Kate Gallin Heffernan, JD
Kate Gallin Heffernan is an attorney who practices at the intersection of law and medicine. She counsels hospitals, academic medical centers, health care and research organizations, IRBs and other ethical oversight boards on issues related to human subjects research, human embryonic stem cell research and patient care (patient privacy, informed consent, and patient care policy, with a specific focus on the use of assisted reproductive technologies). Until last December, Kate worked in the Office of the General Counsel at Partners HealthCare System. Since then, Kate has been working as outside counsel/independent consultant for various clients as the founder and president of KGH Advisors LLC. Kate received her BA from Georgetown University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and her JD from New York University School of Law (magna cum laude, Order of the Coif). Kate has spoken and published on many issues related to human subjects research and human embryonic stem cell research, and her writings have appeared in, among others, Cell Stem Cell, BNA’s Medical Research Law & Policy Report, IRB: Ethics and Human Research, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Kate is interested in exploring how informed consent policy made in response to new technologies that are perceived as highly sensitive (for example, stem cell research) inadvertently impacts other accepted research and clinical practices.