Brigit Toebes

Brigit Toebes is a Professor of Health Law in a Global Context at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Law, and former Scientific Director of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health. She holds a PhD from the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (1998) and has been a leading figure in global health law, focusing on integrating human rights into public health policy. Her roles include chairing the MDMA State Committee (2023-2024) and advising the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health.

Education:

• Law studies at Utrecht University
• PhD in Human Rights Law (1998)

Research Interests: Public international law, human rights law, global health governance, tobacco control, and non-communicable disease prevention. She advocates for legally enforceable frameworks to address health inequalities and corporate influence on health (e.g., tobacco, food industries).

Recent Work: Her 2025 article emphasizes global health law's role in NCD prevention, while 2024 publications address oral health rights and MDMA regulation. She co-authored Human Rights and Tobacco Control (2020) and led the Dutch MDMA policy report (2024).

Awards:

• Legal Specialist Award (CISDL, 2022)
• Senior Honorary Fellow (2021)
• University of Aberdeen Honorary Lecturer (2009, 2008)

Advising & Grants: Received €300,000 from the Dutch Cancer Society (2016) for tobacco policy research. Advised the UN on health sector corruption and the Dutch MDMA committee. Active in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Groningen Centre for Health Law.

Teams/Labs: Director of the Global Health Law Groningen initiative and co-editor of the Journal of Global Health Law. Leads the Transboundary Legal Studies Department, focusing on health law and human rights intersections.