iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I ask: what happens when this disinformation flows not from fringe or private actors, but from the state itself – embedded in statutes, regulatory mandates, and official policy guidance? It is still very much a draft, and I welcome any and all feedback!

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My newest article, Disinformed Consent, is now posted on SSRN. In it, I grapple with the problem of state-mandated medical disinformation – false medical claims disseminated with awareness of their inaccuracy or with deliberate disregard for scientific consensus. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

papers.ssrn.com

Disinformed Consent

At both the state and federal level, lawmakers and regulators are increasingly interfering with the physician’s independent duty to provide patients w

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Come work at DePaul! The Jaharis Health Law Institute is accepting applications for a Faculty Fellow in Health Law and IP/IT. The position is a great one, and our past fellows have moved on to amazing positions at law schools across the country. apply.interfolio.com/188840

apply.interfolio.com

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

It will be interesting to see how Chatrie alters judicial approaches to “abandoned DNA.” If you’re not voluntarily disclosing records when you use a phone and tell things to Google, are you voluntarily abandoning DNA when you sit down on a chair or toss a cigarette butt?

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 29/05/2026

The families of two Black infants who were unknowingly enrolled as test subjects in a mid-1960s vaccine trial for a respiratory virus and died shortly afterward have sued the U.S. government.

nyti.ms

Suit Says Black Infants Were Subjected to Experimental Vaccine Without Consent

The babies were part of a vaccine trial for a respiratory virus in the 1960s and died shortly after. Their families said they had been unaware of the trial until recently.

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

They Started I.V.F., Then Split. Now Who Gets Custody of the Embryos? www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/u...

nytimes.com

They Started I.V.F., Then Split. Now Who Gets Custody of the Embryos?

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

DePaul Law @depaullaw.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

DePaul Law’s top-ranked Health Law Program trains students to tackle today’s legal, ethical and policy challenges in health care. Now under the leadership of Professor Valerie Koch, the Jaharis Health Law Institute continues its impact. ow.ly/2npu50XjeMl

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

So thrilled to host you! What an illuminating day.

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines for the Allocation of Critical Care Resources to Adults During Crisis-Level Shortages journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/f...

journals.lww.com

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...

nytimes.com

Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

UW-Madison Medical History & Bioethics @mhbuwmad.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Gretchen Schwarze, MD, MPP, FACS — recipient of the 2026 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes! Dr. Schwarze's "Best Case/Worst Case" communication tool has transformed preoperative conversations for patients across the US and beyond. #Bioethics

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

DePaul Law @depaullaw.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

The 2026 Jaharis Health Law Symposium, “Wired Minds, Legal Lines,” is almost here! Explore how neurotech is moving into everyday life, and the legal and ethical questions it raises. Free CLE | March 12 | In-person and online: 2026JHLI.eventbrite.com

2026jhli.eventbrite.com

2026 Annual Jaharis Health Law Symposium

Annual symposium hosted by the Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute—Wired Minds, Legal Lines: Governing Neurotechnology

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

DePaul Law @depaullaw.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Join us for the 2026 Jaharis Health Law Symposium! "Wired Minds, Legal Lines" will explore data privacy, neurorights and innovation in neurotech. Free CLE | March 12 | In person and online: 2026JHLI.eventbrite.com

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

As more patients order lab tests online, doctors don’t know what to do with the results www.statnews.com/2026/01/09/p... via @statnews.com by @ravindranize.bsky.social Good evidence DTC testing – beyond anecdotes – leads to health benefits? Nah. Harm: > anxiety > over-diagnosis > costs etc etc etc

statnews.com

As more patients order lab tests online, doctors don't know what to do with the results

Hoping to catch serious illnesses early, more Americans are ordering lab tests online, but their doctors don't know what to do with the results.

