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Author Archives: Brian Honermann

11.14.14

An Eventful Month for Obamacare: November Presents Two Major Challenges to Health Reform

By Brian Honermann

November has been a busy month for the Affordable Care Act. On November 15, the second round of Healthcare.gov’s open enrollment will begin. And on November 7, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that threatens to undermine the law in the large majority of states. This blog explores these two issues, concluding with […]

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10.24.14

Using Maps to Track and Control Infectious Disease: Five Online Resources

By Brian Honermann

The recent Ebola outbreak has brought the the tracking and containment of infectious disease to the forefront of global consciousness. Indeed, tracking and monitoring the spread of disease is one of public health’s most important (and oldest) tasks. Ever since John Snow removed the handle from the Broad Street pump his hand-drawn maps indicated were at the center of […]

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10.02.14

Ebola in the US: A Single Case Should Not Distract Us from the True Crisis in West Africa

By Brian Honermann

The author wrote this post in collaboration with Lawrence O. Gostin, Faculty Director, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. On September 30, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the first diagnosis of Ebola made in the United States (previous US cases were medical evacuees, who were already known to be infected). […]

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09.19.14

10 Resources to Help You Get a Handle on the Ebola Epidemic

By Brian Honermann

This post was written by O’Neill Institute Law Fellows Sarah Roache and Daniel Hougendobler The West African Ebola epidemic is an international public health crisis, and a threat to international security. For so many of us – the public health community, humanitarian and aid organizations, governments, ethicists, policy-makers, and engaged citizens – the epidemic triggers important […]

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09.15.14

16 years of GMO agriculture – No meaningful health findings in multiple generations of animals

By Brian Honermann

A new study – Prevalence and impacts of genetically engineered feedstuffs on livestock populations – published last week has brought more evidence to the forefront on the safety profile of genetically modified food (aka GMO). Transgenic GMO agriculture was first authorized for use in the United States in 1996. Genetic modification of food through the use of […]

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08.08.14

"Right to Try" Laws Offer No Meaningful Solutions and Undermine Science

By Brian Honermann

“Right to Try” laws have come into fashion with the success of the beautifully crafted and acted Dallas Buyer’s Club. That the movie was simply a movie with significant historical inaccuracies and that demonized the one drug (AZT) in the film that was actually effective at fighting HIV has apparently been lost on policy makers. […]

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07.03.14

All Religious Beliefs are Equal, But Some Religious Beliefs are More Equal than Others

By Brian Honermann

Last Monday, five justices of the Supreme Court handed down a decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores. The basic outline of the case was already briefly discussed on this blog as well as in many many other locations.  In short, Hobby Lobby (and others) sued Health and Human Services (HHS) over the contraception mandate […]

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06.30.14

The Supreme Court Deals a Blow to the Affordable Care Act and Access to Contraceptives

By Brian Honermann

This morning the Supreme Court handed down its most anticipated decision of the term.Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Hobby Lobby Stores, et al. dealt with the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to the contraceptive mandate established under regulations promulgated by HHS under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). […]

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06.27.14

Public health in our backyard: How would DC rank if it were a country?

By Brian Honermann

Those of us who work in global health too often forget about the burden of disease much closer to home. In an attempt to remind us of our own public health crises, this post will examine the public health landscape of the District of Columbia (home of the O’Neill Institute), asking the question: how would DC rank […]

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06.21.14

On the Pseudo-Science of the Organic Food Movement

By Brian Honermann

I should premise this entire post on food safety profiles of organic and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), by stating that you will find no heroes here nor any side to root for. Both the organic industry and the GMO industry have evolved substantial villains – some of whom are identifiable and some of whom are essentially […]

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The views reflected in this expert column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law or Georgetown University. This blog is solely informational in nature, and not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed and retained attorney in your state or country.

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