Ames Simmons

Ames Simmons is a Senior Lecturing Fellow and Adjunct Faculty member at Duke University specializing in transgender policy and LGBTQ legal advocacy. His career spans two decades of high-impact policy work including co-drafting the Equality Act, lobbying for HB2 repeal in North Carolina, and establishing legal precedents through Fourth Circuit amicus briefs on Affordable Care Act implementation.

His academic credentials include:

• JD from Emory University Law School
• BA in Political Science and Spanish from Agnes Scott College

Professor Simmons' research integrates legal scholarship with public health practice, focusing on critical gaps in transgender elder care, suicide prevention frameworks, and HIV epidemic response for transgender people of color. His methodology emphasizes community-based anti-racism and anti-poverty interventions, challenging systemic barriers through legislative advocacy and healthcare policy reform. Current work examines Medicaid expansion impacts and sovereign immunity precedents established through his litigation.

Licensed to practice in North Carolina and Georgia, Professor Simmons serves on the National Advisory Council of the Long-Term Care Equality Index while teaching Duke's 'Re-Thinking Gender' course. His corporate law background in healthcare consulting provides unique perspective on hospital contracting, HIPAA compliance, and Medicaid representation for uninsured populations.