Patricia M. Sweeney serves as the Associate Director for Law and Policy at the Center for Public Health Practice in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. In this role Ms. Sweeney works extensively with state and national organizations to enhance legal preparedness for public health emergencies. Ms. Sweeney is also an Assistant Professor in the department of Health Policy and Management where she teaches health and public health law and ethics courses and serves as the director of the School’s JD/MPH dual degree program. An active Public Health Systems Researcher, Sweeney is currently serving as a Lead Investigator in the University of Pittsburgh CDC funded Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center, where she is analyzing the impact of law and ethics upon public health systems’ emergency preparedness and response capacities. Ms. Sweeney is also currently serving as an investigator in the legal, economic and operational research component of a National Institute of Health funded MIDAS study. Ms. Sweeney earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.  In addition, she holds a certificate in the Advanced Study of Health Law from the University’s School of Law, and is a Registered Nurse.

Specialization

• Preparation of a model for competency-based assessment of personnel that can be incorporated into public-health personnel systems; legal implications of public health preparedness; health law.