilient, and future-proof professional identity that thrives with change.
Tuesday, May 12
12:30-1:30pm Lunch
1:30-2:15pm Session 4
1:30–1:45 Nan Kelly, From the Operating Room to a Startup: Regulation, Real-World Evidence, and the Path to Commercialization
This presentation examines the intersection of clinical innovation, regulation, and commercialization through the case of the Unitary Stent Graft, a physician-developed technology used in more than 200 patients under FDA-regulated pathways. Drawing on my experience in the Northwestern MSL program and my role in founding Countach Medical, I explore how the FDA’s evolving use of real-world evidence (RWE) may influence the translation of physician-driven innovation into commercial medical devices.
1:45–2:00 Ronald Medina, The Gordian Knot: Unleashing Nuclear Power’s Potential through Regulatory Agency & Technology
This presentation offers a snapshot of the nuclear power industry’s challenges using the cognitive device of the Gordian Knot. Through examination of ideas learned through the MSL and my nuclear engineering programs of study, I present a methodology for furthering goals in this field by taking advantage of trends in regulatory agency and technology.
2:00–2:15 Avanthika Rajendran, The Regulatory Moat: Measuring How Pharmaceutical Companies Use Patent Strategy to Control Competition
This paper explores the commercial and regulatory ceilings pharmaceutical companies face when it comes to utilizing patents as a business strategy. It introduces the Patent Portfolio Strength Index (PPSI), a composite methodology that scores pharmaceutical biologic patent portfolios across four dimensions and tests whether portfolio strength predicts bio-similar market access and pricing outcomes across four case studies. Using publicly available data, the analysis finds that PPSI scores explain significant variance in originator price growth trajectories during periods of active bio-similar competition, and that a two-mechanism model incorporating both IP strength and market size resolves an otherwise anomalous price-level finding.
2:15-2:30pm Break
2:30-3:30pm Session 5
2:30–2:45 Ryan Ahearn, Kyle Cooper, Margaret Tran, The Funding Gap in Independent Research
The growth of scientific discovery is increasingly constrained not by a lack of innovative ideas or researchers, but by a funding gap that leaves independent researchers and early-stage ventures without the capital needed to advance beyond the laboratory. This presentation will investigate the structural barriers that limit research funding and introduce Traco Aster’s interdisciplinary strategy for bridging the gap between scientific discovery and investment strategy.
2:45–3:00 Caden Goss, The AIM Act and the Regulation of Hydrofluorocarbons
The American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act authorizes the EPA to regulate hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) due to their high global warming potential (GWP). Using a regulatory strategy and framework similar to those the agency used for the phasedown of ozone-depleting substances, the EPA aims to significantly reduce HFC consumption through economic pressure, additional obligations for industry, and allowance allocations for critical sectors. This presentation examines the potential implications of the EPA requirements for STEM and general industry as the transition from HFC to non-fluorinated alternatives becomes more incentivized, and EPA requirements grow more restrictive.
3:00–3:15 Marissa Perez, When Data Becomes Evidence: Reframing Quality Control Through a Legal Lens
This presentation examines the role of Quality Control (QC) in the biopharmaceutical industry through both scientific and legal perspectives, highlighting how QC serves not only to ensure product quality but also as a regulatory safeguard within the drug development process. Drawing on concepts from the Master of Science in Law (MSL) curriculum, it explores how practices such as documentation and data integrity contribute to the creation of reliable, defensible evidence, ultimately positioning QC at the intersection of science, law, and patient safety.
3:15–3:30 Featured Alumni Presentation Kristin Weivoda, Leading While Female: Redefining Leadership for an Age of Equity
Confidence is often mistaken for arrogance, and assertiveness is seen as difficult. Competence can sometimes cost likability. Drawing on my experience as a US Ski Team athlete, an MSL alum, and a clinical leader in male-dominated fields such as first response and healthcare, this talk explores why women encounter these. It also shares frameworks from Northwestern's MSL program to double standard challenge gender bias using policy and systems thinking.
3:30-4:00pm Refreshment Break
4:00-4:45pm Session 6
4:00–4:15 Camille Gaudet, Building the AI-Proof Professional: Leveraging Performing Arts Training to Lead a Successful Career
In the evolving world of artificial intelligence, where the written communication gap has largely narrowed, distinctly human “soft skills” have emerged as the defining differentiators of the modern professional. Drawing on a growing body of research in cognitive science and psychology, this presentation argues that performing arts training is one of the most effective yet underutilized pathways for developing the sought-after human skills that AI cannot replicate: interpersonal connection and emotional intelligence, presence, and cognitive flexibility and adaptability.
4:15–4:30 Vinicius van der Put, From Regtech to Regcode: How the AI coding revolution could spark regulatory disentanglement
Most AI investment in compliance is solving the wrong problem. A shift from document-native regulation to machine-readable formats might be the answer.
4:30–4:45 Kris Lazaruk, AI in Hiring: Testing the Limits of Existing Employment Law
This symposium presentation explores how AI is transforming the hiring process and challenging the foundations of U.S. employment law. It analyzes key issues such as bias, transparency, and accountability through real-world examples and case law, highlighting critical gaps in current regulatory frameworks and their implications for future policy.
