Anne Kjersti Befring

Anne Kjersti Befring is a Professor at the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo. Her expertise spans health law, public law, and healthcare policy, focusing on legislative frameworks for infection control, medical ethics, and pandemic governance. She has authored seminal works such as The Right to Health (2022), Health and Care Law (2017), and Health Policy and Management (2015), which explore legal dimensions of healthcare systems, patient rights, and administrative structures. Befring’s research engages with global influences on Norwegian law, including EU/EEA directives and international human rights standards.

Her recent work addresses contemporary challenges like synthetic data ethics in healthcare AI, gene therapy regulation, and legal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. She contributes to debates on balancing innovation with patient safety, particularly in emerging technologies like personalized medicine and biobanking under GDPR. Befring’s publications frequently analyze Supreme Court rulings and legislative reforms, offering insights into the intersection of law, ethics, and healthcare practice.

Research groups affiliated with Befring include Administrative Law, Constitutional Law and Rights, Law and Technology (JOT), and Welfare, Rights and Discrimination (VERDI). Her interdisciplinary approach bridges legal theory with practical healthcare governance, influencing policy development and academic discourse.