PHAI Online - The Public Health Advocacy Institute
About Us
Professional Staff
Christopher Banthin, J.D. Director, TCRC/Senior Staff Attorney
As the Program Director of the Tobacco Control Resource Center, Mr. Banthin oversees tobacco research and policy development projects at the Public Health Advocacy Institute. Mr. Banthin was previously the Deputy Director of the Tobacco Control Resource Center before its merger with the Public Health Advocacy Institute in 2006. He has authored several articles and presented at conferences around the country on tobacco control and public health law. Mr. Banthin directs work on numerous research grants and contracts. He advises municipalities, state and federal lawmakers and nongovernmental public health organizations. He was an expert consultant to the United State Department of Justice in its lawsuit against the leading cigarettes manufacturers. Mr. Banthin’s appellate law practice is largely focused on defending public health laws from legal challenges.
Richard A. Daynard, J.D., Ph.D. President
Richard A. Daynard holds a J.D. from the Harvard Law School, an M.A. in Sociology from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from M.I.T. in Urban Studies and Planning (specializing in Law and Social Policy). He is a Professor of Law at the Northeastern University School of Law, where he has been teaching since 1969. Professor Daynard has been involved in a number or organizations devoted to combating the epidemics caused by tobacco and, more recently, obesity. These include serving as the President of the Public Health Advocacy Institute; Chair of the Tobacco Products Liability Project; and Chair of the Law and Obesity Project. He has published over 80 articles, appeared in or been interviewed by major international media programs, and spoken on these issues in over 30 countries.
Patricia Davidson, J.D. Senior Staff Attorney
Pat Davidson is Senior Staff Attorney at the Public Health Advocacy Institute. Pat currently works in the areas of tobacco control, obesity and climate change and co-directs the Public Health Legal Clinic at Northeastern University School of Law. She managed tobacco control legal policy projects for PHAI’s Tobacco Control Resource Center and has directed other public health law policy projects focusing on capacity building in the field and AIDS/HIV. Pat received her B.S. in psychology from Boston State College and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law. She is member of the Massachusetts and California state bars. Pat has taught public health law and writing courses in addition to her legal policy work.
Lissy C. Friedman, J.D. Senior Staff Attorney
Lissy Friedman holds a J.D. cum laude from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA and a BA in Political Science magna cum laude from Boston University in Boston, MA. She is currently studying the tobacco industry’s use of corporate social responsibility rhetoric and tactics to improve its image. Ms. Friedman has published numerous peer reviewed and law review articles and is a frequent presenter at national tobacco control and public health conferences.
Mark Gottlieb, J.D. Executive Director
Mark Gottlieb joined the staff of the Public Health Advocacy Institute in 1993 after graduating from Northeastern University School of Law. His efforts have focused on researching tobacco litigation as a public health strategy as director of the Tobacco Products Liability Project, reducing the harm caused by secondhand tobacco smoke through a variety of legal and policy approaches, fostering scholarship using tobacco industry documents, and, more recently, examining legal and policy approaches to address obesity. He is the Executive Director of the Institute and lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife and three children.
Ed Sweda, Jr., J.D. Senior Attorney
Edward L. Sweda, Jr., is Senior Attorney for the Tobacco Products Liability Project (TPLP), a project of PHAI. Having been active in tobacco control since 1979 with a particular focus on the legislative and litigation aspects of public policy, Mr. Sweda has worked to promote tobacco litigation and thereby force tobacco companies to bear legal and financial responsibility for the harm caused by the intended use of their products. Articles authored or co-authored by Mr. Sweda have appeared in Trial Magazine, the European Journal of Public Health, Indoor Pollution Law Report, the British Medical Bulletin, Tobacco Control and the New York State Journal of Medicine.
Cara Wilking, J.D. Staff Attorney
Ms. Wilking was a Northeastern University School of Law Public Interest Law Scholar. Prior to joining PHAI, Ms. Wilking practiced criminal law as a Staff Attorney for the New Hampshire Public Defender. Her current research focuses on how opponents of public health regulation use litigation as a tool to derail innovations in public health law.
