Michele Bratcher Goodwin (born July 29, 1970) is an American legal scholar whose expertise is in the fields of

bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...

and

health law Health law is a field of law that encompasses federal, state, and local law, rules, regulations and other jurisprudence among providers, payers and vendors to the health care industry and its patients, and delivery of health care services, with a ...

. She was the Chancellor's Professor of Law and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at the

University of California, Irvine School of Law The University of California, Irvine School of Law (known as UC Irvine Law) is the law school at the University of California, Irvine, a public research university in Irvine, California. Founded in 2007, it is the fifth and newest law school in ...

. Goodwin is currently the Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy at

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

Education

Goodwin received her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in 1992, with a triple major in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

, and African languages & literature. She then attended

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College, a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It is situated on a campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about from the university's main campus in Chestn ...

, where she received her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

in 1995. After returning to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, from which she received her

LL.M A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree in 2000, she was a Gilder Lehrman

postdoctoral fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary academ ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

for one year. In 2004, she received her SJD degree, also from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Career

Goodwin joined the Georgetown Law faculty in August 2023. Goodwin previously served as the Everett Fraser Professor at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. In 2020–21, Goodwin received the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

's highest honor, the Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research. In 2022, she received the Margaret Brent Award from the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

. Professor Goodwin has also been a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago and University of Virginia law schools.

Personal life

Goodwin is married to

Gregory Shaffer Gregory Shaffer is the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of International Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. From 2022-2024 he served as President of the American Society of International Law. He is known for his work on international law, wi ...

, who is also a professor at the University of California, Irvine. They have two children. She is the adopted daughter of Daniel Kunene.

References

External links

*
Georgetown faculty pageUCLA Faculty page
*+ American legal scholars American women legal scholars African-American legal scholars Reproductive rights scholars * 21st-century African-American lawyers American legal writers American bioethicists University of California, Irvine faculty Boston College Law School alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 1970 births Living people {{US-legal-academic-bio-stub