Center for Health Law Studies Recognized as Number One Program

Saint Louis University School of Law Center for Health Law Studies has again secured its place among the nation’s premier health law programs in the U.S. News & World Report 2026 rankings. This is a distinction the Center has consistently earned, holding the No. 1 spot for eighteen of the past twenty-one years.

Founded in 1982, the Center is a national leader and pioneer in the study of health law. The Center provides a comprehensive education in health law and policy, grounded in an enduring commitment to identifying and addressing health injustice in all its forms. Together with students, colleagues, and an impressive health law alumni network, the SLU Center for Health Law Studies continues to influence the future of health care law and policy.

“This recognition by our peers in health law speaks volumes about the Center’s reputation for excellence and our ongoing commitment to health justice,” said Kelly Gillespie, director of the Center for Health Law Studies. “I’m humbled by the Center’s legacy and honored to help guide the Center into its next era.  Our faculty are national experts in this complex and interdisciplinary field who continue to drive meaningful change through engaged scholarship and practice.” Center faculty are prolific scholars. Lawyers, judges, federal agencies, the National Academies of Medicine, and thousands of scholars in law, medicine, social work, nursing, public health, and other fields have cited their work.   

The Center’s role in mentoring, supporting, and collaborating with scholars across the country is also central to its identity. The Health Law Scholars Workshop, now in its 24th year, is one example. Co-hosted annually with the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, the workshop brings together a select group of new scholars to present their ideas and receive mentorship from faculty experts from across the country. Jane and Bruce Robert Professor of Law and Scholar in Residence Sidney Watson, who has led the workshop from its inception, was recently honored by the Association of American Law Schools with the inaugural Award for Excellence in Mentorship and Supporting Legal Scholarship for her decades of work in fostering emerging voices in health law.

The Center’s commitment to health justice also requires community engaged work. For example, Center faculty work with local public health departments, regularly testify before legislative bodies, participate in friend of the court briefs, and provide expertise to national and local media. Recently, the Center joined together with the Saint Louis University Legal Clinics to launch a new academic Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) in collaboration with the SLU School of Medicine and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The MLP will be led by Danielle Pelfrey Duryea, who joined the faculty as the founding director and holds appointments in both the Center for Health Law Studies and the Legal Clinics.

“The Center for Health Law Studies has long been a cornerstone of our national reputation and a reflection of Saint Louis University School of Law’s leadership in shaping legal education that responds to society’s most pressing challenges,” said Twinette Johnson, dean of SLU LAW. “Its continued top-tier ranking underscores not just academic excellence, but the Center’s influence in preparing graduates who lead with purpose in health care, law, and policy.”

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