276.59 sec. 1 - Law, Bioethics, and Emerging Technologies (Fall 2026)
Instructor: Vincent Joralemon
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 2
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 113
From August 20, 2026
To November 19, 2026
Course End: November 19, 2026
Class Number: 33335
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 20
Waitlisted: 10
Enroll Limit: 24
As of: 06/08 10:37 PM
This course examines the complex legal and ethical landscape created by cutting-edge science and technology. Moving beyond the traditional framework of cost, access, and quality that has defined debates for decades, we will explore the evolving frontiers of U.S. health law and policy.
New questions are emerging in the health care system regarding the objectivity of scientific evidence, the authority of regulatory agencies, and the legal and ethical dilemmas posed by disruptive innovation. For example: How should the law adapt to regulate novel psychotherapeutics, where medical aims mingle with spirituality and self-actualization? What does consent to medical procedures and data sharing look like in an increasingly automated world? How do we assign liability when a generative AI algorithm contributes to a medical error? And how do we balance the autonomy of terminally ill patients seeking experimental treatments against the FDA’s mandate to protect the public from harm?
We will also examine the rise of populist health movements that challenge the consensus of established medical and scientific institutions. We will use populism in health law as a central case study to understand how shifting public views on government and corporate actors are reshaping the missions of cornerstone agencies like FDA, CDC, and NIH.
This course is designed for students who want to look beyond the architecture of the current system and engage with the dynamic legal questions that will define the future of health in the U.S. Our focus will be on the intersections where law, politics, and public policy converge. This course is designed to cover material separate from, and complementary to, Berkeley Law’s Spring 2026 Health Law course.
Course Requirements & Assessment
This course is intended to satisfy Berkeley Law’s “Option 1” requirement. Students will produce one policy brief on a health law topic of their choice. Assessment will be based on class discussion preparation, formal debates, the policy brief, and course participation. Discussions will be centered around course readings but will be directed by student-prepared questions, emphasizing the student-driven nature of the seminar.
Professor Bio:
Vincent Joralemon is the Director of the Life Sciences Law & Policy Center at Berkeley Law. Vincent is a graduate of both UC Berkeley (B.A. Biology, ‘12) and Berkeley Law (J.D. Berkeley-Harvard Exchange Program, ‘24).
Joralemon previously practiced law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where he advised on intellectual property and data privacy issues in complex transactions across biotech and digital health. His experience was grounded at the intersection of psychopharmacology, regulatory guidance, and commercialization. His scholarship spans FDA pathways, drug policy, and responsible life science commercialization, with particular emphasis on psychedelics, REMS design, and insurance access. Before practicing law, he led advanced neuroscience and genetics programs in New York public schools and collaborated with Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, Tufts University’s Medical School, and NYU’s Neuroscience department.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (P) Final Paper
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Public Law and Policy
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Intellectual Property and Technology Law
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Class materials may also be available on bCourses.berkeley.edu
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.