Journal RGE

Vital Signs: Law, Ethics, and the Future of Healthcare Justice

March 19, 2026 via Zoom

This event is co-hosted by Touro Law Center's Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity and the Institute for Health Law, Bioethics, and Policy

CALL FOR PAPERS:  The Touro Law Center Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity and the Institute for Health Law, Bioethics, and Policy are pleased to issue this call for papers as part of their joint 2026 symposium, Vital Signs: Law, Ethics, and the Future of Healthcare Justice. The symposium will be held entirely over Zoom on March 19, 2026.

The Journal and the Institute are seeking papers on a variety of topics that broadly explore the intersection of healthcare, law, and justice. We welcome papers that address the evolving legal landscape of healthcare, including but not limited to: medical misinformation and social media, vaccine regulation, the opioid epidemic, elder care and nursing home liability, legal immunity for healthcare providers during public health emergencies, EMTALA enforcement, assisted suicide and medical aid in dying, long COVID and ADA compliance, workforce challenges in healthcare, and the legal impact of Dobbs beyond reproductive rights. We also invite proposals on the ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies, such as the creation of savior siblings through genetic selection.

Ultimately, we are interested in topics that address timely healthcare law and justice issues: those that illuminate emerging legal challenges, expose systemic gaps in health equity, interrogate the boundaries of state and federal authority in regulating care, or critically examine the evolving relationship among law, ethics, and public health in today’s rapidly changing healthcare landscape. The symposium aims to bring together practitioners, policy researchers, and scholars (legal and non-legal) to explore these issues.

Authors of selected papers will be invited to present at the symposium. They may also publish their work in Volume 14 of the Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity, an online publication. To apply, please submit an abstract of 250–500 words no later than October 30, 2025. Completed papers should be between 5,000 and 7,500 words and are due by June 5, 2026. Please direct any questions to tlcjrge@student.touro.edu.

Thank you, and we look forward to your submissions!