CONTACT: Marshall Kapp
(850) 645-9260; marshall.kapp@med.fsu.edu

By Meredith Fraser
June 2010

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - To increase the flow of information between the fields of medicine and law, a new center at the Florida State University College of Medicine and College of Law is producing an online journal dedicated to sharing research.

The Medical-Legal Studies e-journal is published as part of the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) Legal Scholarship Network.

“The e-journal is aimed at collecting information, specifically scholarly articles, about the relationship between the medical and legal fields,’’ said Marshall Kapp, director of the Florida State University Center for Innovative Collaboration in Medicine & Law. Kapp, who teaches at both the medical and law schools at Florida State, will be the editor of Medical-Legal Studies.

In addition, the Legal Scholarship Network will act as a repository that researchers can search for submitted articles relevant to the e-journal’s main topic. Articles are submitted from medical, legal and other social science-based journals from around the world.

A handful of e-journals currently are focused on the field of health law in general, but Medical-Legal Studies is a pioneer in its field by concentrating specifically on the interplay of the medical and legal professions.

Examples of research articles available through the network include, “Doctors as Advocates, Lawyers as Healers,” “Allies Not Adversaries: Teaching Collaboration to the Next Generation of Doctors and Lawyers to Address Social Inquiries,” and “Fight Club: Doctors Versus Lawyers — A Peace Plan for America’s Most Prestigious, Antagonistic Professions.”