2025 Annual MSL Symposium Presentations
Making Sense of the Fed's Continued Review of CFPB Regulations after Dodd-Frank
By James Crowe
A provision in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank) prohibits the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) from reviewing, approving, delaying, or preventing the issuance of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) regulations, and yet the Board continues to do so. This presentation argues that this practice is a vestigial habit—and not a backdoor veto—rooted in a misunderstanding of current law and practice, and that the Board’s actions have no legal force or effect other than to risk confusion among the public and increase legal risk for the CFPB.
Introducing: The Thoth Initiative
By Kyumin Lee
The Thoth Initiative addresses the widening gap between medicine and law by equipping medical professionals with essential legal knowledge to improve patient care outcomes and confidence within the medicolegal system. Founded by MSL students in response to events like the Dobbs decision, this initiative promotes interdisciplinary understanding through education and advocacy.
Powering AI with Pipelines: A Case Study of Data Center Expansion in the Southeast
By Meech Carter
Despite the many helpful tasks artificial intelligence (AI) can perform, things look a little different on the ground. This talk will expand on the problems—from heavy water use to fossil fuel consumption—with data center expansion in the Southeastern US.
The Strain of Aging: Japan’s Demographic Crisis and Its Impact on Healthcare Systems
By Hannah Li
Japan’s aging population poses an unprecedented challenge to its healthcare system. While Japan has long been lauded for its universal health coverage, equitable access, and impressive health outcomes, the demographic shift toward a super-aged society is straining existing infrastructure. Rising demand for chronic and long-term care, combined with workforce shortages and regional disparities, is creating systemic inefficiencies and physician burnout, which demand policy responses, technological innovations, and the urgent need for a shift toward integrated, geriatric-focused care.
Reimagining Food Systems: Japan's Path to Sustainability & Innovation
By Elizabeth Tran
This presentation explores the intersection between legal regulations and the ecological and sustainable developments of Japan's food systems. It highlights Japan's legal framework and how government support for green technology startups promotes sustainability efforts.
Global Impact of Climate Change – What We Can Learn from Kenya
By Katelyn Thomsen
Climate change affects people around the world through flooding, drought, unpredictable weather, and growing food insecurity. Kenya is no exception and has taken steps to respond to these challenges. This study compares Kenya’s climate change policies with those of the United States and recommends ways to strengthen Kenya’s legal framework.
The Right to Health in Crisis: Legal & Policy Implications of Healthcare Access for Syrian Refugees
By Amy Keyorkgy
This presentation explores the intersection of international humanitarian and human rights law with health policy, using the Syrian refugee crisis as a case study. It examines how legal frameworks shape displaced populations' access to healthcare and considers both the challenges and obligations of host countries and international actors in addressing these needs.
How Law Helped Me Rethink Business: A Cross-Disciplinary Journey
By Elena Li
This presentation explores how the Master of Science in Law program helped me develop a legal perspective that reshaped how I view entrepreneurship, innovation, and corporate strategy. Through experiences such as founding a student-run printing startup and analyzing Medtronic’s intangible asset strategy in a Kellogg course, I illustrate how legal knowledge—particularly in IP, data privacy, and compliance—can unlock new value in business decisions.
Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs in the Absence of Government Enforcement
By Marian Rothkegel
This presentation analyzes corporate compliance programs in the context of reduced governmental oversight, particularly under the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the current Trump administration. It presents a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework grounded in DOJ guidelines, empirical evidence, and industry case studies to guide organizations in building effective self-regulatory systems that uphold legal standards and mitigate risk when traditional regulatory scrutiny is diminished.
Not from Concentrate: Third Party Concentration Risk within the Financial System
By Shaun Patrick Kenney
Trends in the financial system's ever-growing dependency on third parties, further exasperated by a system-wide increased concentration on select vendors, are pressuring financial institutions to better manage vendor concentration risk. Prone to increasing or decreasing throughout the course of business as usual, vendor concentration risk requires perpetual awareness and proactive controls to be managed effectively.
Broken Data, Broken Justice: Exposing Systemic Inequities in Yolo County
By Kristin Weivoda
Reform means little without enforcement. This project exposes how broken data systems and selective transparency in Yolo County, California, allow racial disparities to persist—and calls for urgent, structural change.
From Irregular Rhythms to Lifesaving Responses: Advancing AFib Research & Community Preparedness
By Shifa Banani
Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is a heart rhythm disorder where the upper chambers of the heart (atria) beat irregularly or rapidly, preventing the atria from effectively pumping blood to the lower chambers of the heart. There are > 5 million in the United States with AFib, and their chances of a stroke are 5-times higher than those without AFib. This presentation discusses advances in Afi research, specifically exploring the role of community-based CPR & AED education for improving survival outcomes.
Quantum Tech to Tackle Climate Change: Navigating New Horizons
By Muno Jeon
Quantum computing's transformative potential can revolutionize climate sustainability by leveraging its immense processing power to enhance climate modeling, optimize renewable energy systems, and strengthen ecological resilience. This intersection of quantum innovation and law demands adaptive legal frameworks to ensure equitable, responsible deployment while addressing ethical and governance challenges.
