Fifteen Studies Assess Legal Approaches to a Healthy Population

Philadelphia (Dec. 7, 2009)—The Public Health Law Research Program (PHLR) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced 15 new research grants that will help policymakers and researchers understand how laws can affect public health.

PHLR is based at Temple University’s Center for Health, Law, Policy and Practice. The program funds legal analysis and research to learn about the health impacts of specific laws and regulations. PHLR Director Scott Burris, J.D., said, “We know that clean indoor air laws protect people from second-hand smoke and that laws prohibiting lead-based paint reduce lead poisoning.  Research that shows what works helps policymakers choose the most effective strategies for promoting public health.”  Burris is a professor of law at Temple’s Beasley School of Law.