Contact:
Division of Health Affairs
UC Office of the President
1111 Franklin St., 11th floor
Oakland, CA 94607-5200

2003 HEALTH POLICY INITIATIVES

• In 2002, UC sponsored AB 1371(Wayne) to legalize surrogate consent for participation in medical research, thus removing a significant barrier to scientists’ research in Alzheimer’s Disease, stroke research, brain trauma and other conditions that limit a person’s capacity to consent. In 2003, UC obtained amendments of AB 2322 (Yee) to delete language that would have negated many of the gains obtained by the passage of AB 1371.
  
  
• In 2003, we developed a comprehensive Conflict of Interest Policy for the newly-created California Health Benefits Review Program.
  
  
• In 2003, we provided information regarding the potential effect of Proposition 54, the Classification by Race, Ethnicity, Color and National Origin initiative, on UC health and other research. The OHA analysis was used as the basis of the Office of General Counsel opinion that informed the UC Regents’ decision to oppose this initiative.
  
  
• In 2002 and 2003, we recruited UC scientists to serve as emergency consultants to the California Department of Health & Human Services in the event of a terrorist attack. Prepared analysis and comments on implementation of federal Select Agent Guidelines. Briefed campus EH&S staff and academic researchers on new select agent research regulations. Provided expert testimony on hearings for Project Bioshield (S.15)
  
  
• From 1999 through the present, we have analyzed a significant volume of federal legislation (S.245, S.303, S. 2439, S. 2015, HR 2172, HR 1644 and others), state bills (SB 322, SB 771, SB 778, AB 267, SB 133, SB 1272, SB 253, SB 1230 and others), and regulations (NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, and others) regarding stem cell and cloning research, and drafted UC comments in support of permitting research in this promising field, while requiring that this research is conducted with ethical rigor.