Legal Perspectives on Postpartum Pain and Mental Health Care
By Anjali Patel
This presentation explores the legal perspectives surrounding policies on postpartum depression (PPD) and pain to gain a stronger understanding of the regulations on mental health screenings and treatment. The focus will be on current legal frameworks, gaps in treatment and care, and potential reforms needed to ensure equitable and comprehensive postpartum care.
Codes, Circuits, and Connections: The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare
By Diane Nguyen
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare on multiple fronts, from genomic engineering at the cellular level to infection prevention on a global scale. This presentation provides a systems-level overview of the intersection between AI and healthcare and addresses potential legal and ethical concerns, raising a critical question: as programming code begins to shape genetic code and neural circuits become intertwined with electrical circuits, how do we preserve the human connections at the heart of medicine?
United in Science, Divided by Trust: Pandemic Lessons from the U.S. and Canada
By Hannah Li
This topic initially started as a cross comparison between the United States and Canada in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A noticeable difference in trust and pandemic outcomes between the two countries led to the creation of a comprehensive dataset and subsequent machine learning model attaching statistical significance to the impact of trust on mortality rates.
Gender -Based Violence & Women’s Rights in Argentina
By Shifa Banani & Anjali Patel
Understanding women's rights in Argentina begins by exploring how past, historical events, and cultural norms have contributed to Argentina’s current challenges. Discussions will be related to gender-based violence, reproductive rights, and access to healthcare.
Unveiling Reality: The Struggle for Women's Rights Against the Femicide Crisis in Kenya
By Kristin Weivoda
This international team project (ITP) explores the gap between Kenya’s progressive legal protections for women and the persistent cultural, religious, and systemic barriers that continue to enable gender-based violence, including femicide and FGM. Drawing from interviews in Kenya and Zoom-based fieldwork, the presentation calls for urgent legal enforcement, cultural transformation, and male-led accountability to advance women's rights and end the femicide crisis.
Navigating Global Product Development with the Tools of the MSL Program
By Derek Sokolowski
Product development in the global market requires a proper understanding of how business, science, and the law integrate into the cycle of product concept to completion. In this presentation, see how courses within the curriculum of the MSL program come together and contribute to the overall product life cycle of product development within a biotech technology device company. See the considerations and perspectives that an individual contributor within a global company must position themselves to cooperate amongst global players, suppliers, competitors, and colleagues in the scientific global market.
Balancing Drug Pricing, Regulation, and Patient Privacy: The Unintended Consequences of Rescinding Drug Spending Controls
By Chinmeri Nwuba
This presentation explores the consequences of rescinding federal drug spending controls, analyzing how the shift has fueled reliance on data-driven pricing strategies that challenge legal and ethical boundaries. By examining regulatory gaps, patient privacy concerns, and the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, this presentation proposes actionable solutions to ensure equitable access to medications without compromising data security or transparency.
From “I” to “We”: Re-assessing Data Privacy in the Age of Algorithms
By Tanishka Amin
As citizens of the digital era, we’ve willingly (and sometimes unknowingly) sacrificed bits and pieces of personal information to fuel the creation of platforms and institutions that reward us with convenience, personalization, and efficiency. And though current regulatory frameworks prioritize protecting our right to privacy as individuals, recent research in the privacy community has shifted focus. Inspired by the data privacy coursework in the MSL, this presentation explores the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of protecting the rights of data collectives – of the social and behavioral groups we join every time we purchase something online, exercise while wearing a fitness watch, and even attend sporting events.
Before the White Coat: Reinventing the Future of Healthcare Through Startups
By Humnah Baig
Critical clinical gaps persist within our healthcare system, often leaving patient needs unmet and hindering innovation. This discussion explores these challenges through the personal lens of a patient-turned-future physician, whose life-altering diagnosis inspired a commitment to improving healthcare delivery. This presentation highlights how combining legal education with entrepreneurial training can empower future healthcare leaders to reimagine care delivery and create patient-centered solutions.
2024 Annual MSL Symposium Presentations
User Beware: Balancing the Lure of Wearable Health Apps in a Time of Regulatory Gaps and Data Vulnerability
By Stephanie Fine
Ninety-three percent of U.S. adults own smartphones and download 255 billion apps per year, which will catapult the wearable health app industry to a projected $67 billion by 2028. This technology holds our most personal information, yet data breaches in healthcare occur more than in any other industry, and there is a paucity of regulatory-legal framework for app-collected personal information, further increasing data vulnerability. What could possibly go wrong?
Patent Landscape Analysis Using Natural Language Processing
By Alime Dzaferi
This presentation explores a transformative new approach to patent analysis that leverages natural language processing to deliver invaluable technological insights, revolutionizing stakeholder navigation of the patent landscape in the critical areas of prior art analysis and interpretation. To explain the stakes, this presentation starts with an overview of the fundamentals of intellectual property and the challenges of patent analysis.
