Global Health Institute

September 12, 2023

News: The United Nations Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response

Published by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, this briefing examines key aspects and shortfalls of the United Nations' draft Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.

June 7, 2023

News: The Origins of Covid-19 — Why It Matters (and Why It Doesn’t)

The O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin co-authored an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that explains that while there is value in understanding COVID-19’s origins, learning how we can improve our ability to manage future outbreaks is…

July 14, 2022

News: National Sovereignty Implications of A Pandemic Instrument

Global health law experts at the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law published a report detailing how issues regarding national sovereignty may impact negotiations around the new international pandemic instrument.

July 6, 2022

News: What Is a Public Health Emergency? Monkeypox Outbreak Raises Questions

In a recent Devex article, Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) disagreed with the WHO's decision not to name the monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC): “It is better to err on the side of decisive action."

June 1, 2022

News: At Long Last, Member States Agree to Fix the World Health Organization's Financing Problem

Alexandra Finch, Kevin A. Klock, Eric Friedman, and Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) co-wrote a piece in Think Global Health about the 75th World Health Assembly adopting a new financing model for the WHO, featuring an increase in assessed…

February 22, 2022

News: When Will the Pandemic End?

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) and Rebecca Katz (Center for Global Health Science and Security) were both quoted in a Foreign Affairs article about what the end of the COVID-19 pandemic might look like.

January 19, 2022

News: Will Whoever Identifies the Next COVID-19 Variant Be Punished for It?

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) was quoted in Devex about how COVID-19 variant detection relies on goodwill and voluntary cooperation. However, travel bans that seemingly punish the nations that detect variants, as was the case with South Africa…

December 8, 2021

News: New York City Mayor De Blasio Issues The Nation’s Broadest Private Employer Vaccine Mandate On His Way Out Of Office

The O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin and Alexandra Finch co-wrote an article in Forbes about the legal implications of Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate for New York City.

November 18, 2021

News: Uncertainties Over a Treaty Persist Ahead of WHA Special Session

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) in Devex on hesitance to support a new pandemic treaty ahead of the World Health Assembly Special Session: "They want to protect their national sovereignty and do not want to sign onto binding commitments."

October 29, 2021

News: Besting His Critics, Tedros Is All but Assured to Stay in Top WHO Job for Another 5 Years

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) was quoted in the Washington Post about Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's nomination as WHO director-general: "While the world’s been splintering and countries moving inwards with highly nationalistic responses…

September 28, 2021

News: Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future

The O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin is the author of the new Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future, a book which addresses the role that policy, health systems, and global institutions play in detecting and responding to public…

September 27, 2021

News: Biden’s Plan to Vaccinate the World Won’t Work. Here’s a Better One.

In a article for the Washington Post Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) wrote about how President Biden can go even further to increase global COVID-19 vaccination rates by invoking his national defense powers to increase vaccine production.

September 22, 2021

News: What's the Plan for Vaccinating the World?

The O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin and Eric Friedman co-wrote an article in MedPage Today about the steps that are necessary to achieve the goals laid out by President Biden's Global COVID-19 Summit.

August 29, 2021

News: A Long Precedent For Vaccine Mandates

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) joined NPR's Asma Khalid on the NPR Politics podcast for a conversation about the history of vaccine mandates in the United States.

August 24, 2021

News: To Get Everyone Vaccinated, the United States Needs a National Vaccination Corps

The O'Neill Institute's Eric Friedman and Lawrence Gostin co-wrote an article in Forbes arguing for the United States to institute a vaccine corps that can go door-to-door to provide information and COVID-19 vaccination services.

August 20, 2021

News: The United States Is Getting Covid Booster Shots. The World Is Furious.

The O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin was quoted in Wired about the United States’ failure to take a leadership role in ensuring COVID-19 vaccine equity. The article discusses moral issues with promoting a third booster shot while vaccination rates…

August 13, 2021

News: A Study in Bangladesh Tripled the Rate of Mask-Wearing

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) talked to NPR about a study that implemented successful interventions to encourage COVID-19 mask-wearing in Bangladesh, noting "[masks are] never going to prevent a raging epidemic, but it might flatten the curve…

August 9, 2021

News: Trainers, Doctors, Therapists: Is it OK to Ask Professionals if They’re Vaccinated?