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

DePaul Law @depaullaw.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Save the date! 2026 Jaharis Health Law Symposium: “Wired Minds, Legal Lines: Governing Neurotechnology.” Explore privacy, consent and innovation in the age of neurotech with experts, including Minnesota Law’s Francis X. Shen. Mar 12 | In-person & Online: 2026JHLI.eventbrite.com

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Proud that my article, The Opioid Crisis Meets Genomics, is now published in the Seton Hall Law Review. Thanks to everyone who provided thoughtful commentary and insights! papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

papers.ssrn.com

The Opioid Crisis Meets Genomics

<p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of the first polygenic risk score test has been met with powerful criticism. The test, AvertD, was ap

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Another year of uplifting bioethics and law news at our annual Legal Updates panel. #asbh25 @thaddeuspope.bsky.social @aderse.bsky.social Katie Watson

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

DePaul Law @depaullaw.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

This year marks an exciting new chapter for DePaul Law. Under the leadership of Dean Geoffrey Rapp, we continue to advance academic excellence, innovation and public engagement. We invite you to read about all of our 2024-2025 achievements here: ow.ly/QQNa50Xb8LA

ow.ly

2024-2025 DePaul Law Faculty Achievements

Flipsnack is a digital catalog maker that makes it easy to create, publish and share html5 flipbooks. Upload a PDF or design from scratch flyers, magazines, books and more.

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

STAT @statnews.com · 06/10/2025

The CDC has accepted advisers' recommendations on Covid vaccinations, though there may still be uncertainty in some states about whether a prescription is needed to access them. www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/c...

statnews.com

CDC approves updated Covid-19, chickenpox vaccine recommendations

The CDC has accepted advisers' recommendations on Covid vaccinations, though there may still be uncertainty in some states about whether a prescription is needed to access them.

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

Thiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

'According to a recent lawsuit, 23andMe failed to notify consumers with Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage that their personal genetic information appeared to have been compiled into “specially curated lists” that were shared and sold on the dark web.'

science.org

The precarious future of consumer genetic privacy

Congress and other lawmakers must act to robustly protect direct-to-consumer genetic data and biospecimens into the future

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

STAT @statnews.com · 05/09/2025

Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? The answer, in short, is no. www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/c...

statnews.com

Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? No

Can anyone get a Covid shot if they want one? It's not that simple.

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent: The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent

The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

STAT @statnews.com · 05/06/2025

The NIH archives of the Human Genome Project could fall victim to Trump administration cuts, writes a former archivist. buff.ly/H1WkRpn

buff.ly

Do you remember the Human Genome Project? I’m not sure the Trump administration wants you to

The NIH archives of the Human Genome Project could fall victim to Trump administration cuts, writes a former archivist.

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

WIRED @wired.com · 29/05/2025

At the start of the year, WIRED made a commitment to stop paywalling articles primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act @freedom.press. This includes this critical piece here. The US Is storing migrant children’s DNA in a criminal database:

wired.com

The US Is Storing Migrant Children’s DNA in a Criminal Database

Customs and Border Protection has swabbed the DNA of migrant children as young as 4, whose genetic data is uploaded to an FBI-run database that can track them if they commit crimes in the future.

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Reposted by Valerie Gutmann Koch

SLU Law Center for Health Law Studies @sluhealthlaw.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Happy Friday #HealthLaw friends! The deadline for abstract submissions for the 2025 @slulaw.bsky.social & ASLME Health Law Scholars Workshop is MONDAY, APRIL 14th. Your taxes can wait; this can't! More info about the workshop & the submission process here: www.slu.edu/law/health/s...

slu.edu

Health Law Scholars Workshop

New faculty in the fields of health law and bioethics are invited to present scholarship for review in this collegial forum.

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

I’m so grateful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had at the University of Houston Law Center. I will miss the incredible faculty, staff, and students, from whom I learned so much.

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Valerie Gutmann Koch @vgkoch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

I’ve got some news! This summer, I’ll be heading to @depaullaw.bsky.social as an associate professor and the faculty director of @jaharishli.bsky.social! I couldn’t be more excited to rejoin the Chicago health law community!

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