Leveraging IP to Drive Deal Value in Capital Market and M&A Transactions
By Victoria Forte, MSL Alumna
This presentation by an MSL Alum offers an exploration of the evolving landscape of corporate assets, highlighting the increasing dominance of intangible assets, particularly intellectual property (IP), in company valuations. It emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in deal valuation methodologies, urging stakeholders to recognize and leverage the value of IP assets strategically to enhance deal value and access capital markets effectively, while also advocating for comprehensive IP valuation at the forefront of transactions to ensure optimal monetization and alignment of deal prices.
From Pig Butchering to Bank Butchering: A Case Study in Bank Failures
By Shaun Kenney
In 2023, a small community bank in Kansas had to close its doors (ultimately failing) as a result of a pig-butchering scheme where the bank CEO embezzled funds only to get defrauded himself. The bank failure was not due to chance or coincidence but rather the result of an absolute failure in the bank's governance and risk management functions – both within the compliance and technology functions.
An Overview of Generative Artificial Intelligence (G-AI) and Its Use in the Practice of Law
By Subbu Kuchibhotla
This presentation, based on an MSL independent study, provides a quick overview of G-AI and the ecosystem of startups and others employing G-AI to innovate in the legal industry. It concludes with an analysis of how to broaden access to justice and how to simplify legal practice by further embracing technology at the expense of the billable hour.
Waste Management in Pakistan
By Alime Dzaferi, Emily Guerrero, Nayab Khan, and Tahsin Thaver
A deep dive into the health and environmental issues surrounding waste management in Pakistan. Our presentation focuses on the possible solutions in improving the current waste management practice at a national and local level.
From Idea to Product: Creation of a Medical Device
By Anjali Patel
Medical devices are present in almost every healthcare environment, but how did they get there? This symposium presentation covers how a medical device is defined according to the FDA and the requirements a device must fulfill to get approved and to successfully and safety launch in the market.
Organ Donation Policies in the U.S.
By Ekene Onwubiko
This presentation examines the effects of different organ donation policies in the United States, and how those policies affect organ availability and the choice to donate. The policies focused on involve funding, public education, consent procedures, and accessibility. The presentation will conclude with policy recommendations focused on hybrid models and public education campaigns, with the goal of improving organ availability and equity in the transplantation system.
Health Economics: Understanding the Landscape for Fertility Treatments
By Minnoli Aya
This presentation focuses on the landscape of insurance coverage for infertility treatment, an issue that many US states are facing as they begin to battle dwindling populations and birth rates and an increase in infertility rates. This presentation explores the role insurance coverage plays in determining access to infertility treatments and focuses on how two states have sought to increase access to fertility interventions.
Navigating Privacy Regulations in Education: Compliance Challenges and Best Practices
By Sonali Bhakta
This presentation examines the impact of privacy laws on educational institutions, focusing on compliance challenges and best practices for safeguarding student privacy and educational data. It provides insights into specific challenges, such as data collection practices and consent management, along with practical strategies for compliance, including robust data governance frameworks and enhanced security measures.
Blinding Justice: A California Perspective
By Kristin Weivoda
The California Racial Justice Act was written to address systemic racial bias present within our criminal justice system. This presentation explores the Act, discussing its essential provisions, challenges to its implementation, and the potential for the Act to advance racial equity and fairness. It will also explore what we, as MSL students, can do to utilize our talents to further efforts to reform our criminal justice system.
Regulatory Capture
By Kara Ferracuti
This presentation discusses the issue of regulatory capture – when a regulator is “captured” by the industry it is supposed to control – in the case of Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Empowering Change: The Creation of a Women in Sports Law Advocacy Firm
By Jamie Averch
This presentation explores the creation of a Women in Sports Law Advocacy Firm (WSLAF), whose aim would be to provide comprehensive legal support, unwavering representation, and advocacy services for female athletes, sports organizations, and all relevant stakeholders. Ultimately, the aspiration is to address gender disparities, empower women in their respective fields, promote fairness and equality, and trigger a transformative paradigm shift in an industry that remains predominantly controlled by men.
Misrepresentation in TikTok Commercial Videos
By Tony Hu
When a TikTok influencer cooperates with a brand and creates a video that compares competing products, there is often content involving deceptive marketing or commercial disparagement in the video. The TikTok platform has issued rules that explicitly prohibit those comparison videos and advertisements with certain absolute words. What are some relevant regulations and potential issues?
Empowering MSLs: Introducing NLDS
By Peter K. Chan, Raj Patel, and Jincheng Song
This presentation focuses on the creation of the Northwestern Law and Data Society, the premier AI-focused student organization at Northwestern Law School. Explore our mission to facilitate discussions on AI-related topics, including regulation, innovation, ethics, and the practical applications of data in legal fields and entrepreneurship.
Ag Sustainability in the Era of AI
By Andrew Tylka
This presentation offers an analysis of the importance of modern agricultural sustainability within the context of emergent technologies. It reports on the findings of an independent study covering technological, regulatory, and intellectual property concerns at the intersection of AI and agriculture.
Exploring the Legal Challenges and Progresses of Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing in the U.S.
By Mason Liang
Based on my experience as a business owner, I will evaluate the legal challenges of the fast-growing peer-to-peer car sharing industry. This presentation looks at relevant legislation in New York and Illinois exploring issues of liability, insurance, and taxation.
