Fighting for fundamentals

Rick Weinmeyer is an expert in public health law

In summer 2024, Rick Weinmeyer will join the School of Law’s Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy as an assistant professor of law. An expert in bioethics and public health law, Weinmeyer wants to inspire students to think about the legal building blocks of a healthy society.

An expert in the laws surrounding access to healthcare services like public restrooms, STI screenings, and immunizations, Professor Rick Weinmeyer says that because public health law is such a basic part of society, it’s easy to overlook.

“We aren’t being afflicted by polio right now because we have vaccination laws and vaccination requirements that the CDC oversees and implements,” Weinmeyer says. “When you go [get a tattoo], hopefully you won’t incur an infection or be exposed to communicable disease because we have public health laws in place… We live really healthy, safe lives compared to generations ago because of public health law, and we’re just so used to it, we don’t know that it’s working. It’s all around us.”

Talking intersections

Weinmeyer says that in his upcoming Public Health Law classes, there are plenty of contemporary examples to bring into the conversation, while touching on the intersection of politics, ethics, and the law.

“Public health law and public health have always been politically charged topics, and I believe it’s important for my students to understand how the law and politics interact with one another, and how ethics can play a role in guiding us towards the best outcomes possible,” he says. “These questions are always controversial—it doesn’t matter if it’s happening during a novel pandemic or we’re talking about end-of-life care or abortion.”

Dedicated to the public good

As a lawyer whose work focuses on improving lives, Weinmeyer says that coming to an institution dedicated to the public good is “kismet.”

“Loyola’s overall commitment to social justice is so strong, and it’s a big draw for me,” he says. “It’s foundational to what I think of myself as a person, and also as a scholar.”

Weinmeyer adds that he hopes students recognize the power of the legal system to enact positive change on a very fundamental level—no matter which area of the law they pursue.

“By having access to basic healthcare services, or to immunizations, or screening, or safe water or public toilets … everyone is benefiting from that,” he says.–Andy Vasoyan (May 2024)