JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLARS

JAVIER GARCIA AMEZ
 FACULTY PADRE OSSÓ UNIVERSITY OF OVIEDO, SPAIN

          Javier holds a B.A. degree in Law, a M.A in Health Law and Bioethics, and a PhD in Law.   He began his teaching career at the Faculty of Law of Oviedo University, Spain; in September 2015 he will teach in the Faculty Padre Ossó at Oviedo University’s Social Education Degree Program, with focus on Social and Assistance Law and Medical Law.  Additionally, he is a lawyer at the Vital Alvarez Buylla Hospital in Mieres. Previously, Javier was a legal adviser at the Central University Hospital of Asturias, research fellow and training professor at the Administrative Law Department at Oviedo University, and legal adviser at the Bioethics Committee of the Health Area IV of Asturias. He was a visiting research scholar at both Harvard Law School and Konstanz University in Germany.   His current research focus is on Medical Law, Health Law and Environmental Law. In these fields he has published one book, book chapters and articles or reviews in Health and Law and Human Genome and Law. The main topics of his research are privacy, conflict of conscience, right to forgo medical treatment, and rights in Public Health. With his research and articles, he collaborates in the effort to create a better society where human rights in health are a reality (for instance, health assistance for foreigners or protection of the dignity of patients and respect for their religious beliefs).  His course in social and welfare legislation explains the legal framework of the social activity and the principles of the welfare state; the health law components explore the legal framework of health care aid in Spain, patients’ rights, and access to the health service, with special attention to people without resources and to foreigners.  He also teaches a course in mediation, which explains the alternate dispute resolution systems’ focus on mediation, including also a health law focus on conflicts between patients and doctors and how they can be resolved, especially when human rights violations are involved.   Previously, he gave the lectures “Conflict of Conscience in Health Law” in the Oviedo Faculty of Law and “Environmental Law” at Complutense University, Madrid.
 

DMYTRO KLAPATYI
 DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL LAW
 DANYLO HALYTSKYI LVIV NATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, UKRAINE

          Dmytro holds a Master of Law (2012) in civil law from the Law Faculty of the Ivan Franko Lviv National University.  During his study at the law faculty he participated in the Civil Law Club and History of the State and Law Academic Circle as well as scientific and practical events such as the National Round of the Phillip Jessup Moot Court Competition.  For nearly three years he worked as a consultant solving different legal issues, providing clients with legal aid, and preparing legal documents, namely court claims and applications to the European Court of Human Rights. He also worked on a voluntary basisat the NGO Foundation of Medical Law and Bioethics of Ukraine, where he became interested in the different medical law issues.  Since 2012 Dmytro has been a Human Rights in Patient Care Fellow of the Open Society Foundations and International Renaissance Foundation.  Since September 2013 Dmytro has been an assistant of the Department of Medical Law of the Danylo Halytskyi Lviv National Medical University working with international students from different countries of the world such as: Canada, Poland, Nigeria, Germany, Egypt, Syria, Cameroon and Ghana during the practical classes on the discipline medical law.  Dmytro’s sphere of interest encompasses human rights in patient care, medical law, civil law and procedure. He considers being a junior faculty scholar as a unique possibility to contribute through scholarly research and writing to the improvement of the legal systems of his native country and of the world, which would secure human rights in patient care both in times of peace and times of unrest and make the human right to health a priority for every state.  

IVA RINCIC
 FACULTY OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF RIJEKA, CROATIA

          I am doing research and teaching courses of Medical Sociology and Medical Ethics/Bioethics at the Faculty of Medicine - University of Rijeka.  I also hold the position of the University of Rijeka Foundation Director.  My education includes B.A., M.A, and PhD degrees.  Before working at the University of Rijeka, I had some experience working in the NGO sector.  Currently, Croatian society is facing many problems, due to crisis, lack of financial resources and short term political decisions. Problems therefore are present in science policy, education, and the health care system as well.   Due to experience from my students, the need for more solid education in social-related issues, including human rights, is rising every day. Although Croatia has joined the EU (including accepting European and international standards on human rights), the need and opportunity for better understanding and implementing of human rights principles is more than welcomed. I hope the Human Rights in Patient Care faculty scholars' program will help me in forwarding knowledge on human rights theory and principles to my students and future health care workers.

