At the Institute.

As the New Year begins, one begins to reflect on all that has happened in the area of health law and policy in Canada. It has been another period full of activity on this front. We have seen patient safety move forward as a key area to be investigated and discussed. The establishment of the new Patient Safety Institute here in Edmonton, Alberta, will certainly be key in continuing to keep this item at the top of many agendas. So will the seemingly reoccurring reports in the media of adverse events in the health care system.

We also saw the Assisted Human Reproduction Act finally make its way into the realm of legislation. Although not all of the sections are in force and the regulatory framework is yet to be established (with consultations currently underway), those who have worked on the passage of legislation in this area for over a decade (including our own Timothy Caulfield) will now have a new focus as the substance of the regulations are debated.

Over the past few months, Health Law Institute staff have continued to present their work around the world including Paris; Rekjavik, Iceland; Sydney, Australia; and Stanford, California. Closer to home staff have presented in Montreal, Vancouver and Fort McMurray. Many of our students have also been travelling. For example students, Suzanne DeBow and Kathleen Radford, presented posters at the Stem Cell Network Annual Meeting and Symposium held in Montreal and Fiona Moore and Stacey Grubb presented posters at the Canadian Bioethics Society Conference in Calgary.

The Health Law Institute has partnered with the American Society for the Advancement of Science on a project entitled "Science Policy and Human Dignity." Meetings have been held in both Washington, D.C. and recently in Montreal (co sponsored by the CRDP at the University of Montreal).

The last twelve months also saw major activity on the health information, access to health services and intellectual property fronts, among many, many others. One of our main focuses this year has been in the area of public health. In addition to research projects, the seminars we have sponsored have focused on a variety of topics in this area. See our website for upcoming lectures if you plan to be in the vicinity. We have Dr. Ross Upshur of the Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Clinic Centre focusing on ethical issues, Dean Mary Anne Bobinski addressing HIV and AIDS, and Lawrence Gostin, internationally recognized scholar on public health matters, delivering our annual Picard lecture in March.

This Review covers varied ground, from medical necessity to legal reporting in the media. We hope you find the articles informative and stimulating. And here's to another year of progress in health law.

Editors Timothy Caulfield, Tracey M. Bailey

Assistant Editors Nina M. Hawkins, Jane Steblecki