Ellen Lawton ’93 Named Program Director of Salus Populi

10.21.26 — Ellen Lawton ’93, a national leader in medical-legal partnership, has been appointed program director of Salus Populi, the nation’s first program to educate judges and lawyers about the social determinants of health and their relationship to law. A collaboration of the Center for Health Policy and Law at Northeastern University School of Law and the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research at Northeastern University, Salus Populi has trained approximately 1,300 judges, lawyers and court personnel since the program launched in 2020.

“We’re thrilled to have Ellen join our Salus Populi team,” said Mehreen Butt, managing director of the Center for Health Policy and Law. “Her skills, background and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to team train judges across the United States and, starting in 2027, in Puerto Rico.”

Lawton co-founded the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, which provides training, research and technical assistance to help healthcare organizations integrate legal services into patient care. She later served as its leader, first at Boston Medical Center and subsequently at George Washington University. From 2020 to 2025, she was a senior fellow at HealthBegins.

Lawton is currently principal consultant at EL Consulting, where she advises legal, health and public health organizations on building effective partnerships and making the best use of their resources. She also serves as project director for training and technical assistance in the Kaiser Permanente Medical-Legal Partnership Initiative and as a senior advisor to the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership.

Internationally recognized for her role in developing the medical-legal partnership model, Lawton has authored numerous influential articles on the integration of health and law. She is a co-editor of Poverty, Health and Law: Readings and Cases for Medical-Legal Partnership, the first textbook in the field.

“In the U.S. legal system, judges wield enormous authority over critical health determinants such as housing. I am excited to bring my skills and knowledge to this unique and powerful program that engages and trains judges on research and the impact of the law on the social determinants of health,” said Lawton.

About the Center for Health Policy and Law

The Center for Health Policy and Law (CHPL) at Northeastern Law promotes innovative solutions to health challenges through interdisciplinary research and teaching. The center advances law and policy reforms to strengthen population health, reduce health disparities and enhance access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. CHPL’s portfolio includes the Action Lab, which examines the criminal justice system as a structural determinant of health; Salus Populi, a judicial education project; Public Health Law Watch, which tracks legislative changes affecting public health and produces amicus briefs; and the Amy J. Reed Collaborative for Medical Device Safety, which advances medical safety through research, innovation and partnership. Our faculty researches and publishes extensively on reproductive health and justice, food and drug law, telehealth, AI and bioethics.

About Northeastern University School of Law