Daynard Honored with Congressional Proclamation

05.05.26 — University Distinguished Professor of Law Richard Daynard was honored with a Congressional Proclamation on April 24, 2026, as Congressman Paul D. Tonko of the U.S. House of Representatives recognized his lifetime of transformative contributions to public health law and policy. Daynard, president of Northeastern Law’s Public Health Advocacy Institute and a legendary public health advocate, built his reputation leading the international movement to hold the tobacco industry legally responsible for tobacco-induced death, disease and disability — a battle that has been largely won. He has since applied that same litigation-driven strategy to gambling, social media and deceptively marketed unhealthy foods.

The tribute came at a fitting moment. With gambling addiction spiraling out of control across the United States — driven by the explosive growth of online betting platforms, sports wagering and prediction markets — Daynard was hosting a landmark international symposium making the case that the crisis demands the same kind of public health response that eventually reined in Big Tobacco. The conference, “Online Gambling and the Public Health Movement: An International Symposium,” brought together leading scholars and advocates in the gambling research field alongside U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Tonko, focusing on a comprehensive public health approach to the prevention of gambling harm — one that targets the product and its dangers, not just the individual.

“I was totally surprised, and deeply moved, to receive this recognition at our symposium,” said Daynard, who was profiled in a 2025 Time magazine article, “The Man Who Took On Big Tobacco Has a New Target: Sports Betting.”