By Anne Marie Gattari
This semester, Michigan State University College of Law launches an interdisciplinary program aiming to help resolve one of society’s biggest questions: How should law and ethics regulate the impact of technology on healthcare and the life sciences?
The program on Health and Life Sciences Law (HLS Law) is directed by Mason Marks, MD, JD. Formerly the Florida Bar Health Law Section Professor of Law at Florida State University, Marks joins Michigan State as an MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor of Law.
Professor Marks has held appointments at Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, where he was a visiting professor of law in 2024. He has published numerous articles in leading journals of law and medicine, including JAMA, the New England Journal of Medicine, Duke Law Journal, and the Yale Law Journal Forum. His legal commentary has been featured in outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, and NPR’s All Things Considered.
At Harvard Law, Marks co-founded and led the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR) at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics. POPLAR was the first law school program of its kind.
At MSU, one of HLS Law’s first projects, AI in Public Health Governance, will study how government agencies can responsibly use AI in a range contexts from FDA drug approvals and CDC disease surveillance to healthcare administration and resource allocation.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare and government,” said Michael Sant’Ambrogio, Dean of MSU Law. “The legal, ethical and policy questions surrounding that transformation are becoming increasingly important. “Through HLS Law, MSU will be at the forefront of AI and health law, hosting national leaders in this area and providing opportunities for campus-wide collaboration among faculty and students.”
At the center of the program’s research agenda is a pressing reality: government use of artificial intelligence is accelerating. Health agencies are increasingly deploying AI tools to analyze data, support regulatory review, monitor disease outbreaks, and improve administrative decision-making.
“These developments present opportunities to improve efficiency and public health outcomes,” said Dr. Marks. “But they also raise important questions about transparency, accountability, bias, privacy, and due process. HLS Law’s will analyze these issues,” Dr. Marks said.
HLS Law will address those issues through scholarship, policy analysis, and engagement with practitioners and policymakers.
Among its initial research areas are:
- The use of AI in FDA review of drugs and medical devices.
- AI-driven disease surveillance and public-health monitoring.
- The use of AI in health-related administrative decision-making.
- Ethical and legal frameworks governing AI deployment across health agencies.
The project will also continue the innovative work on emerging mental health treatments that Dr. Marks started with Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center. It aims to establish collaborations with such leading national centers.
“I’ve been fortunate to observe the best models for engaging students and experts on timely issues in technology and healthcare law,” said Dr. Marks, “including the Yale Information Society Project led by Professor Jack Balkin, the Petrie-Flom Center led by Professor I. Glenn Cohen, and the NYU Information Law Institute led by Professor Katherine Strandburg.” These programs inspire MSU’s HLS Law. “They generate critical research while empowering students, informing policymakers, and building thoughtful academic communities,” said Dr. Marks.
Locally, HLS Law will draw on expertise from the Colleges of Law, Veterinary Medicine, Human Medicine, Engineering, and Business, as well as partnerships with the MSU Ethics Institute, the Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession, and the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice.
It aligns with several university priorities, including AI-Ready Spartans, Career-Connected Spartans, Spartan Catalyst, and One Team, One Health.
Students will work alongside faculty and practitioners on policy papers and research projects, while interacting with leaders in healthcare, government, and industry.
“The initiative is designed not only to advance scholarship but also to engage students and faculty in state and federal health and life sciences policy as it unfolds,” said Dr. Marks. “MSU is uniquely positioned to provide expert input and help develop policies that promote innovation while protecting the public interest.”