Dear Friends,

By now, you have probably heard the momentous news that Santa Clara University will establish a School of Medicine in partnership with Sutter Health, thanks in large part to the extraordinary generosity of Mary and Mark Stevens. On behalf of the School of Law, I want to express our profound gratitude to the Stevens family, the Board of Trustees, President Julie Sullivan, and the University’s senior leadership team for making this vision a reality. 

The School of Law is excited to work with our new Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine as we continue to build the future of professional education and health justice. In collaboration with our Medical School, the Law School will further enhance its great distinctive strengths, including: its 115 years of success in forming professionals who, inspired by our Jesuit Mission, develop life-long habits of mind and heart which prepare them for lives of cura personalis (care for the whole person), service to others, and devotion to the common good; its leading tech and intellectual property programs with expertise in patient-centric medical technology and life sciences, under the auspices of the newly named and endowed Datta Center for High Tech Law; its renowned faculty scholars whose research has made important contributions in the fields of health equity, environmental toxins, bioethics, public health, and emerging treatments and technologies; its community based clinical programs that provide free, holistic professional services to vulnerable populations; its prominent alumni and industry partners with impact throughout the health care sector; and its global reach as the nation’s #1 law school provider of international professional education programs.   

As top quality healthcare services become increasingly inaccessible, the need for highly skilled and empathetic professionals who understand the social determinants of health and practice at the intersection of medical ethics, health policy, and the law has never been more urgent. Law can be a powerful tool for improving health and wellbeing at every level of society. At the same time, laws and policies frequently hinder healthcare and public health. Collaboration between the School of Medicine and the School of Law and with schools across Santa Clara University creates new opportunities for solving complex health challenges. 

With our new Medical School colleagues, we will rise together to embrace those opportunities by: helping to educate the next generation of healthcare practitioners through our deep experience with the process of professional formation; ensuring that healthcare is rooted in patient-centered, ethical, ecological, and equitable approaches to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence; designing transdisciplinary and innovative approaches to research, disease prevention, and medical treatment; and developing inclusive student pathways with the goal of advancing the coordinated, accessible, expert, and equitable provision of integrative patient and community wellness service.   

Together with Howard and Alida Charney’s transformative gift to the School of Law, this bold new investment in professional education will continue to lead Santa Clara University into its bright future, ever-guided by its spirit of innovation and enduring Jesuit values.

With warm regards and tremendous gratitude,  

 

Michael J. Kaufman
Dean and Professor of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law