Rachel Zacharias joined the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation as a Clinical Fellow with the Health Law and Policy Clinic in January 2026. Her background spans health care litigation and regulatory work in private practice, health care access and justice policy work, and academic bioethics research.
As a health care lawyer, Rachel has worked at the intersection of health and administrative law, appearing in cases in federal district and appellate courts and the Supreme Court. She has also advised clients on a range of regulatory and compliance issues, including Medicare and Medicaid, antitrust, medical ethics and consent, EMTALA, the ACA, privacy, behavioral health, clinical research, and reproductive health. Before and during law school, Rachel interned at a Medical Legal Partnership, worked with gender and reproductive justice organizations in the U.S. and South Africa, and served as a law clerk to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Rachel has also contributed to academic scholarship on issues in bioethics, health law, and reproductive and health justice and is a member of the Advisory Council to The Hastings Center for Bioethics.
Rachel earned a J.D. and Masters in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Bioethics, Genomics, and Neuroscience from Duke University. During law school, she was active in teaching and scholarship, and her work in health law and reproductive justice advocacy was recognized with Penn’s Edwin C. Baker Award for pro bono service. Rachel is a licensed member of the DC and Massachusetts bars.
