Student Spotlight: Benny Chan
Benny Chan (LLM ’20) was a Global Health Law Scholar at Georgetown University Law Center and a student fellow with the Global Health Initiative.
Tell us why are you interested in global health?
As a trained lawyer, I am interested in the legal and policy aspects of global health. That our legal and regulatory environments have a profound effect on health often goes unappreciated by the public and policy makers alike. For instance, a lack of regulations on sugary sweet beverages is arguably one of the biggest contributors to the current obesity epidemic. At the same time, legal interventions to promote public health raise complex empirical and normative questions. This is all the more so at the international level. It is this complexity that drew me to the field of global health law and continues to fascinate me.
What activities are you involved with on campus?
I am a member of the Law Center’s wine tasting club Uncorked which hosts monthly wine tastings. Last month the theme was Californian wines and the month before it was Italian wines. I am looking forward to the next region!
What is your favorite part about being at Georgetown?
The university’s proximity to experts and policy leaders in the Washington DC area. Many of the nation’s thought leaders in health law come to my classes as guest speakers. Not only do they bring a wealth of expertise to the classroom, they do a great job of communicating their passion and commitment to their work. Now that’s not something you can necessarily get by reading a textbook! My classmates. I don’t recall being in a class with such accomplished and talented peers. My global health law cohort includes a Fulbright Scholar, an advisor to the Attorney General of Argentina, and a General Counsel to a large Canadian hospital! I have learned so much from hearing their perspectives and engaging with them in and outside of the classroom. Georgetown’s tremendous ability to attract top students from all over the world can hardly be overstated.
Tell us about your educational and professional aspirations.
I am currently involved in a variety of projects related to health equity and migrants’ right to health. Next semester, I will be doing an externship at the U.S. District Court and taking classes on artificial intelligence and health care fraud. Looking further into the future, I hope to build a career that focuses on the intersection of health, law, and ethics. This may lead me into the policy sector or academia. Or maybe it will lead me back into the private sector. At this point, I am pretty open.