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Sharona Hoffman

Edgar A. Hahn Professor of Law, Professor of Bioethics, and Co-Director of Law-Medicine Center, Case Western Reserve University
Chapter Member: Central Ohio SSN
Areas of Expertise:

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About Sharona

Hughes' research focuses on political communication and journalism studies. Overarching themes in Hughes' writings include minor party politics, religious rhetoric in politics and communication and civic renewal. Hughes is a Lecturer in Media and Communications, Media at Swansea University.

Contributions

In the News

Opinion: "Biased AI Can Be Bad for Your Health – Here’s How to Promote Algorithmic Fairness," Sharona Hoffman, The Conversation, March 9, 2021.
Quoted by in "Should You Talk About Your Mental Health With Your Boss?," WSJ Noted, September 14, 2020.
Quoted by Catharine Hamm in "Don’t Want to Wear a Mask on the Plane? Too Bad. Airlines Now Will Require It," The Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2020.
Quoted by Monica Buchanan Pitrelli in "Why ‘Immunity Passports’ Won’t Be the Golden Tickets to Travel After All," cnbc.com, June 24, 2020.
Opinion: "Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns," Sharona Hoffman, The Conversation, September 4, 2019.
Opinion: "Physician burnout: Why legal and regulatory systems may need to step in," Sharona Hoffman, The Conversation, June 9, 2019.

Publications

"Electronic Health Records and Medical Big Data: Law and Policy" (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

Helps readers gain an in-depth understanding of electronic health record (EHR) systems, medical big data, and the regulations that govern them.  Analyzes both the shortcomings and benefits of EHR systems, exploring the law's response to the creation of these systems, highlighting gaps in the current legal framework, and developing detailed recommendations for regulatory, policy, and technological improvements.

"Healing the Healers: Legal Remedies for Physician Burnout " Yale Journal of Health, Policy, Law and Ethics 18, no. 2 (2019): 56-113.

Examines physician burnout, which is an acute concern in the medical community, with almost half of doctors reporting that they suffer from it, and it is a public health threat. Argues that the problem deserves and requires legal attention because burnout is often related to onerous health care regulations and because the government traditionally oversees and protects the health and well-being of the American workforce.

"Artificial Intelligence and Discrimination in Health Care,"

Analyzes the concept of algorithmic discrimination in medicine and argues that such discrimination can violate civil rights laws such as Title VI and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act . Urges that algorithmic fairness constitute a key element in designing, implementing, and validating AI and that both legal and technical tools be deployed to promote fairness.

, Forthcoming.
"Aging With a Plan " (Library of Congress, 2015).

Offers a concise, comprehensive resource for middle-aged readers who are facing the prospects of their own aging and of caring for elderly relatives―an often overwhelming task for which little in life prepares us.
 

"What Genetic Testing Teaches About Predictive Health Analytics" North Carolina Law Review 98, no. 1 (2019).

Compares the robust academic and policy debates and legal interventions that followed the emergence of genetic testing to the relatively anemic reaction to predictions produced by artificial intelligence.  Argues that like genetic testing, predictive health analytics raise significant concerns about psychological harm, privacy breaches, discrimination, and the meaning and accuracy of predictions.

"Specialty Drugs and the Health Care Cost Crisis" (with Isaac Buck). 55 Wake Forest Law Review (2020): 55-88.

Discusses how specialty drugs, often dispensed by specialty pharmacies, are among the most expensive drugs on the market. Analyzes specialty drugs from a legal and policy perspective and formulates recommendations for regulatory interventions that are necessary to safeguard the welfare of specialty drug consumers.