Rights for Nature? Lessons from the Crossroads of the Americas
By Cameron Brown
What happens to the land if nature is given legal rights? Panama might have some answers. By analyzing the development and implementation of a right to nature in Panama, this presentation will illuminate how the creation of a constitutional right to nature enhances the contributions of indigenous communities to environmental law. The presentation concludes with an exploration of how Panama’s experience may serve as a blueprint for a similar effort in the United States.
Challenges in Enhancing Support for Chronic Disease Patients: Assessing the Limitations of Healthcare Reforms in China
By Meike Jiang
In 2023, China introduced its most extensive healthcare insurance reform since merging urban and rural resident insurances. This reform altered the distribution of employer insurance fees for the urban employee medical insurance. This presentation will evaluate whether the effectiveness of this reform.
Exploring the Geo-Political Situation in Bosnia & Herzegovina
By Raj Patel
This presentation will explore the geo-political situation in Bosnia & Herzegovina, including the nation's current political tensions. To do this, the presentation will delve into the history of Bosnia & Herzegovina and show how the country reached the political predicament it currently finds itself in. After outlining the situation, I will discuss my experience of travelling to Bosnia & Herzegovina as part of Northwestern Law’s International Team Project and tie that experience to the political situation the presentation explores.
NeuroMuse
By Annie Chen, Emily Guerrero, Nayab Khan, and Tahsin Thaver
NeuroMuse is a medical device that aims to decrease depression and anxiety symptoms in patients with dementia. Developed in the MSL’s Entrepreneurship Lab course, this product focuses on music therapy as an alternative method to improve quality of life, an idea based on research evidence indicating the efficacy of this type of therapy.
Ready to Room: Empowering Emergency Efficiency
By Suman Atluri, Alime Dzaferi, and Shavan Patel
“Ready to Room” is an early-stage startup born out of the MSL’s Entrepreneurship Lab course. Through the use of patient tracking technology in emergency departments, this product will decrease wait times, mitigate potential charting errors, and improve the overall patient and provider experience.
Beyond Traditional Regulatory Frameworks: AI-enabled Medical Device Regulation by the FDA
By Sravya Prabhala
With the surge in AI-powered medical devices in the US, it is essential to take a critical look at the existing regulatory frameworks. This presentation dives into the limitations of traditional FDA regulatory framework for these AI-driven tools and further explores the agency’s current efforts to develop a more robust regulatory landscape to ensure the safe and effective integration of AI into the future of US MedTech.
MSL in Practice: Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, Inc., a Startup Seeking to Revolutionize Cancer Diagnosis
MSL Alumni Charles Frank, MD, brings us a presentation on Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, a medical company developing a revolutionary bedside diagnostic pathology device that immediately determines if a surgical specimen is cancerous. The presentation will cover corporate formation, patents, copyrights, logos, corporate governance, product development, and AI.
2023 Annual MSL Symposium
Keynote: Seize the Moment: Navigating the Convergence of Law, Technology, and Analytics
Wendy L. Rubas, our 2023 keynote speaker, is a lawyer and legal technology enthusiast. She has served as General Counsel of healthcare organizations, including most recently for VillageMD, where she led the legal department along with the compliance and risk management departments and implemented enterprise risk management programs. Ms. Rubas has a particular interest in helping legal, compliance, and risk management professionals use technology to streamline operations and develop proactive approaches to prevent risk. Prior to working as in-house counsel, she practiced at McDermott, Will, and Emory. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
The Legal and Regulatory Challenges the Fashion Industry Faces by Nikhil Kapoor
The fashion industry is a rapidly growing and ever-changing industry, which poses numerous challenges for emerging designers to establish themselves in the industry. One of the main issues is the lack of regulation and intellectual property protection, making it difficult for designers to protect their unique works from being copied by anyone, let alone larger companies that have the resources to overshadow small designers. This presentation will introduce the legal and regulatory challenges future designers face in the fashion industry and why policy changes are necessary to level the playing field and promote ethical and sustainable practices.
What’s in Your Food? Regulatory Policy and Food Labeling by Gabby Parma
This presentation discusses the two main regulatory bodies responsible for the oversight of food product labeling in the United States and their current complications. It demonstrates how the MSL, specifically the Food Policy and Regulation and the Regulatory Policy classes, can help develop the skills needed to understand regulatory processes and create a problem-solving mindset.
Regulation of Convolutional Neural Networks in Medical Imaging by Madi Tyrcha
The use of artificial intelligence in medical imaging has the potential to assist with and improve image detection, recognition, and classification in a diagnostic sense. However, to establish a high level of accuracy across all patient types, we need to ensure that we are regulating the safety and ethics of the development of these technologies. Here we will explore problems and potential solutions in this implementation.
Forced Electrification: The Necessity of Energy Choice for a Sustainable World by Nicole Breitbach
Global warming is the biggest crisis we face today and there are a lot of proposed solutions for how to fix it. Removing consumer choice and forcing electrification in homes and businesses is a popular movement in many local jurisdictions. Given the current energy generation and aging grid infrastructure in the US, this may cause more issues than it resolves both economically and environmentally. This presentation will explore the importance of a balanced approach to the energy transition.
