Advancing the Vaccine Law Dialogue
Virtual Conference
Photo credit: Charles Rones
Why this conference is important:
- To delve into the legal implications of advancing technologies in the healthcare sector, specifically focusing on vaccines.
- To explore the legal aspects of information accuracy in healthcare, focusing on the legal dimensions of vaccination-related information.
- To examine and bolster the legal frameworks underpinning the systems that ensure the safety and efficacy of healthcare technologies, with an emphasis on vaccines.
- To facilitate a platform for manufacturers to discuss the legal aspects related to the quality assurance and safety protocols of their products to professionals in the public health space.
- To contribute to the development of language and ideas for potential legislation and regulations impacting the manufacture and distribution of vaccines.
About the Conference:
The first National Vaccine Law Conference has been called to address the urgent need for an increased understanding of the interrelated operations of different aspects of vaccine, vaccination, and immunization law.
The nation currently faces challenges with the interpretation and understanding of vaccination data, influencing the vaccination rates for various childhood diseases such as measles, polio, and tetanus, and prompting various state-level legislative responses regarding these vaccines.
Reflecting on Justice Antonin Scalia’s observation in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 562 U.S. 223 (2011), vaccines have been perceived differently due to their efficacy in preventing infectious diseases. This shift in perception and its impact on public health policy and law are among the key reasons for convening this conference.
In addition to being a forum for knowledge exchange, this Conference aims to foster cross-disciplinary creativity in enhancing the legal framework surrounding the management of infectious diseases, both existing and emerging. The goal is to formulate effective legal strategies to address the broad impact of these diseases on our society.
The conference will be hosted at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School on September 14-15, 2023.
A Field in Flux:
Attorneys and academics who write, teach, and counsel primarily in this field are keenly aware of the immense attention that has been focused on this field, particularly since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of the consequent seismic upheavals to practice in different areas of vaccine law.
Within this community, we have experiences this renewed focus in terms of groups in various sectors asking that we provide seminars, presentations, panel participation, and CLE programs. The topics that have been of most interest include:
- The regulatory regimes governing the process of developing, testing, and approving new vaccines for use, and monitoring their production and distribution.
- Ownership of intellectual property in vaccines, particularly against the backdrop of proposals for governments to break vaccine patents for asserted public policy reasons.
- Legal structures for fair and equitable prioritization of vaccine distribution, and consequences imposed on individuals and entities that attempted to “jump the line” for access.
- Public and private vaccination mandates for those hesitant to receive vaccines, and exemptions or accommodations sought by those attempting to avoid vaccination.
- Addressing the challenges associated with differing views on vaccination, as well as managing the rapid dissemination of varied information on social media and other platforms, about vaccines and the diseases they target.
- Vaccine injuries, the structure of applicable vaccine injury compensation programs, and opportunities fo representation of clients asserting such injuries.
Conference Tracks:
The conference will present three tracks of content:
- The legal environment of vaccine development and distribution, with coverage of the latest developments in legal regimes governing these processes, from clinical trials through licensure, patenting, and defending against misinformation and other liabilities.
- Public health policy and practice, providing legal perspectives on issues faced in the day-to-day work of public officials and their offices in dealing with vaccination matters including public funding, structuring mandates and exemptions, other public promotional efforts, and addressing antivaccine activism.
- Best practices for employers, business owners, and other with an interest in private vaccination efforts or requirements in dealing with employee vaccination requirements, accommodations, and vaccine hesitancy.
Thank you to all 2022 National Vaccine Law Conference Sponsors and Official Partners: