The Center has partnered with the Consortium for the Advanced Study of Brain Injury (CASBI) at Weill Cornell Medical College, which seeks to understand mechanisms of recovery following severe brain injuries and to develop novel therapeutic interventions and strategies. Through translational research and public policy engagement, CASBI works to affirm the rights of individuals with brain injury and overcome the scientific and societal barriers that can limit their maximal integration into our society. Dr. Joseph J. Fins, the co-director of CASBI, is a Visiting Professor in Law and scholar in residence at the Center and collaborates with students and faculty to explore the impact that law and health policies have on this vulnerable population. The development of this project is further described at Solomon Center's CASBI@YLS. For 2016-18, Megan Wright (YLS '16) served as a research fellow and senior advisor on this project. The current CASBI fellow and senior advisor is Zachary E. Shapiro.
Publications that have resulted from this collaboration include:
Zachary E. Shapiro, Allison Rabkin Golden ('20), Gregory E. Antill ('23), Katherine Fang ('22), Chaarushena Deb ('21), Elizabeth Clarke ('23), Alexis Kallen ('22), Hanya M. Qureshi (Med '23), Kai Shulman (BA '22), Caroline V. Lawrence ('21), Laura C. Hoffman, Megan S. Wright ('16) & Joseph J. Fins, Designing an Americans with Abilities Act: Consciousness, Capabilities, and Civil Rights, 63 B.C. L. Rev. 1729 (2022)
Zachary E. Shapiro, Chaarushena Deb ('21), Caroline Lawrence ('21), Allison Rabkin Golden ('20), Jaclyn Wilner ('20), Allison Durkin ('21), Zoe M. Adams, Wenqing Zhao ('20), Keturah James ('19), Adam Pan ('19), Megan S. Wright ('16), and Joseph J. Fins, "Olmstead Enforcements for Moderate to Severe Brain Injury: The Pursuit of Civil Rights Through the Application of Law, Neuroscience, and Ethics," 95 Tul. L. Rev. 525 (2021)
Joseph J. Fins, Megan S. Wright ('16), and Samuel Bagenstos. "Disorders of Consciousness and Disability Law," Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Aug. 2020)
Tamar Ezer, Megan S. Wright ('16), and Joseph J. Fins, "The Neglect of Persons with Severe Brain Injury in the United States: An International Human Rights Analysis," Health and Human Rights Journal (June 2020)
Caroline Lawrence ('21), Zachary E Shapiro, Joseph J Fins, "Brain-computer interfaces and the right to be heard: calibrating legal and clinical norms in Pursuit of the Patient's Voice," 33 Harv. J. Law. Technol. 167 (2019)
Joseph J. Fins, "Disorders of Consciousness, Past, Present, and Future," Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (Oct. 2019)
Joseph J. Fins, "Mosaic Decisionmaking and Severe Brain Injury: Adding Another Piece to the Argument," Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (Oct. 2019)
Megan S. Wright (’16), Keturah James (’19), Adam Pan (’19), Joseph J. Fins, “When Biomarkers Are Not Enough: FDA Evaluation of Effectiveness of Neuropsychiatric Devices for Disorders of Consciousness,” 21 Stan. Tech. L. Rev. 276 (2018).
Megan S. Wright (’16), "End of Life and Autonomy: The Case for Relational Nudges in End-of-Life Decision-Making Law and Policy," 77 MD. L. Rev. 1062 (2018).
Megan S. Wright (’16), "Change without Change? Assessing Medicare Reimbursement for Advance Care Planning," 48 Hastings Ctr. Rep. 8 (2018).
Megan S. Wright (’16), Claudia Kraft (’15), Michael R. Ulrich, and Joseph J. Fins, "Disorders of Consciousness, Agency, and Health Care Decision Making: Lessons from a Developmental Model," 9 AJOB Neuroscience 56 (2018).
Joseph J. Fins and Megan S. Wright, “Rights Language and Disorders of Consciousness: A Call for Advocacy,” Brain Injury (2018).
Joseph J. Fins, "Brain Injury and the Civil Right We Don’t Think About," The NY Times (Aug. 2017).
Megan S. Wright (’16), Michael R. Ulrich, Joseph J. Fins, "Guardianship and Clinical Research Participation: The Case of Wards with Disorders of Consciousness," 27(1) Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 43 (Mar. 2017).
Joseph J. Fins, "Why Advances in Treating Those with Brain Injury Require Advances in Respecting their Rights," The Huffington Post (Jan. 2017).
Megan Wright (’16), with Joseph J. Fins, “Rehabilitation, Education, and the Integration of Individuals with Severe Brain Injury into Civil Society: Towards an Expanded Rights Agenda in Response to New Insights from Translational Neuroethics and Neuroscience,” 16 Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics 233 (Aug. 2016).
Michael R. Ulrich, Megan S. Wright ('16), Kyle Edwards ('18), Nathan Guevremont ('18), Joel Ramirez ('17), Nina Viarsava ('18), Joseph J. Fins, “Lincoln’s Promise: Congress, Veterans, and Traumatic Brain Injury," Hastings Center Bioethics Forum (June 2016).
Joseph J. Fins, Megan S. Wright ('16), Claudia Kraft ('15), Alix Rogers ('15), Marina B. Romani ('16), Samantha Godwin (LLM), Michael R. Ulrich, "Wither the "Improvement Standard"? Coverage for Severe Brain Injury After Jimmo v. Sebelius," 44 Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics 182 (Jan. 2016).
Joseph J. Fins, “Rights Come to Mind: Brain Injury, Ethics, and the Struggle for Consciousness,” Cambridge University Press (Aug. 2015).