Michelle Mello

Michelle Mello Stanford

Michelle Mello, JD, PhD

  • Professor, Health Policy
  • Professor, Law
(650) 725-3894 (voice)

Biography

Michelle Mello is Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and Professor of Health Policy in the Department of Health Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine.  She conducts empirical research into issues at the intersection of law, ethics, and health policy.  She is the author of more than 230 articles on medical liability, public health law, the public health response to COVID-19, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, biomedical research ethics and governance, health information privacy, and other topics.
 
The recipient of a number of awards for her research, Dr. Mello was elected to the National Academy of Medicine at the age of 40.  From 2000 to 2014, she was a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she directed the School’s Program in Law and Public Health.
 
Dr. Mello teaches courses in torts, public health law, and health policy.  She holds a J.D. from the Yale Law School, a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.Phil. from Oxford University, where she was a Marshall Scholar, and a B.A. from Stanford University. 

In The News

An older doctor talking to a patient
News

When a Doctor’s Age Might Compromise Their Practice

A paper co-authored by Stanford Law School’s Michelle Mello examines policies that health-care organizations are implementing to address potential risks associated with cognitive and physical decline in late-career physicians (LCPs).
cover link When a Doctor’s Age Might Compromise Their Practice
Michelle Mello-Babcock Award
News

Mello Wins Law School Teaching Award for Mentorship and Integrity

Michelle Mello, a professor of law and of health policy, wins the annual teaching award at Stanford Law School, where her students call her an inspirational leader and committed mentor.
cover link Mello Wins Law School Teaching Award for Mentorship and Integrity
Getty Images Illustration of COVID-Law
News

US Court Rulings Constrain Public Health Powers During COVID-19 Pandemic

SHP's Michelle Mello and colleagues find that the most impactful court-imposed restrictions on health orders during the pandemic were in two key areas: orders that restricted religious activities, and actions taken by state and federal agencies.
cover link US Court Rulings Constrain Public Health Powers During COVID-19 Pandemic