Texas Tech Law Professor Jennifer Bard Chosen For Health Fellowship

A Texas Tech law professor has been tapped for a prestigious health fellowship.

Jennifer S. Bard is one of six senior law professors selected for the Scholars in Residence fellowship, which has been launched by the Network for Public Health Law and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Bard, the Alvin R. Allison Professor of Law and director of Texas Tech Law’s Health Law Program and the J.D./M.D. program, was selected to the program which is intended to sharpen their teaching and scholarly work while providing legal expertise to public health agencies.

According to a press release from Texas Tech, Bard’s work will focus on legal options available to City of Lubbock officials seeking to eradicate nuisance insects such as bed bugs and mosquitoes.

The release continues, saying that the focus will be on balancing the property rights of Lubbock homeowners against the actions required by those seeking to track and kill the potentially harmful pests.

“One of the great challenges of implementing public health policies is balancing the rights of individuals, including owners of private property, and the rights of the community as a whole,” said Bard. “When conditions on private property result in the proliferation of disease-carrying insects, then it is necessary for the government, elected by all citizens, to intervene.”