Before attending Georgia State Law, Gregory Fosheim (J.D. ’14), who has a master of public health, was a microbiologist evaluating health care associated infections at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. While the connection to law may not be obvious, Fosheim found he spent a lot of time developing an understanding of the health care system and the interplay between providers, payors and local, state, and federal government agencies and their regulations.
Fosheim still works at the intersection of health, law and policy, now as an associate attorney with McDermott Will & Emery, LLP in Chicago.
“The projects I enjoy most marry my public health education, my science background and my legal passion to ensure the health care end user has the access they need,” said Fosheim.
Fosheim’s health care transactional and regulatory practice provides ample opportunities to engage in these types of projects and put his microbiology background to work. In one month, Fosheim worked on matters as varied as a hospital merger that needed to maintain the rural hospital’s community mission; creating an orphan drug consortium to negotiate discount pricing; and developing policy manuals for behavioral health centers to allow youth to self-advocate for substance use and mental health treatment.
Fosheim is an active participant in LGBTQ diversity initiatives as a member of the National LGBT Bar Association, and routinely mentors LGBTQ law students and young associates. He presented at the Lavender Law Conference in Philadelphia in August.
“I was very fortunate to have numerous mentors from many walks of life, and I consider each one of them to have been instrumental in cultivating my legal self-confidence,” he said. “No one would ever say this profession is easy, but hearing that it’s both permissible and encouraged for law students and new lawyers to be their most authentic selves helps to remove the imposter syndrome that cripples many associates.”
Fosheim also is using his experience in health law to explore health-related issues members of the LGTBQ community face.
“Electronic medical records are ripe for unintentional discrimination impacting LGBTQ individuals, and particularly transgender patients, who require preventative care that may not align with their gender markers,” said Fosheim. “Health care privacy is also a defining issue for many sexual minorities, influencing whether LGBTQ individuals seek and receive health care, such as preventative care, chronic care support and substance abuse treatment.”
Fosheim was recently accepted into the American Health Lawyers Association Leadership Development Program for the Life Sciences Practice Group. He considers continuing to grow to be a key component of professionalism, something he learned while at Georgia State Law.
“Professionalism is more than a buzz word,” he said. “It’s a lifestyle.”
Written by Stacie Kershner