December 10, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: KAREN TEBER (KM463@GEORGETOWN.EDU)

WASHINGTON (Dec. 10, 2015) — The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University and the Asian Center for WTO & International Health Law and Policy (ACWH) at National Taiwan University College of Law have forged a new relationship aimed at developing a structured collaboration in education and research.

“Georgetown Law has long fostered relationships that allow for the exchange of new ideas and perspectives that transcend our borders,” says Georgetown Law Dean William M. Treanor. “With National Taiwan University, we’ll see that come to fruition with scholarship, training and jointly developed workshops, conferences and seminars.”

The O’Neill Institute finalized a memorandum of understanding this fall with ACWH, an academic research center with research and training interests in international economic law, international health law and international arbitration.

Oscar A. Cabrera, executive director of the O’Neill Institute, says ACWH’s special interests in the World Trade Organization, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and International Health Regulations complement the O’Neill’s Institute’s focus on critical areas where health, policy and law intersect.

“It is extremely important for us to formally interact with experts outside the U.S. when dealing with these matters in order to broaden perspectives and demonstrate transnational consensus on law and policy,” he says.

In the coming years, faculty from National Taiwan University and Georgetown Law will spend time as visiting scholars at each other’s institutions to further the exchange of ideas and research, and to provide training that cultivates a deeper understanding of the pressing health challenges in the world.

One of the most promising areas of opportunity is in training, Cabrera adds.

“This new relationship opens the door for National Taiwan University students to apply as graduate students in the Global Health LL.M. Program at Georgetown Law, which the O’Neill Institute oversees, in addition to opportunities to participate in our vibrant summer internship program,” he says.

Just last month, the O’Neill Institute announced new collaborations with three other Southeast Asian institutions: Academia Sinica Institutum of Iurisprudentiae in Taipei, JW LEE Center for Global Medicine at Seoul National University; and Ewha Institute for Biomedical Law and Ethics also in Seoul.

The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University is the premier center for health law, scholarship, and policy. Its mission is to contribute to a more powerful and deeper understanding of the multiple ways in which law can be used to improve the public’s health, using objective evidence as a measure. The O’Neill Institute seeks to advance scholarship, science, research, and teaching that will encourage key decision-makers in the public, private, and civil society to employ the law as a positive tool for enabling more people in the United States and throughout the world to lead healthier lives.

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