Lisa Forman

Lisa Forman is an international human rights law scholar whose research explores the contribution of the right to health in international law to remediating global health inequities. She holds a Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Human Rights and Global Health Equity. Her research focuses on the utility of human rights in advancing global health equity. In 1993, she completed a BA and LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and in 1995, completed articles of clerkship and the qualifying board exams to become a practising lawyer. From 1996-1999, Forman worked as a human rights lawyer on HIV/AIDS at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, and then as a consultant on HIV/AIDS and human rights at the South African National Commission on Gender Equality. In 2001, Lisa completed a Masters in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University, and in 2006, a Doctorate in Juridical Science (SJD) from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law. Her SJD focused on the interaction between right to health in international human rights law and international trade law, and the role of this right in increasing access to AIDS treatment, focusing on the case-study of South Africa. From 2006-2009, Forman completed postdoctoral training at the University of Toronto exploring the theoretical and practical relevance of international human rights law to medicines access in low and middle-income countries. From 2009-2017, she was the Lupina Assistant Professor in Global Health and Human Rights at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and Director of the Comparative Program on Health and Society (CPHS) at the Munk School of Global Affairs. She is now a tenured Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.