KRISTINA SELLI
 FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH, LITHUANIAN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH
 SCIENCES,  KAUNAS, LITHUANIA

          I am a practicing lawyer and a member of the Lithuanian Bar Association.  My work is to help people in civil, administrative and criminal law cases.  I cooperate with the NGO, “Woman Help Woman,” in providing legal assistance to the victims of violence and discrimination in addition to independent law practice.  From 2008-2013, I was the head of a legal knowledge club “Temide” in Kaunas.  I hold two Master of Law degrees, one a Master of International Law, from Vytautas Magnus University School of Law in Lithuania and earned a Transnational Law Certificate from the Michigan State University Detroit School of Law.  I hold a Bachelor of Science degree, with certificate in Political Science.  In 2013 I became a junior lecturer at the Lithuanian University of Health sciences, Faculty of Public Health, where I teach the law courses.  In my courses I pay much attention to the human rights issues. Human rights developments have become the object of my interest and passion. It matters to me because there is still a lack of knowledge of fundamental rights and there are numerous human rights violations, even in patient care. In the junior faculty scholars program, I hope to work together, to share knowledge, as well as to learn from other members, to expand my theoretical and practical knowledge and skills. I have a dream to contribute to the improvement of human rights in patient care in the region and globally.

DIMITRIOS SKEMPES
DISABILITY POLICY RESEARCH GROUP, SWISS PARAPLEGIC RESEARCH

          Dimitrios Skempes is a PhD candidate in Health Policy and Law.  He is a licensed physical therapist, and holds a bachelor of science in the discipline.  Before graduating in 2009 from the University of Crete Medical School with a Master in Public Health and Health Care Management (MPH), Mr. Skempes spent almost a year assisting in research projects and following specialized courses in Health Services Research at University College London (UCL).  He holds a post-graduate certificate in health services research.  He then spent almost two years working in the medical devices industry.   During 2010 he served as a Scientific Consultant in the office of the Parliament’s Rapporteur for Health and Social Policy in the Greek Parliament before receiving a Marie-Sklodowska Curie Fellowship from the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme to conduct research in Switzerland.   In the frame of his research project Mr. Skempes had the opportunity to work closely with and for United Nations organizations including the Disability and Rehabilitation Team of the World Health Organization Headquarters and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.   His research project focuses on human rights aspects of monitoring and evaluation of rehabilitation policies and programmes in order to identify rights-based indicators.

MARIAM TOROSYAN
HEALTH LAW DEPARTMENT, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
YEREVAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY AFTER MKHITAR HERATSI, YEREVAN, ARMENIA

         Mariam began her teaching career in 2014 as an Assistant Professor in the department of Health Law at Yerevan State Medical University where she delivers lectures to more than 800 Bachelor, Master, and Residency level students. The Armenia Human Rights in Patient Care Practitioner Guide serves as the core for course curricula, and students are introduced to use of the Armenia health-rights website. In addition to Armenian students, Mariam teaches international students from India, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Georgia, Russia, and other countries.  She is most interested in the fields of law of Human Rights in Patient Care, Public Health Law, Medical law, Human Rights, Constitutional law, Theory of Law, and Legal Anthropology.  She holds a bachelor degree in law from the French of Law in Armenia and a master in law with specialization in Constitutional Law and Theory of Law and State from Yerevan State University Faculty of Law.  She is a PhD student at the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, a PhD researcher in the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and is an Associate Researcher for the Anthropology Institute of the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.  She cooperates with a variety of Swiss institutes, particularly the Institute of Health Law of the University of Neuchâtel, and is currently a member of the “Conference universitaire de Suisse occidentale”.  In 2013 Mariam began working at the “Center for Rights Development” NGO as a Legal Assistant in the framework of the “Human Rights in Patient Care Fellowship Program” of the Open Society Foundations. The knowledge and experience gained assisting within the fellowship program played a significant role and contributed to her current academic career and practice. Mariam continues to be actively engaged in issues concerning Human Rights in Patient Care in Armenia.  During her study of law, Mariam experienced professional practice in France in the Armenian Community Council of Côte d'Azur in particular, as well as in the Court of First Instance of Armenia and Civil Court of Appeal of Armenia. She has been simultaneously volunteering for different NGOs, such as “Skarp Health center” NGO, and has been involved in different projects related to the protection of rights of people with disabilities.  After obtaining her master’s degree, Mariam worked for a year at a local law firm in Armenia as a Legal Consultant, participating in legal advisory missions for a number of local and foreign companies, including legal analysis and review, legal consulting, drafting legal documents consistent with local legislation and international practice, and court representation of the clients’ interests in competent courts of Armenia. The topic of her research during the HRPC scholars program is access to medicines in Armenia.