About the HLI

In 1977 Justice Ellen Picard launched the Faculty of Law’s Health Law Institute (HLI), establishing the very first research institute in Canada in the health law field. Over the past four decades, it has evolved from a resource center, to an internationally recognized centre for evidence based health law and science policy research, and is fittingly home to several of Canada's leading health law scholars, including Professors Timothy Caulfield, Gerald Roberston, Peter Carver, Erin Nelson, and Ubaka Ogbogu, among others. Professor Caulfield, the Institute’s Research Director, has primarily led the development of its highly interdisciplinary research portfolio, which as a whole explores the ethical, legal and health policy issues policy issues associated with a rage of topics, including, for example, stem cell research, genetics, patient safety, the prevention of chronic disease, the commercialization of research, complementary and alternative medicine, organ and tissue transplantation policy, and access to health care. Such work has been supported by a variety of provincial and federal granting bodies.

In addition to conducting innovative health and science policy research, the goals of the Institute are to disseminate scholarly outputs and policy work to as broad a community as possible, with special emphasis on public engagement, grow and facilitate collaborative opportunities with national and internationally based researchers and organizations, and attract top graduate students to the Faculty.