Richard J. Kelly*, MD, JD, MPH, FASA, FCLM
Clinical Professor, University of California, Irvine
*Approved instructor by the Medical Board of California
Dr. Richard Kelly is a board-certified anesthesiologist and clinical professor at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Kelly studied biochemistry and theology as an undergraduate at Harvard University. He completed his master’s degree in Public Health at U.C. Berkeley and dual professional degrees in Law and Medicine at Stanford University.
His research interests include the societal consequences of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; the ethical and legal implications of physician fatigue; medical professionalism; and national trends in medical malpractice awards. He is associated with the Health Policy Research Institute at UC Irvine School of Medicine where he teaches classes in Health Politics & Policy. Dr. Kelly also lectures nationally and internationally on topics of legal medicine, health policy, and medical ethics. He spends the remainder of his academic time teaching medical students, residents, and working as an anesthesiologist.
Dr. Kelly is an Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the Journal of Legal Medicine and a fellow of both the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American College of Legal Medicine. He is an active member of the World Association for Medical Law, a member of the State Bar of California, and a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.
S. Sandy Sanbar*, MD, PHD, JD, FCLM
Adjunct Professor University of Oklahoma, School of Medicine
*Approved instructor by the Medical Board of California
Dr. Sanbar was born in Haifa, and received his MD at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He did a residency in Internal Medicine at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, and earned a Ph.D. at the Universities of Oklahoma and Michigan Medical Centers, and a Cardiovascular fellowship at the Michigan Heart Association. His JD is from Oklahoma City University.
Since 1970's, he has practiced in Oklahoma City both as an Attorney at Law and Internal Medicine and Cardiology. Dr. Sanbar is a Past President of the American College of Legal Medicine and he has received numerous awards from the American College of Legal Medicine. He was the Chairman of the American Board of Legal Medicine (ABLM); and is Adjunct Professor of Medical Education, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK.
Sanbar authored over 200 articles, and serves as editor of several books in his specialties. He publishes a monthly article for the LAW AND MEDICINE section of the Oklahoma County Medical Society. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar, the Oklahoma County Bar, the Oklahoma State Medical Association and the Oklahoma County Medical Society. He is a State, National and International Lecturer on Legal Medicine and Medical Malpractice.
.png)
Mitchell D. Forman, DO, FACR, FACOI, MACP, FRCP
Dean Emeritus Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Forman received his D.O. degree in 1973 from The Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his rotating internship and first year of Internal Medicine residency at Green Cross General Hospital and completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Brooklyn V.A. Hospital in 1977. He was the first DO to be accepted to and complete a Rheumatology fellowship from the State University of New York & Downstate Medical Center, where he remained as a faculty member. He subsequently relocated to the University of North Texas Health Science Center as a faculty member, rising to Associate Professor and Dean/VP of Student Services while continuing to practice rheumatology there.
He relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada and had the honor of being the the Founding Dean of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he served as Dean from 2004 until 2016. He is now a Dean Emeritus. Dr. Forman is currently a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine where he serves as the Program Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program, tasked with applying for approval of the first rheumatology fellowship in the State of Nevada .
Dr. Forman is the past-president of the Clark County Medical Society and the Nevada State Medical Association and is the first practicing physician in Nevada to receive the prestigious Mastership of the American College of Physicians (MACP) and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP). As of July 1, 2023, Dr. Forman was elected President of the Clark County Medical Society for the second time.
Weldon (Don) Havins, MD, JD, LLM (Health Law), FABO, FCLM
Professor Emeritus Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
Weldon (Don) Havins attended the Coronado, California primary school system, then San Diego State University where he received a B.A. with high honors. Graduating from Wake Forest University School of Medicine with an M.D. in 1970, he interned in surgery at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. Following two years with the U.S. Navy (one year as a medical officer on the USS Daniel Webster SSBN-626 nuclear submarine, one year at the Long Beach Regional Naval Medical Center), he completed an ophthalmology residency at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA in 1976, and later, a fellowship in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Texas, Houston, in 1981. He earned a Master’s degree in Management from the Claremont Graduate University while practicing Ophthalmology in Upland, California.
