CHLPI Clinic Students Awarded Public Service Fellowships

Congratulations to the following former Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation clinic students who received 2014 Public Service Venture Fund fellowships to pursue diverse opportunities for 2014-2015.

Stephanie Berger (J.D. ’14) has been awarded a fellowship to work with the Community Law Office of Jefferson County in Alabama, where she will represent indigent criminal defendants with a specific focus on cases involving mental health concerns, forensic science, and collateral repercussions. She was selected as the Inaugural HLS Early Decision Fellow and will be a member of Gideon’s Promise. During her time at HLS, Stephanie was heavily involved in the Mississippi Delta Project as a Mental Health Initiative Team Leader. She also participated in the Disability, Veterans, and Estate Planning Clinic, the Criminal Justice Institute, and the Harvard Mediation Program. During the summers, Stephanie interned with Mental Health Advocacy Services in Los Angeles and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Prior to law school, Stephanie graduated summa cum laude in Neuropsychology from Colby College where she served as program manager for Colby’s Best Buddies chapter.

Mason Kortz (J.D. ’14 cum laude) has been awarded a fellowship to join the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, where he will be working on impact litigation and policy reform in the area of privacy, technology, and government surveillance. During his time at HLS, Mason served as co-president of the HLS ACLU chapter and has participated in the Health Law and Policy Clinic as well as the Cyberlaw Clinic. During law school, Mason interned at his sponsoring organization, the ACLU of Massachusetts, working primarily on First Amendment issues and also interned at the Boston University School of Law where he served as a research assistant.  Before attending law school, Mason worked as a software developer and scientific data manager. Mason was awarded one of the Dean’s Awards for Community Leadership.

Grace Nosek (J.D. ’14 cum laude) has been awarded a fellowship to join the Environmental Law Centre in Victoria, British Columbia where she will work on and study law and policy initiatives aimed at ensuring that all citizens have access to and are empowered to participate in government assessment processes of energy pipeline proposals.  While at HLS, Grace co-authored, The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America, a comprehensive policy report produced in partnership between the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the Natural Resources Defense Council.  She also presented on legal hurdles to childhood nutrition before a non-profit based in Boston and made a short film explaining the problem of food waste in America. Grace has worked with the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, the Program on Law and Social Change, the Harvard Law Documentary Studio, and the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.  She has complemented her education through internships at the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.  To supplement her legal and policy research and advocacy, Grace has written and published a young adult novel, Ava of the Gaia, the first in a series of environmentally themed books.

Erin Schwartz (J.D. ’14) has been awarded a fellowship to join the Union Settlement Association, where she will engage in food policy advocacy, educational outreach, and transactional counseling to low-income and small-scale food entrepreneurs and community development organizations in East Harlem. While at HLS, Erin served as President of the Harvard Food Law Society and participated in the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic. She was also involved in the TEDxHarvardLaw: Forum on Food Policy, the Harvard Law and Policy Review, and the Harvard Mississippi Delta project. During her law school summers, Erin interned at the New York City Council’s Office of the General Counsel and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Ryan Tonkin (J.D. ’14) has been awarded a Kaufman Fellowship to join the Together Against Poverty Society in Victoria, British Columbia to lead a federal disability advocacy project which will leverage community and personal resources to secure government entitlements for the most vulnerable residents of Vancouver Island. During his time at HLS, Ryan served as President of the Harvard Law and Health Care Society. He was also involved in the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, the American Constitutional Society, the Harvard Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, and the Program on Negotiation. Ryan has completed summer internships at his sponsoring organization, the Together Against Poverty Society, and Pivot Legal Society in Vancouver. Ryan has been designated a Harvard Presidential Scholar.

Full list of 2014 Public Service Venture Fund recipients.