Congratulations to Ubaka Ogbogu on defence of dissertation on Vaccination Law in Ontario and Nova Scotia, 1800-1924

Good news from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law via Twitter (UofA Faculty of Law @UofALawFaculty)  that Ubaka Ogbogu has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the U of T Faculty of Law on Vaccination and the Law in Ontario and Nova Scotia, 1800-1924.

Here's the notice:

The University of Alberta, Faculty of Law would like to offer its sincerest congratulations to our colleague Professor Ubaka Ogbogu for successfully defending his doctoral thesis at theUniversity of Toronto Faculty of Law in September, 2014. He will graduate with a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree this Fall.

Professor Ogbogu’s doctoral dissertation, titled ‘Vaccination and the Law in Ontario and Nova Scotia (1800 – 1924)’ provides an original, comprehensive account of vaccination law and policy in nineteenth century Canada, encompassing the factors and ideologies that triggered and shaped the legal regulation of smallpox vaccination, the processes, design, content and outcomes of legal regulation, challenges associated with the implementation and enforcement of vaccination laws, and the influence or impact of broader social and political arrangements and norms. It also provides a firsthand account of why and to what extent mandatory approaches to vaccination were utilized in preventing the introduction and spread of smallpox, how such approaches were fashioned, and the reasons why they succeeded or failed to achieve stated regulatory aims.

According to Professor Ogbogu, “the issue of whether governments can justifiably require individuals to get vaccinated for the sake of protecting public health has always been and remains one of the most divisive social and regulatory issues in Canada and many other countries around the world.” He adds: “I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study on the issue, and I look forward to applying the knowledge and skills gained from the doctorate to enriching the academic lives of our students and everyone at U of A Law.”

Ubaka Ogbogu is an Assistant Professor cross-appointed to the Faculties of Law and Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. He teaches Torts, Law and Medicine, Pharmacy Law and Ethics and the Health Law Moot Program. His research interests are in health law, public health law, science and health policy studies, law, bioethics and biomedicine, legal history of public health and health care in Canada and the law of torts (with a special focus on medical malpractice and health care torts). He is particularly interested in the points of confrontation between ethics, morality, economics and law, particularly in relation to the governance of novel and controversial health care technologies. Professor Ogbogu holds a research appointment as the Katz Research Fellow in Health Law and Science Policy and he is a member of the Faculty’s Health Law Institute.

Professor Ogbogu would like to thank the members of his dissertation committee, including Professors Trudo Lemmens (Toronto, co-supervisor), Jim Phillips (Toronto, co-supervisor), Philip Girard (Osgoode, external), Angela Fernandez (Toronto, internal-external), Martin Friedland (Toronto, internal-external) and Angela Miles (Toronto, Chair). He would also like to thank Sarah Hamill, Maeghan Toews, Adam Ollenberger, Carmelita Robertson and the wonderful staff at the Archives of Nova Scotia, Archives of Ontario, Argyle Township Court House Archives and the Halifax Regional Municipality Archives for research and editorial assistance, and colleagues at the Faculties of Law and Pharmacy and at the Health Law Institute for support and advice during his doctoral studies. Finally, Professor Ogbogu would like to thank his wonderful family and friends for their never-ending support and encouragement.