From 1982 to 1995, Don practiced Ophthalmology and Oculoplastic Surgery in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1995, he matriculated to law school at the University of San Diego, graduating in 1998 cum laude, where he was an editor of the Law Review, and selected to Order of the Coif. Remaining at the University of San Diego School of Law for an additional year, Don earned a Master of Laws degree cum laude in Health Law.
In 1999, Don served as a law clerk for a District Court Judge while continuing to practice ophthalmology part-time. From 2001 to 2008, he worked as the executive director and legal counsel for the Clark County Medical Society. Following a stint as Executive Director of the Nevada Board of Osteopathic Medicine, Don received a full-time appointment to the faculty of Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which he recently retired and was awarded Professor Emeritus status.
A member of the Nevada Bar, he is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Legal Medicine. Don has served as a Board Member of the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners. He is a member of the Board of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and the American College of Legal Medicine. He is a past-president of the Nevada State Medical Association and the Clark County Medical Society. Don has numerous publications in medical journals and law reviews. In 2019, he was selected Nevada Distinguished Physician of the Year by the Nevada State Medical Association.
Don continues to practice ophthalmology part-time while being involved in numerous organized medicine activities and health law issues. He endeavors to keep Nevada health care providers updated with ongoing changes affecting clinical practice through continuing education presentations.
Joseph D. Piorkowski, Jr., DO, JD, FCLM
President, American College of Legal Medicine
Dr. Piorkowski is board certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (Aerospace Medicine), American Osteopathic Board of Family Practice, and the American Board of Legal Medicine. He served as a Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Naval Reserve Medical Corps for over 25 years; he served as Commanding Officer of his reserve unit for over 5 years; and he retired with the rank of Captain in 2005. He continues to provide medical support to our military service members as an American Red Cross volunteer.
He has represented scientists, physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other product manufacturers in a wide range of litigation, including toxic tort/products liability cases, medical malpractice actions, peer review proceedings, criminal investigations, and FDA matters. His training and experience as a physician and his education in epidemiology enhance his ability to communicate complex scientific concepts in simple, understandable terms to judges and juries. Joe also has extensive experience successfully challenging the testimony of expert witnesses who try to bring “junk science” into the courtroom. Joe has been repeatedly listed by Washingtonian magazine as one the “Best Lawyers in Washington” and is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel.
Dr. Piorkowski has taught as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center since 1992; courses
have included “Trial Practice: Working with Medical Experts” and “Causality in Science and Law
Seminar.
Joseph P. McMenamin, MD, JD, FCLM
Principal at McMenamin Law Offices
Dr. McMenamin is the Principal at McMenamin Law Offices, PLLC, in Richmond, Virginia. He is also Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, W Medical Strategy Group, and Co-Founder and CEO, Civic Telehealth, LLC. He has over 35 years’ experience in representing and advising health care providers, life sciences companies, telemedicine concerns, and food companies. Joe has defended these organizations against a variety of allegations in state and federal court. He currently assists clients on an array of regulatory and reimbursement issues, licensure, informed consent, contract matters, risk management, privacy, and the legal issues implicated by augmented intelligence. For much of his career, Joe was a partner at McGuireWoods, a large international law firm, before launching his own law practice in 2013.
Previously, Dr. McMenamin practiced emergency medicine at hospitals in Pennsylvania and Georgia on a part-time and full-time basis over a seven-year period overlapping his specialty training and legal education. He presently serves as general counsel to the Virginia Telemedicine Network, and as a member of the Legal Resource Team for CTeL, the Center for Telemedicine and eHealth Law. Joe is an associate professor of Legal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia and a former member of the Boards of Directors of the Medical Society of Virginia Insurance Agency and of the Richmond Ambulance Authority. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief, World Asian Medical Journal, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Health Law Section.
Junying (June) Zhao, PhD, PhD, MPH, MBBS, FCLM
Assistant Professor, Health Administration and Policy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Dr. June Zhao is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
An economist and mathematician, she brings expertise in healthcare finance to address the legal and financial risks of medical enterprises and medical technologies.
June obtained her:
• PhD in health economics from McMaster University,
• PhD in applied mathematics from the University of California, and
• MPH from Harvard University
In addition to healthcare finance, her interests include poetry, improv, contemporary art, cultural/spiritual travel, and philanthropy.