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) was quoted in the Guardian on whether people can ask health professionals if they have been vaccinated, contending that “not only do they have the legal right, but I think they have an obligation to their own…

August 5, 2021

News: Vaccine Boosters Become Potent Symbol of Pandemic Inequality

Amid discussions of wealthier nations considering booster shots for vaccinated individuals, Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) comments in the Washington Post about how diverting vaccines from nations with low vaccination rates will drive inequity.

July 29, 2021

News: U.S. Health Officials to Release New COVID-19 Data

In an Associated Press article on a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin remarked that “people would much rather roll up their sleeves and get a jab than undergo weekly testing and universal masking. In many ways…

July 26, 2021

News: Lawrence Gostin on the World Health Organization's Role in COVID Vaccinations

Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) was featured in a CSPAN Washington Journal interview on the role of the World Health Organization in the global COVID-19 vaccination process. He speaks about how vaccine hoarding by North American and European…

July 5, 2021

News: Pressure Grows for Biden to Ease Pandemic Travel Bans

In a recent The Hill article, Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) evaluates different approaches to easing up international travel restrictions, such as travel bans, mandatory testing, and vaccine passports.

July 1, 2021

News: Sharing Technology and Vaccine Doses to Address Global Inequity and End the COVID-19 Pandemic

The O'Neill Institute's Matthew Kavanagh, Lawrence Gostin, and Madhavi Sunder co-wrote a recent Journal of the American Medical Association article contending we need to "waive intellectual property, share technology and expand manufacturing…

June 23, 2021

News: “Big and Bold”: Professor Lawrence Gostin on the U.S. Role in Global Vaccine Distribution

In an interview featured in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) discusses solutions to COVID-19 vaccine hoarding and inequitable distribution, including an intellectual property waiver from the World…

June 22, 2021

News: The Unproven Lab Leak Theory Puts Pressure On China — But It May Backfire

Dr. Daniel Lucey (Georgetown University Medical Center) and Dr. Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute) were featured in NPR's "Consider This" program on the unproven lab leak theory about the origin of SARS-CoV-2.

June 14, 2021

News: Biden and the G-7 Fell Short on Vaccines

The O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin is quoted in a recent Washington Post article about global vaccine distribution: "What must happen next is to pledge ongoing vaccine donations at scale, fund vaccine infrastructure and delivery, and building…

June 10, 2021

News: Steps to End COVID-19 and Prevent the Next Pandemic: Essential Outcomes From the World Health Assembly

In an article posted on the JAMA Forum, the O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin outlines "9 Steps to End COVID-19 and Prevent the Next Pandemic," including policy recommendations, financial priorities, and systems for threat identification.

May 28, 2021

News: Biden’s Renewed Focus on Covid Origins Ramps Up Pressure on WHO for More Aggressive Investigation

In a recent Washington Post article, the O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin is quoted on the WHO's role in investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 20, 2021

News: Will the World Health Assembly Adopt a Pandemic Treaty?

A Devex article quotes the O'Neill Institute's Lawrence Gostin on the possibility of a new pandemic treaty ahead of the 74th World Health Assembly. Dr. Gostin argues, “With all the pain and the deep suffering that every part of the globe has…

May 6, 2021

News: Experts Give Biden High Grades on Global Health Leadership

After the Biden administration announced its support for the TRIPS waiver, O'Neill Institute director Lawrence Gostin gave a B+ for its global response in an interview with Devex. He noted that the waiver is just the first step and the U.S. “has to…

May 5, 2021

News: Biden Supports Waiving Intellectual-Property Rules on Vaccines

In a recent Los Angeles Times piece, the O'Neill Institute's Matthew Kavanagh and Lawrence Gostin discuss the TRIPS waiver and what more needs to be done. "The U.S. said it’ll take time to negotiate the text, but time isn’t on our side," said Gostin.

