Lance Gable, J.D., hosts SciComm workshop on VOC regulation

Lance Gable, J.D., professor of law and faculty director of the Minor in Law Program at Wayne State hosted a science communication workshop on Thursday April 12 at the Integrative Biosciences Center. His presentation was titled, “Regulating Volatile Organic Compounds: Environmental Health and the Law and Policy Landscape.” The hybrid seminar welcomed 20 participants in-person and remotely. Gable is a co-investigator with CLEAR on the Research Translation team within the Administrative Core.

Gable is an internationally known expert on public health law and bioethics. Gable’s research sits on the intersection of law, policy, health, ethics and science. He holds a BA in political science and MPH from Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He has published on topics such as public health law, ethics and policy; international human rights; emergency preparedness and response; mental health; research ethics; and information privacy. 

In his presentation, Gable discussed the challenges in regulating VOCs. Due to the variability of VOC-containing products and sources, it is difficult to both enact and enforce regulations at multiple policy levels. The workshop focused on teaching the basics of VOC legal regulation, and discussed the opportunities for researchers and scientists to incorporate community engagement techniques to strengthen policy recommendations and research initiatives that target VOC intervention.