Innovative Compliance: Lessons from The Office by Andrea Reyes
This presentation highlights the importance of having a compliance officer and the lessons that can be learned from the popular TV show "The Office." The show provides examples of both success and failure in regulated industries. By examining these examples, companies can learn how to cultivate a culture of compliance, leverage technology, and utilize innovative practices to stay ahead of regulatory changes, mitigate risks, and drive innovation.
Unexpected Lessons: Learning to Drive Organization Change by Heather McConnell-Smith
This presentation details the key differences in a chemical engineering education and the MSL program. It highlights the value of an MSL for learning crucial skills. The presentation concludes with the story of the successful application of those unexpected lessons to implement API RP 1173, Pipeline Safety Management Systems at a Utility Company.
An MSL Perspective on Insider Trading in Clinical Trials by Kara Ferracuti
This presentation looks at the issue of insider trading in the clinical trial context, from the perspective of a clinical trials professional who has studied Securities Regulation in the MSL program. Combining industry knowledge with legal coursework sheds new insights into this area of academic inquiry and accentuates the importance of bringing the conclusions of this analysis into the real world.
Building a Path to Professional Growth Through the Power of Project Management by Wesley Myung
This presentation provides an introduction to the concept of project management and aims to empower individuals by showcasing the valuable skills they already possess. It covers the basic principles and techniques of project management. By emphasizing the importance of recognizing and leveraging one's existing skills, the presentation encourages individuals to realize their full potential and take control of their career trajectory. By the end of the presentation, attendees will have a solid understanding of what project management is and how project management can be a powerful tool for to achieve personal and professional growth.
Evaluating Regulatory Proposals to Address SNAP/EBT Fraud by Marissa Rosemblat
The United States spent nearly $120B last year administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), one of the largest and most important government benefit programs in the country. Recently, there has been an increase in theft of these funds, leaving many American families without a way to put food on the table. Inspired by the Food Law and Policy Course, this presentation examines some of the legal and regulatory challenges associated with administering SNAP and preventing EBT fraud.
The Revolution Will Not Be Live Streamed: Privacy Law in the Social Media Era by Malcolm Xavier
This presentation examines the role of social media in advancing us toward a surveillance state. It seeks to provide recommendations for individuals, product leaders, corporations, and governments to restore and / or maintain privacy rights.
Combating Synthetic Identity Fraud by Gina Yost
This presentation discusses the current issues and risks of synthetic identity fraud. It highlights how an understanding of the intersection of law, business, and technology can help individuals and organizations better protect themselves from being victims of synthetic identity fraud. The coursework in the MSL, specifically related to data privacy and newly implemented legislation guided this analysis of the current state and steps for eradicating synthetic identity fraud in the future.
Product Liability for Product Design Engineers by Matthew Wilson
Product liability law can be applied to product design engineering to mitigate both legal and actual risks. Despite being the first line of defense, product design engineers have a limited knowledge of product liability law. The focus will be on design engineering of physical consumer goods.
The Effects of New Technologies on Junk Forensic Science & Flawed Expert Testimony in the American Courts System by Derek Sokolowski
Countless cases of wrongful convictions have come up in recent years as the technology of Forensic Science has been refined and researched over time. However, innocent people continue to sit in prison awaiting their appeal. Expert testimony and junk forensic science solidified speedy convictions and the appeals took years to correct. After new technologies were developed, these new tools were used to exonerate these wrongfully convicted individuals. This presentation will show how these new technologies have been elevated above previous junk science and how they have curtailed flawed expert testimony within the criminal justice system of America.
The Troublesome Intersection of Healthcare and Prison Systems: The Mistreatment and Abuse of Prisoners in Need of Medical Attention in the Hands of Law Enforcement by Adeline Ptacek
This paper examines the intersection of prison systems and healthcare systems at the moment a prisoner needs medical attention. It will discuss the relationship between health care employees and prison officers, areas where police officers are most commonly involved with prisoners’ health care, and the various issues including legal, ethical, and systemic, that arise from this intersection.
From MSL to MedTech by Joey Caretta, Mya Clarke, and Adam Steslicki
This presentation describes the problems inherent in medication administration practices in long-term care facilities and details our solution. It highlights how our MSL classes have prepared us to identify this issue, conceive of a viable MedTech solution, and take the preliminary steps in getting IP protection and starting a business.
The Formula for Differential Ethics: A Framework to Understand How Different Conclusions are Reached by Isaac Meng and Michael Thate
In an era of ever-growing divisiveness and polarization, how do we begin to try to bridge gaps between individuals' thoughts? Instead of fumbling around through the unknown until stumbling upon items that we think lead to separate conclusions, we posit a formula that can be used to do so in a structured, logical manner. This presentation aims to showcase and explain the way we arrive to ethical conclusions and how that can be leveraged for richer discussions with those that have viewpoints differing from your own.
How Do We Define the Human Race? by Mya Clarke and Adeline Ptacek
This presentation discusses how “humans” are defined and who should be part of the human race using various definitions. When all possible definitions are considered, we are faced with the reality that we cannot define a human. This presentation uses ethical and legal concepts discussed throughout the MSL program (specifically Ethics and Law in STEM) to raise the question: “Is there a human race?” To conclude, we will tie this question to discussions surrounding emerging scientific/technological concepts such as Artificial Intelligence.
