Center for Perinatal Medicine and Law

The mission of the Center for Perinatal Medicine and Law is to be an internationally recognized program that provides education, research and community service to members of the medical and legal professions and the general public on issues involving Perinatal Medicine and the Law.

UC Davis Center for Perinatal Medicine and Law is the first of its kind, a multidisciplinary university-based center, dedicated to the education of the healthcare, medical liability insurance and legal communities on cutting-edge issues involving perinatal medicine and law.

Malpractice litigation is a common occurrence for the healthcare professional. More than two-thirds of Ob/Gyn physicians are sued at least once in their careers.

The center will recruit experts in obstetrics, neonatology, placental pathology, pediatric neurology and pediatric neuroradiology, who will join with legal experts to:

  • Educate medical students, residents, fellows and medical faculty about medical negligence litigation.
  • Broaden understanding of attorneys, medical-liability claims executives and risk management professionals about the relationships between clinical medicine and the medical liability dispute resolution process.
  • Conduct research on perinatal clinical practice and related legal issues in an effort to benefit society.
  • Participate in international symposia for the medical, legal, medical-liability claims and risk management professionals on perinatal medicine and the law.

The center explores issues related to proper record keeping, promulgation and implementation of clinical practice guidelines and opportunities to improve patient-physician communications in an effort to reduce the incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes and the risks of litigation. The educational formats will include:

  • Lectures
  • Mock Legal Proceedings
  • Question-and-Answer Sessions
  • Grand Rounds

Learn more about the New NIH-Funded Study: Perinatal Events and Cerebral Palsy. (adobe file)

In November 2007 a special Grand Rounds on "Adverse Event Reporting: SB1301 and Leapfrog" was presented at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine.  

Past Activities of the Center for Perinatal Medicine and Law