Jennifer D. Oliva

Jennifer D. Oliva is Professor of Law and Val Nolan Faculty Fellow at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where she teaches and conducts research at the intersection of law, health policy, and technology. She also serves as a Research Scholar at Georgetown Law's O'Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law and a Senior Scholar with the UCSF/UC Law Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy.

Education:

• BS, United States Military Academy (West Point)
• MBA, University of Oxford
• JD, Georgetown University Law Center

Professor Oliva's research focuses on critical issues in health law and policy, particularly where law intersects with public health crises, technology, and civil rights. Her work examines how legal frameworks shape healthcare access, privacy rights, and equity in medical treatment, with special attention to vulnerable populations including pregnant women, people with disabilities, and those affected by the opioid crisis. She has pioneered scholarship on prescription drug monitoring programs, algorithmic bias in healthcare, and the criminalization of drug use and pregnancy.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates consistent engagement with emerging legal challenges in health policy, particularly the tension between public health approaches and punitive drug policies. Oliva's work shows a clear trajectory toward examining how technology and data systems impact healthcare equity, with recent articles addressing algorithmic bias, surveillance, and the intersection of civil rights law with healthcare delivery systems.

Selected Awards:

• 2024 Indiana University Maurer School of Law Trustees Teaching Award
• 2024 Indiana University Maurer School of Law BLSA Outstanding Interactive Professor Award
• 2021 Health Law Community Service Award from the AALS Section on Law, Medicine, and Health Care
• 2019 Truman Scholarship Foundation Ike Skelton Award for commitment to public service
• 2021 Professor of the Year at Seton Hall University School of Law

Professor Oliva has been actively involved in shaping health policy through her service as Chair of the AALS Section on Law, Medicine, and Health Care (2023) and currently as Chair-Elect of the AALS Section on Biolaw. She serves on the Johns Hopkins University/UCSF Opioid Industry Documents Archive National Advisory Committee and the National Pain Advocacy Center's Science & Policy Advisory Council, where she provides expert guidance on opioid litigation and pain management policy. Her scholarship has been instrumental in advocating for evidence-based approaches to drug policy and healthcare regulation.

As an elected member of the American Law Institute, Professor Oliva contributes to the development of legal principles that shape American jurisprudence. Her military service background informs her unique perspective on veterans' issues and public service, having been selected for both Rhodes and Truman Scholarships during her time as a cadet at West Point.