From doctors to historians, philosophers to engineers, the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars comprises more than 600 of the most influential and pioneering minds in the world. But since its founding in 1969, the society has not included a single lawyer among its illustrious ranks—until now.
Leslie Wolf, professor of law and director of the Center for Law, Health & Society at Georgia State Law, will be inducted into the Society of Scholars this year. She and her fellow inductees will be presented with a certificate of membership and a medallion to be worn with their academic robes.
After earning a J.D. from Harvard Law School and practicing law for several years, Wolf earned her M.P.H. at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1997 while a Greenwall Fellow at the school’s Berman Institute of Bioethics. She credits the program for her successful transition from private practice to academia and for this newest honor as well: Wolf was nominated for membership in the Society of Scholars by former leaders of the Greenwall Fellowship.
“Knowing the accomplishments of my distinguished colleagues and friends from the Greenwall Fellowship cohort and the Berman Institute of Bioethics, I am keenly aware of the honor of being the first to represent that group, as well as being the first lawyer, in the Society of Scholars,” Wolf said.
Though she will be the first of her kind in the society, Wolf will certainly be among equals. A leading expert in public health law and research ethics, Wolf has a distinguished record. She previously was on faculty at the University of California–San Francisco, has published extensively in the medical and legal literature, presented her research to government entities, and served on committees for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health.
“This honor is well deserved and a tribute to the high quality and influence of Leslie’s interdisciplinary work,” said Steven J. Kaminshine, dean and professor of law.
Wolf will be inducted in an April 11 ceremony at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Learn more about the Society of Scholars>>