May 4, 2021

News: Waiving Patents On COVID-19 Vaccines Isn't Enough to Speed Up Production

In a new Forbes piece, Madhavi Sunder of Georgetown Law and Lawrence Gostin of the O'Neill Institute each share their insights on what is bottlenecking global COVID-19 vaccine production and what the solutions are.

May 3, 2021

News: Experts Press Biden on Travel Strategy Amid Virus Surge in India

O'Neill Institute Faculty Director Lawrence Gostin contributed to The Hill's piece on new U.S. travel restrictions on visitors from India. “I just don't see how travel restrictions against India are going to make much of a difference because whatever…

April 5, 2021

News: The World Needs a Post-Pandemic Health Treaty With Teeth

With COVID-19 revealing the current shortcomings of global health architecture, world leaders have called for a pandemic treaty. What would an effective, powerful one look like? Georgetown's Lawrence Gostin, Eric Friedman, and Lauren Dueck answer in…

March 30, 2021

News: Vaccines Are About to Become a Free-For-All. Here’s How to Ensure It’s Done Equitably.

“Meaningful herd immunity is not achieved by simply vaccinating the largest number of people, but by vaccinating more of those people who are most likely to get and spread the infection,” writes Lawrence Gostin in a Washington Post opinion piece on…

March 30, 2021

News: World Leaders Call for a Pandemic Treaty

On March 30, 2021, over 20 world leaders united in a joint call for a new global treaty to help prepare the world for future pandemics. Lawrence Gostin, faculty director of Georgetown's O'Neill Institute and advisor to WHO, joined Public Radio…

March 19, 2021

News: Lower-income Countries Face Big COVID-19 Vaccine Bills

The rates some lower-income countries are paying for COVID-19 vaccines are “unconscionable,” Lawrence Gostin of the O'Neill Institute told Bloomberg. He added that they were “extortionate prices—for a commodity that they need desperately for the…

March 8, 2021

News: Georgetown This Week: Understanding the Global Pandemic Response with Professor Larry Gostin

Georgetown President John J. DeGioia talks with University Professor Lawrence Gostin, faculty director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and founding O’Neill Chair in global health, about understanding the global COVID-19…

February 24, 2021

News: Lockdowns, Quarantines, And Travel Restrictions, During COVID And Beyond: What’s The Law, And How Should We Decide?

In Health Affairs, Lawrence Gostin and Meryl Justin Chertoff analyze the legality and ethics of lockdowns, quarantines, and travel restrictions during COVID-19. They explore how to balance such public health measures with civil rights.

February 22, 2021

News: How the Biden Administration Can Reinvigorate Global Health Security, Institutions, and Governance

Lawrence Gostin, Eric Friedman, and Sarah Wetter outline a global health agenda in the American Journal of International Law that addresses how the Biden administration can immediately respond to COVID-19, as well as help bolster lasting global…

January 19, 2021

News: Executive Action to Expand Health Services in the Biden Administration

Georgetown's Timothy M. Westmoreland, M. Gregg Bloche, and Lawrence Gostin recently co-wrote a viewpoint on JAMA, outlining measures that can be done under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid that will help the Biden administration improve health…

December 29, 2020

News: Ethical and Legal Issues on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Lawrence Gostin, faculty director of Georgetown's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, co-authored a JAMA Network Viewpoint article with several public health experts to assess whether the COVID-19 vaccine mandates would be lawful…

December 10, 2020

News: Human Rights ​and COVID-19

In a December 7 keynote address Lawrence Gostin (O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law) discusses important implications of COVID-19 for the right to health, civil liberties, and social justice and ways to integrate human rights into…

December 1, 2020

News: A Global Health Action Agenda for the Biden Administration

Lawrence Gostin of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health co-authored "A Global Health Action Agenda for the Biden Administration," which offers strategies to spearhead long-overdue structural changes and revitalize U.S. global health…

