rsd15 081 0469a

David Studdert, LLB, ScD, MPH

  • Vice Provost and Dean of Research
  • Professor, Health Policy
  • Professor, Law
  • Vice Provost and Dean of Research, Stanford University

Encina Commons Room 225,
615 Crothers Way,
Stanford, CA 94305-6006

(650) 723-0970 (voice)
(650) 723-1919 (fax)

Biography

David M. Studdert is a leading expert in the fields of health law and empirical legal research. His scholarship explores how the legal system influences the health and well-being of populations. A prolific scholar, he has authored more than 150 articles and book chapters, and his work appears frequently in leading international medical, law, and health policy publications.

Professor Studdert joined Stanford Law School faculty on November 1, 2013, in a joint appointment as Professor of Health Policy at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and Professor of Law.

Before joining the Stanford faculty, Professor Studdert was on the faculty at the University of Melbourne (2007-13) and the Harvard School of Public Health (2000-06). He has also worked as a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, a policy advisor to the Minister for Health in Australia, and a practicing attorney.

Professor Studdert has received the Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth, the leading organization for health services and health policy research in the United States. He was awarded a Federation Fellowship (2006) and a Laureate Fellowship (2011) by the Australian Research Council. He holds a law degree from University of Melbourne and a doctoral degree in health policy and public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

publications

Commentary
June 2022

Owning Guns Puts People in Your Home at Greater Risk of Being Killed, New Study Shows

Author(s)
cover link Owning Guns Puts People in Your Home at Greater Risk of Being Killed, New Study Shows
Commentary
July 2021

Legal Look at Proof of Vaccination & Ongoing Fight Against COVID-19

Author(s)
cover link Legal Look at Proof of Vaccination & Ongoing Fight Against COVID-19
Commentary
June 2020

Coronavirus Could Make America’s Gun Problem Even Deadlier

Author(s)
cover link Coronavirus Could Make America’s Gun Problem Even Deadlier

In The News

Surgeons
Commentary

Medical Malpractice Law — Doctrine and Dynamics

David Studdert, a professor of health policy and professor of law, writes in this New England Journal of Medicine commentary that while clinicians face the specter of medical malpractice lawsuits, the number of paid claims against physicians has actually decreased by 75% in the past 20 years and looks at the the medical malpractice system and its impact on medical decision making.
cover link Medical Malpractice Law — Doctrine and Dynamics
Illustration of a masks and law
Commentary

The Political and Judicial Battles Over Mask Mandates for Schools

Litigation over mask mandates takes a bizarre turn after political leaders in eight states introduce bans on mask requirements. Some state bans apply only to mandates adopted by school districts; others are broader. In this JAMA Health Forum viewpoint, health law experts Michelle Mello and David Studdert look at the various lawsuits, court rulings — and possible solutions.
cover link The Political and Judicial Battles Over Mask Mandates for Schools
Photo fo a U.S. passport with a vaccine bottle and syringe
Commentary

"Vaccine Passport” Certification — Policy and Ethical Considerations

As the Biden administration considers a national COVID-19 "vaccine passport" program, David Studdert, a professor of medicine at Stanford Health Policy and a professor of law at Stanford Law School, and Mark Hall, director of the Health Law and Policy Program at Wake Forest Law, consider the ethical and policy implications surrounding the idea.
cover link "Vaccine Passport” Certification — Policy and Ethical Considerations