Faculty and Administration Profiles

Karen A. Shaw

About

Karen Alicia Shaw directs and consults on university procedures and best practices and develops general administrative and academic policies for post-JD and non-JD graduate law programs. She also teaches health law focused legal writing courses, an interdisciplinary seminar on health literacy and health equity, and a socio-legal research and writing course on rule of law and international development.

Prior to Loyola, Professor Shaw briefly worked in various health law and other legal practice settings before transitioning her career to academia teaching courses in health insurance policy, medical law and ethics, and English at the vocational training and business college levels where she had the privilege of instructing and mentoring many first-generation and nontraditional students. During this time, she also served as a program dean at a career college where she developed health care curricula and implemented the college’s academic assessment initiatives. She currently serves as a subject matter expert for health literacy, standard-setting in organizational systems and policies with the Health Literacy Solutions Center, Institute for Health Care Advancement.

Professor Shaw holds an SJD degree through Loyola’s Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy. Her dissertation entitled, Cooperative Federalism, the Medicaid Program, and the Impact of Institutional Reform Litigation: A Case Study and Systemic Content Analysis of Medicaid Class Actions Regarding the Meaning of “Reasonable Promptness” for Early and Periodic Screening and Diagnosis Treatment (EPSDT) Services, developed a concrete and practical time frame parameter that can mitigate uncertainty regarding the meaning of “reasonable promptness” in practice and prevent public health and health system consequences resulting from delays in rendering services for children.

Professor Shaw also holds a BA degree in Communication Studies from DePaul University, a JD degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where she was an associate editor for the Journal of Law and Commerce, and an LLM degree in Health Law from Loyola.

Degrees

BA, DePaul University
JD, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
LLM, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
SJD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Courses Taught

Legal Writing I and II (Health Law Section)
Interprofessional Writing & Communication for Health Literacy and Health Care Equity
Legal Research and Writing I and II for International Lawyers
Research and Writing on the Rule of Law, Rule of Law for Development Program
M.J. Child and Family Law Seminar