Who We Are
With roots extending back to 1911, ASLME is a nonprofit educational organization. Our mission is to provide high-quality scholarship, debate, and critical thought for professionals at the intersection of law, medicine, and ethics. Our members come together to examine big health questions with far-reaching social ramifications . like genetic testing and research, medical record privacy, end-of-life decisions, and the dynamics of informed consent. We believe our greatest strength is our multidisciplinary focus. This creates a dynamic forum to exchange ideas from a wide range of perspectives, to:
- Protect public health
- Reduce racial, ethnic, and economic health disparities
- Promote patient safety and quality of care
- Facilitate dialogue on emerging biomedical science and research
We publish two nationally acclaimed peer reviewed journals: the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics and the American Journal of Law & Medicine. We sponsor conferences and webinars, many of which offer continuing education credits, on the key issues of the day. And we connect teaching professionals across North America for the exchange of ideas, classroom materials, and curricula. Our efforts have earned awards from industry groups such as Growth House and the Oncology Nursing Society. It all adds up to vital and diverse community, asking important questions and finding insightful answers for the benefit of our members, our professions – and the culture at large. Please join us!
Our Staff
Katie Kenney Johnson
Jennifer Susse
Nicole Gustas
Board of Directors
Sidney D. Watson, JD, Current ASLME President, Saint Louis University School of Law
Jalayne Arias, JD, Georgia State University School of Public Health
Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBE, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Nicole Huberfeld, JD, Boston University School of Public Health
Jaime S. King, JD, PhD, University of Auckland
Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH, Harvard Medical School ex-officio
Medha D. Makhlouf, JD, Penn State Dickenson Law
Montrece McNeill Ransom, JD, MPH, National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training
Seema Mohapatra, JD, MPH, SMU Dedman School of Law
Asha Scielzo, JD, American University Washington College of Law
Ross Silverman, JD, MPH, Temple University
Jason Smith, JD, Cal State East Bay
Y. Tony Yang, ScD, LLM, MPH, George Washington University
Katie Kenney Johnson, Interim Executive Director, American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics ex-officio
Past Presidents
Mary Ann Bobinski, JD
Kathleen Boozang, JD, LLM
Alexander M. Capron, LLB
Thomas E. Cargill Jr., JD
Ellen Wright Clayton, MD, JD
Ronald E. Cranford, MD
Judith Daar, JD
Bernard M. Dickens, PhD, LLD
Nancy Neveloff Dubler, LLB
James G. Hodge, Jr., JD, LLM
Diane Hoffmann, JD, MS
Angela R. Holder, LLM
Sandra H. Johnson, JD, LLM
Jaime S. King, JD, PhD
John Lantos, MD
Robert J. Levine, MD
John L. (Jack) McCarthy, MBA
Montrece McNeill Ransom, JD, MPH
Ruth A. Mickelsen, JD, MPH
Aubrey Milunsky, MBBCh, Dsc, FRCP, DCH
Christine Mitchell, RN, MS, MTS
John A. Norris, JD, MBA
David Orentlicher, MD, JD
Ruth B. Purtilo, PhD
Philip R. Reilly, MD, JD
Karen H. Rothenberg, JD, MPA
Mark A. Rothstein, JD
Elliot L. Sagall, MD
Colleen Scanlon, RN, MS, JD
Sidney Scherlis, MD
Charity Scott, JD
MaryCarroll Sullivan, RN, MTS, JD
Lindsay F. Wiley, JD, MPH
Our History
1911
Our organization is founded under the name “Massachusetts Society of Examining Physicians.” Dinner meetings were held at least once a year for many decades.
1968
Attorneys are allowed to join the organization as associate members.
1972
Organization changes name to “Massachusetts Society of Law and Medicine.”
1973
Organization changes name to “American Society of Law and Medicine. (ASLM).”
1973
ASLM publishes its first ever issue of a periodical: Medicolegal News. Boston University Professor George Annas is the inaugural Editor-in-Chief.
1975
ASLM begins publishing the American Journal of Law & Medicine (AJLM). John Norris is the inaugural Editor-in-Chief.
1977
AJLM is co-published by ASLM and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1978
ASLM co-hosts first ever “Health Law Teachers” conference at Boston University
1980
ASLM begins publishing Nursing Law and Ethics.
1981
AJLM changes academic affiliation and is co-published by ASLM and the Boston University School of Law.
1981
Our flagship journal, Medicolegal News, is consolidated with Nursing Law and Ethics and is retitled Law, Medicine & Health Care.
1986
Larry Gostin Appointed Executive Director of ASLM.
1993
ASLM becomes the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME). Our flagship journal changes its name from Law, Medicine & Health Care to the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (JLME).
1994
Benjamin Moulton becomes Executive Director of ASLME.
2002
Katie Johnson begins her reign of terror as Conference Director of ASLME.
2002
ASLME co-hosts first ever “Public Health and the Law” conference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2003
Ted Hutchinson appointed editor of JLME.
2007
Margo Smith is appointed Membership Director of ASLME. Organization instantly becomes 43% nicer.
2009
Ted Hutchinson appointed Executive Director of ASLME.
2013
ASLME and JLME celebrate their 40th birthdays.
2015
AJLM celebrates its 40th birthday.