Survey Benefits in Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: Lessons from Pamoja CBO by Matthew Estacio
The spring 2023 Health and Human Rights course supported public health implementation projects in partnership with community-based organizations (CBO) in Kenya and Mauritania. This presentation will review an in-person needs assessment site visit to Kisumu, Kenya and unpack the findings of the Orphans of Vulnerable Childrenproject work with Pamoja CBO.
Learning from What Works: The United States' Path to Better Health Illuminated by Costa Rica by Andrea Reyes and Isaac Meng
This presentation proposes improving primary healthcare in the United States by adopting successful Costa Rican healthcare system aspects. We will discuss how implementing community-based health centers, phone-based care services, and coordinated healthcare teams at a state level can potentially improve access to care and patient healthcare outcomes.
Addressing Health and Human Rights Issues in Mauritania: The Access to Health Project in Partnership with the Sahel Foundation by Kevin Ingram and Celestine Obinna
This presentation describes health and human rights issues in Mauritania, particularly malnutrition and the lack of access to healthcare for the Haratine population. It demonstrates how the coursework in the MSL, specifically through the Health and Human Rights course, provided an opportunity through Northwestern's Access to Health Project to partner with the Sahel Foundation and develop recommendations for addressing these issues while navigating through a sensitive political and legal environment.
2022 Annual MSL Symposium
The 2022 symposium, held May 10-11, 2022, featured a keynote address by Nancy Paridy , President & Chief Administrative Officer, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and presentations by 20 MSL students that displayed their work and ideas on a variety of topics, ranging from artificial intelligence to medical device entrepreneurship.
2022 MSL Symposium Student Presentations
Applying MSL Courses in the Operations of a Biotech Incubator by Derek Sokolowski (MSL '23)How can the classes you take in the MSL program influence your life right now in the workplace? Take a look at how MSL course work is applied in a biotech incubator setting –including Contract Law, Business Torts, and much more.
Automating Data Use Agreements in Healthcare Research by Taha Muhammad-Ali (MSL '22) and Emily Marun (MSL '22)
The tABLEtransfer is an algorithmic product generated by a team of students through the Innovation Lab course, in collaboration with the Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine. It was designed with the capability of properly categorizing healthcare data that is requested of Northwestern University by a third-party researcher, identifying additional legal protections, and drafting a Data Use Agreement to expedite the process associated with sharing healthcare data across institutions.
Commercializing a New 3D Vision Technology by Xi He (MSL '22)
The goal of this project, which was part of a Kellogg Business School class, was to create a plan for commercializing a new 3D vision technology. This presentation shares our team’s journey and details our business model and strategy in putting forth a low-cost, efficient, and accurate technology that improves automation and performance in various industries, such as agriculture, robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles, and others.
Death by Zip Code: The Newborn Screening Crisis in the United States by Monica Weldon (MSL '22)
For over 50 years, the United States has had a Newborn Screening Program that aims to improve the quality of life for infants; there are now 61 selected disorders that are screened for. The question is: Are all the infants in the U.S. tested for these treatable diseases? The surprising answer is NO! This presentation explores the coined expression “Death by Zip Code,” bringing to light the reasons for state-by-state disparities and exploring a solution to address this problem.
Forced Arbitration and the Silence of Victims by Darrell Swanson (MSL '22)
Forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts have long been used by companies to silence victims of harassment and sexual discrimination in the workplace. The good news is that a recently-passed law invalidates forced arbitration agreements that preclude a victim from filing a lawsuit in these cases. The bad news is that toxic office cultures continue to flourish. How can we hold companies and perpetrators accountable, and effectuate change in the workplace where pervasive misconduct remains?
Fueling the Knowledge Economy: Intellectual Capital Origins and the Great Pivot by Trenicka Dukes (MSL '22)
For centuries, civilizations have progressed as a result of human ingenuity; our past and our present have taught that “intellectual capital” sits at the forefront of economic development and global advancement. But the need to innovate does not just apply to products and services; it also applies to who we are as people. This presentation discusses why it is advantageous to pivot toward innovating our skills and ultimately our careers to meet the demands of the future.
How Entrepreneurship Education Empowers Innovation by Neil Misak (MSL '22)
Technology is an industry that does not respect tradition – it only respects innovation. As the digital age continues ahead at lightspeed, organizations of all sizes are continuously challenged to produce new products and services to compete in today’s marketplace. While the common assumption is that most inventions are derived in a laboratory or think tank (e.g. hackathons), this presentation will challenge that position by exploring the notion that education about entrepreneurship is quintessential to empower individuals and organizations to drive novel ideas forward.
Puerto Rico's Political Status: A Civil Rights Issue by Yael Quiles Ramirez (MSL '22)
This presentation will provide a look at how Puerto Rico's current political status affects the rights and opportunities of American citizens who live in the island. We will explore options to address the current issues, including statehood, which has become the leading decolonization movement supported by the majority of Puerto Ricans.