November 27, 2020

News: Asian Countries Need Support to Get Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

In a News Medical article, Lawrence Gostin, director of O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, said that "South Asian and South-East Asian countries will have to make hard choices with major geopolitical implications" when talking…

October 28, 2020

News: COVID-19: A Global Survey Shows Worrying Signs of Vaccine Hesitancy

Lawrence Gostin of the O'Neill Institute has co-authored an article on The Conversation to discuss the results from a new 19-country survey on the COVID-19 vaccine. The article authors argue there is much to do to establish mutual trust in COVID-19…

October 23, 2020

News: Advice on How to Address the Lack of Progress in the Global Tuberculosis Response

Tuberculosis is one of the world's leading infectious killers. Matthew Kavanagh, Lawrence Gostin, and John Stephens at Georgetown Law's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law recently published an article on PLOS Medicine providing…

October 7, 2020

News: Why Vaccine Nationalism Could Prolong the COVID-19 Pandemic

In "Why Vaccine Nationalism Could Prolong the COVID-19 Pandemic" CBC News cites Lawrence Gostin, the director of O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, about the geopolitical competition for the COVID-19 vaccine.

September 19, 2020

News: Facilitating Access to a COVID-19 Vaccine through Global Health Law

September 15, 2020

News: Joining COVAX Could Save American Lives

Georgetown scholars Eric A. Friedman, Lawrence O. Gostin, Matthew M. Kavanagh, and John T. Monahan recently co-authored a Foreign Policy article assessing President Trump's decision not to participate in a vaccine partnership that would ensure…

August 4, 2020

News: Vaccine Wars

As a guest on the Altamar Podcast Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, discussed the geopolitics of the global vaccine race and how countries can mitigate winner-take-all risks.

July 31, 2020

News: Imagining Global Health with Justice

In a new paper in the Georgetown Law Journal, Lawrence O. Gostin and Eric A. Friedman from Georgetown Law discuss how to promote justice in global health in order to prepare the world for the next pandemic and protect the poorest people in the…

July 15, 2020

News: Working with Other Countries to Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic Protects America’s National Interests

​Georgetown professors Eric A. Friedman and Lawrence O. Gostin co-wrote a Forbes article with Chelsea Clinton to argue that the United States should collaborate with other countries to support COVID-19 global response, action that would protect…

July 11, 2020

News: What Does U.S. Withdrawal from WHO Mean?

O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law professors Lawrence Gostin and Matthew M. Kavanagh were two of the co-authors for "US withdrawal from WHO is unlawful and threatens global and US health and security," a July 8, 2020 comment…

July 1, 2020

News: Solidarity in the Wake of COVID-19

June 30, 2020

News: Has Global Health Law Risen to Meet the COVID-19 Challenge?

Prof. Lawrence Gostin co-published a paper named "Has Global Health Law Risen to Meet the COVID-19 Challenge? Revisiting the International Health Regulations to Prepare for Future Threats" in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

June 11, 2020

News: Virtual Event: The WHO, China, and the United States: How COVID-19 is Reshaping the Global Order?

Join Georgetown Professor Lawrence Gostin, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Beth Cameron from NTI, and James Palmer from Foreign Policy for a June 18 online discussion on how COVID-10 is reshaping the global order. RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

June 3, 2020

News: O'Neill Institute Professors Advocate for American Leadership in COVID-19 Response

May 24, 2019

News: New Study Shows How Law Can Advance Global Health Rights

Center for Disease Control

May 8, 2019

News: The Lancet – O’Neill Institute Commission on Global Health and the Law Report Launch

On May 1, The Lancet — O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University Commission on Global Health and the Law launched its groundbreaking report on how law can be used to advance health.

May 3, 2019

News: O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law Celebrates Collaboration with The Lancet, Launch of New Report

The O’Neill Institute has teamed up with The Lancet—the world’s oldest and best known medical journal—to examine how law can be used to advance the right to health in the United States and around the world.