Photo credit: Steve Zylius/UCI
Article was originally posted on UCI Law.
The University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) and the University of California, Irvine Program in Public Health (UCI Public Health) have established a two-part collaboration to offer UCI Public Health students access to an accelerated Bachelors/Juris Doctor degree pathway at UCI Law, and scholarship funds.
Guided by the belief that public health serves as a strong foundation for a career in law, UCI Law and UCI Public Health’s scholarship collaboration and 3+3 pathway further enhance the schools’ interdisciplinary strength in the fields of public health and law. The schools’ J.D./M.P.H. and J.D./Ph.D. concurrent degree programs support talented students interested in a rigorous curriculum tailored to law and public health studies. Each school also boasts faculty who work at the intersection of public health and law, from Ji Seon Song (health policy and criminal law) and Jane Stoever (family violence) at UCI Law, to Denise Payán (nutrition policy) and Dylan Roby (health policy and administrative regulations) at UCI Public Health.
There’s never been a better time or more reason to integrate public health and law. We know that public health policy is deeply influential in our legal system, and we need to strengthen it by training lawyers who specialize in public health, such as environmental health law or reproductive health law.
– Bernadette Boden-Albala, UCI Public Health Director and Founding Dean
Additionally, both schools believe there is no substitute for hands-on experiential learning. UCI Law offers a variety of public health-related clinical, externship and pro bono programs, such as the Pandemic Mitigation Project; the Health Care Access and Advocacy project with Community Legal Aid SoCal; and the Health Data Privacy for People Living with HIV from the Positive Women’s Network. Among UCI Public Health’s myriad law-adjacent offerings, students can intern at the Veterans Legal Institute (VLI), a practicum site where students work with attorneys to provide pro bono legal assistance to homeless, at risk, disabled and low income current and former service members in local communities.
Through the schools’ constellation of interdisciplinary program offerings, students can cultivate knowledge and skills that will prepare them for careers working on cutting-edge issues at the intersection of law, policy and public health, such as artificial intelligence; digital health; information privacy; healthcare reform; antitrust and M&A; equity and ethics; comparative health law; healthcare fraud, waste and abuse; criminal law; family law; torts; and environmental law.
“As we launch this collaboration with UCI Public Health, we are proud to further strengthen the bond between our institutions, and to provide access to an affordable legal education for students interested in public health and law,” said UCI Law Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law Austen Parrish. “The intersection of law and public health is crucial in addressing the health needs of diverse populations. Through this collaboration, students can jump-start their interdisciplinary education and hit the ground running in careers that advance health equity and social justice.”
Bernadette Boden-Albala, UCI Public Health Director and Founding Dean added, “There’s never been a better time or more reason to integrate public health and law. We know that public health policy is deeply influential in our legal system, and we need to strengthen it by training lawyers who specialize in public health, such as environmental health law or reproductive health law.”
Under this collaborative effort, UCI Law and UCI Public Health introduce two innovative programs:
UCI Law Scholarship Program for Public Health Scholars: Removing Financial Barriers
The newly established UCI Law Scholarship Program for Public Health Scholars aims to provide talented students from UCI’s Program in Public Health with the means to pursue a legal education at UC Irvine School of Law, one of the nation’s premier public law schools. Recipients admitted to UCI Law’s Juris Doctor (J.D.) program will receive a guaranteed $90,000 scholarship over three years, regardless of residency status, to offset tuition expenses. To be eligible for the guaranteed scholarship, applicants must meet or exceed the minimum UGPA and LSAT score, at least equal to the median for the UCI Law entering J.D. class of the prior year.
3+3 Articulated Pathway: Accelerating the Path to a J.D.
In addition to the scholarship initiative, UCI Law and UCI Public Health offer the 3+3 articulated pathway, providing high-achieving students an accelerated pathway to earn both their Bachelors and J.D. degrees in six years, instead of the traditional seven. Participants must fulfill all undergraduate and Program in Public Health degree requirements by the end of their third year at UCI. Successful applicants will receive a $90,000 scholarship over three years to support their legal education at UCI Law, along with mentorship opportunities through a structured program.
“By integrating legal and public health perspectives, we aim to empower students to confront complex societal challenges and drive positive change in our communities,” said Dean Parrish. “UCI Law looks forward to welcoming talented UCI Public Health students interested in making a transformative difference in health law, public health policy, or a related field, in this exciting and rapidly growing area.”
A leader in innovation and reinventing legal education, UCI Law has announced various partnerships designed to recruit talented students to the Law School. Most recently, collaborations have occurred to recruit talented social ecology, engineering, humanities and international students. UCI Law has also announced collaborations with national nonprofit organizations. Read about Pathways to UCI Law to learn more about these innovative collaborations and UCI Law’s strong commitment to providing meaningful, and affordable, pathways for students to advance their law school career.
For more information about these programs, please contact:
Cristina Gapasin Tortal
Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services
cgapasin@law.uci.edu