Issues in Legal Ethics: Professional Conduct and Artificial Intelligence by Kara Ferracuti (MSL '24)
Increasingly, attorneys are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technology to provide legal services to clients. But this increase in the use of technology creates additional complex issues for attorneys, who must comply with the American Bar Association’s rules of ethical and professional conduct (which don’t always keep up with changes in technology). This presentation explores the issues relevant to these professional obligations and discusses how legal-adjacent professionals who have expertise in AI technology and understand legal ethics can help ensure that these obligations are not overlooked in the busy, billing-focused practice of law.
Ill-Gotten Gains: Healthcare Fraud & Abuse in the US by Vaidehi Patel (MSL '22)
Fraud, waste, and abuse in the healthcare industry have been an increasing issue, especially in the light of the pandemic. These improper activities have the harmful effects of siphoning off significant resources from necessary healthcare services. This presentation is an attempt to raise awareness about these wrongful healthcare practices, the laws that regulate them, and the ways this bad behavior can be prevented.
Legal, Technical, and Ethical Notes on the Future of Video-Sharing Apps by Malcolm Xavier (MSL '23)
Using TikTok as its main example, this presentation considers the following questions about the content in video-sharing apps: What influence do federal and local law, parent companies, and product teams have on the content that users generate and with which they engage? And, what is the impact of "shadow banning" and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on Black creators?
MSL Meets AGU (American Geophysical Union) by Lauren Schenck (MSL '22)
The MSL provides earth scientists with a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between science and law when it comes to climate change. This presentation will discuss the environmental niche in the MSL program, the introduction of the program to the geophysical science community through the American Geophysical Union’s annual Fall Meeting, and the broader implications of training scientists to work in policy.
Past Perfect to CLANK: The Story of a Contract Clause Analysis Tool by Kai Seltner (MSL '22)
Despite what television shows like Suits and Law and Order would suggest, a large part of a lawyer’s time is spent drafting documents for clients. Most lawyers would begin the drafting process with a previously-used document, but there are issues and complications using this approach. In collaboration with Mayer Brown’s Legal Innovation team, students in Northwestern’s Innovation Lab developed a technology tool to assist in drafting legal documents – a Word plug-in that helps lawyers identify and adjust clauses without leaving the Word environment. This presentation discusses the development and future of this helpful tool.
How Cultural Differences Inspired My Entrepreneurship Experience by Nawon Kim (MSL '22)
How does a person who doesn’t know anything about business create a start-up and develop an entrepreneurial mindset? This presentation discusses my journey in the Entrepreneurship Lab class, and how I learned to find strength in cultural differences rather than to be derailed by them.
[Omnibuster]: a Platform for Digesting Omnibus Legislation by Rory Fitzpatrick (MSL '22) & Vivien Lai (MSL '22)
Omnibus bills are difficult to navigate and require prohibitive amounts of cross-referencing; digesting them takes significant time and effort. [Omnibuster], a technology platform developed in the Law School’s Innovation Lab, is designed to make it easier for lawyers and the public to understand and navigate complicated legislation.
Privacy Law & Violations: What Star Trek Predicted and What it Teaches Us by Jill Woodman (MSL '22)
Privacy protections are already very limited in the United States, and we run the risk of having privacy limited even further if technologies continue to advance without adequate legal protections. This presentation uses examples from Star Trek – the sci-fi show that anticipated multiple scientific advances decades ahead of their time – to focus on legal protections for privacy in the US, including what constitutes a violation and what personal rights of action can be taken when a violation occurs. Learn more about how holodecks (augmented reality), biological samples, and HIPAA are treated in the future.
Responsible AI: Where Are We Headed? by Sravya Prabhala (MSL '23)
Several alarming concerns related to how AI systems are currently being used have us all wondering how we design the future in a way that ultimately brings about human-machine harmony. This presentation is an attempt to briefly introduce the motivation and a few milestones on the bumpy road to responsible AI.
The Challenges of Protecting Intellectual Property in Personalized Medicine by Spencer Stong (MSL '22)
This presentation will explore the challenges of patenting diagnostic medical technologies in a system that excludes natural phenomena as patentable material. We will also explore what IP options are best suited for protecting diagnostic medical technologies used for personalized medicine.
The Importance of Community-Based Health Care: What I Learned From the Dominican Republic and Clínica de Familia by Olivia Asimakis (MSL ‘22)
The Access to Health Project is a human rights endeavor in which different community partners join forces with interdisciplinary Northwestern students to create actionable solutions to unique challenges. As part of this project, I worked with public health, business, and law students in a partnership with Clìnica de Familia in La Romana, Dominican Republic, a comprehensive clinic that serves low-income and stigmatized communities. Our team worked to deliver strategies to help Clìnica become more self-sustainable so that it can maintain its social mission and ensure that the populations it serves will not lose critical healthcare, even with a reduction in external funding. This experience grew my interprofessional knowledge and heightened my ability to devise novel remedies for complex issues.
Toward Ethical AI: The Role of Soft Law by Rory Fitzpatrick (MSL '22)
Algorithms and their impact are pervasive and rapidly evolving. While legislation and regulation are slow to develop, "soft law" encompasses a complementary and flexible suite of tools that can be responsive to emerging trends. This talk will provide a high-level overview of the current landscape of algorithm governance and the role of soft law in that space.