Stacie Kershner (J.D. '08)

Stacie Kershner is the deputy director for the Center for Law, Health & Society, at Georgia State University College of Law. She is affiliated faculty with the Partnership for Urban Health Research and faculty liaison to the Center for Leadership in Disability at the School of Public Health. She is also a faculty affiliate with the Micromobility Lab at the Urban Studies Institute. Kershner teaches Public Health Law, which is open to law students, as well as public health and other graduate students across campus. She also supervises independent research studies for J.D. and LL.M. students and has participated in thesis and dissertation committees for masters and Ph.D. students in other departments. 

Kershner’s current research focuses on communicable disease prevention, legal preparedness for public health emergencies, and the impact of COVID-19 on at-risk populations. Together with colleague Brooke Silverthorn, she co-wrote and presented the chapter, “Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable and At-Risk School-Age Children,” in the COVID-19 Policy Playbook: Legal Recommendations for a Safer, More Equitable Future.

Kershner is collaborating with colleague Karen Johnston on research examining micromobility laws and regulations, equitable access, and connecting micromobility to public transit. They are currently working with a research team focused on the impact of COVID-19 on public transit, including ridership, behaviors, perceptions, and regulatory measures.

Kershner manages new and ongoing center initiatives, including overseeing educational programming; organizing guest speakers, CLE, conferences and other events on health law topics; coordinating public relations activities; and developing grant opportunities. She also oversees the health law certificate program, dual degree programs with public health and health administration, and LL.M. with a concentration in health law, recruiting new students, providing course and career advisement to current students, and networking with graduates. She is also the advisor for the Student Health Law Assocation.

Prior to this position, Kershner served as an ORISE Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Law Program where she conducted research on a variety of topics, including emergency preparedness, control of communicable disease, and injury prevention. She also designed and implemented tools and trainings on best and promising practices in public health law to federal, state and local public health officials and their legal counsel, as well as stakeholders from other sectors, such as education, transportation, law enforcement and the judiciary. She provided legal technical assistance internally to subject matter experts across CDC. Before working at the CDC, Kershner was the project manager overseeing research at the Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies collecting data on child welfare outcomes related to the Kenny A. v. Perdue consent decree in conjunction with the Division of Family and Children’s Services and court appointed compliance monitors. Kershner also worked as a paralegal with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office where she investigated felonies such as white collar crime, fraud, theft, drug and obstruction, and prepared cases for presentation to grand jury and trial.

Kershner is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. She previously served as the co-chair of the Advocates for Students with Disabilities Committee of the Young Lawyers Division, and in 2010 she received the Award of Achievement for Outstanding Service to the Public from the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar.

Kershner holds a J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and a B.A. in sociology/anthropology from Agnes Scott College. She has also earned a graduate certificate in public health from Georgia State University School of Public Health.