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Foreword
The Annals of Health Law Editorial Board is proud to present our Winter 2014 Issue. Each year,
the Editorial Board seeks out articles written on important and contemporary topics consuming
the health law community. The Annals of Health Law prides itself on selecting the highest
quality pieces on a variety of topics to reflect the expansive reach of the health law field. This
issue is no exception, and covers a broad range of current and intriguing issues within health law
and policy. The selected pieces contribute to the continued recognition of the Annals of Health
Law as one of the country’s preeminent health law and policy publications.
This issue begins with an article by James Hennelly, which explores the flaws associated with
continuing medical education (CME) in the United States. Specifically, Mr. Hennelly discusses
the shortcomings related to the way CME is conducted, financed, regulated and evaluated. The
piece continues by navigating readers through the regulatory framework surrounding CME
activities, paying particular attention to the accreditation process and the historic role certain
government entities play in CME content. Due to the lax enforcement and lack of funding
associated with CME activity, Mr. Hennelly argues that current regulatory schemes are
ineffective and presents his own recommendations to improve the reliability and independence of
CME in the United States.
Next, author Mark Bolin details the roadblocks preventing realization of goals set forth in the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to improve access to health care for people living
with HIV/AIDS. The article begins by exploring the steps Congress has taken to expand access
to insurance and health care for people living with HIV/AIDS, including an expansion of popular
federal programs and by issuing stricter consumer protections. Despite these changes, Mr. Bolin
concludes that Congress has failed to address existing medical concerns and State law factors,
ultimately limiting the effectiveness of the programs. The author concludes with insightful,
workable suggestions for improving the effectiveness of programs aimed to increase access to
health care for all Americans.
In our third article, Laura Lederer and Christopher Wetzel take an in-depth look into the health
consequences and healthcare experiences of women and girls trafficked in the United States for
commercial sex. Through testimony and data from their original study, the authors describe the
overwhelming emotional and physical devastation that victims of trafficking suffer. The authors
investigate the victims’ contact with healthcare providers, finding that our healthcare system
does not properly identity victims who are trafficked into prostitution. As a result, victims
experience continued physical, social, and psychological repercussions. The authors offer
recommendations for how public policy and proper identification of victims in healthcare
settings can combat sex trafficking.
In the issue’s concluding article, Dr. Obiajulu Nnamuchi describes the complexities of maternal
healthcare delivery in Africa and the challenges the region faces in improving the health and
wellbeing of mothers. By examining contemporary legal and sociological discourse of the topic,
Dr. Nnamuchi provides readers with a picture of the devastating state of maternal health in
Africa. Dr. Nnamuchi continues by exploring the major obstacles preventing progress towards a
global improvement of maternal health protection spurred by the United Nations’ Millennium
