O’Neill Institute 2025 Colloquium Series

August 27, 2025 - November 19, 2025•Array

Hotung Faculty Dining Room (2001), Georgetown University Law School Georgetown University Law Center

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600 New Jersey Ave NW

Washington, DC 20002

The O’Neill Institute Colloquium is an annual discussion series that addresses the most important health law issues of the day.

Schedule

August 27, 2025 – Session 1: The MAHA Commission: Will Its Agenda Make America Healthy?

September 3, 2025 – Session 2: Maximizing Public Health with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Safety, Efficacy, and Policies

September 10, 2025 – Session 3: Sowing Distrust in Vaccines: A Growing Threat

September 17, 2025 – Session 4: The OBBA and Its Impact on Medicaid, the ACA, and Rural Hospitals

September 24, 2025 – Session 5: SNAP Benefits and Child Hunger in America

October 1, 2025 – Session 6: Clean Energy: The Future of Our Planet

October 8, 2025 – Session 7: The Supreme Court and the Future of Health and Science

October 15, 2025 – Session 8: Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic: The Erosion of Private Enforcement of Rights

October 22, 2025 – Session 9: United States v. Skrmetti: The Impact on the Health and Safety of Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth and Adults

October 29, 2025 – Session 10: The Dismantling of Foreign Assistance: USAID and PEPFAR

November 5, 2025 – Session 11: Withdrawal from the WHO and the Pandemic Agreement: The Future of U.S. Leadership

November 19, 2025 – Session 12: Lenacapavir: Can a Twice-Yearly PrEP Injection Curb the HIV Pandemic?

Session Descriptions

Session 1: The MAHA Commission: Will Its Agenda Make America Healthy?

Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Time: 1:20 – 3:20 p.m.

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Peter Lurie, President, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Dr. William Dietz, Director of Research and Policy for the Global Food Institute and Professor, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, George Washington University

Dr. Emily R. Smith, Associate Professor, Global Health and Nutrition Sciences, Director, PhD in Global Health Sciences, George Washington University.
Stacy Dean, Carbonell Family Executive Director, Global Food Institute, George Washington University

The O’Neill Institute’s 2025 Colloquium will kick off with its first session on Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission.

The Commission has had a growing influence on federal public health policy, with a focus on nutrition, metabolic health, and chronic disease prevention. Hear from leading experts on whether the Commission is following a science-based approach and whether its priorities are aligned with the weight of scientific evidence. The session will also explore the impact of diet quality and ultra-processed foods on health in America.

Don’t miss this critical examination of evolving public health strategies and recent policy shifts at the national level.

Session 2: Maximizing Public Health with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Safety, Efficacy, and Policies

Date: September 3, 2025

Time: 1:20 – 3:20 pm

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Dhakrit Jesse Rungkitwattanakul, Associate Professor, Clinical & Administrative Pharmacy Sciences, Howard University
Dr. Earl B. Ettienne, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs & Industrial Partnerships, Associate Professor, Co-Chair Medical IRB.

Dr. Nicholas Lawson, Disability Rights Advocate
Dr. Rob Van Dam, Professor, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, George Washington University

Please join the O’Neill Institute for the next colloquium session on the expanding role of GLP-1 receptor agonists in addressing obesity and related chronic conditions.

The session will explore broader trends in public health and pharmaceutical policy. Leading scholars will further examine the evidence on the medication’s safety and effectiveness, populations that stand to benefit the most from affordable access, and emerging regulatory issues — including the FDA’s draft guidance on obesity medications and unapproved GLP-1 products.

Session 3: Sowing Distrust in Vaccines: A Growing Threat

Date: September 10, 2025

Time: 1:20 to 3:20 pm

Featured Speakers:

Richard Hughes, Partner, Epstein Becker Green and Professorial Lecturer in Law, George Washington University
Dr. Keri F. Kirk, Clinical psychologist and assistant professor, Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at Medstar-Georgetown University Hospital
Liza Barrie, Campaign Director, Global Vaccine Access, Public Citizen

Please join the O’Neill Institute for the next colloquium session on the essential role of vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, in national and global health security — particularly for pandemic preparedness, outbreak response, and routine immunization.

This session will focus on the role of scientific committees, such as the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The speakers will also discuss the far-reaching consequences of proposed U.S. funding cuts to international health organizations, such as Gavi and the WHO, and how these changes could undermine global vaccination efforts, especially for childhood immunizations.