Biography

Molly McNulty is an assistant professor of public health in the Multidisciplinary Studies Center. She has been an adjunct since 2016, and in 2019 transitioned to the full time faculty in both the School of Arts & Sciences and the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, which operates the MPH program. From 1996 to 2004, Dr. McNulty was a member of the faculty of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, where her research focused on access to medical care for low-income adolescents.

An attorney who specializes in health law and public policy with a focus on public health and vulnerable populations, such as poor children, Dr. McNulty is interested in the policymaking process, particularly the role played by advocates and other stakeholders outside of government. Her teaching focus is on social justice and the right to health care.

McNulty teaches Healthcare and the Law; Public Health Law and Policy; and Maternal Child Health Policy and Advocacy and previously co-taught Community-Engaged Internships. She is also on the faculty of the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, where she teaches Health Policy Lab to MPH students, and guest lectures in Introduction to Health Services Research. McNulty has won an Innovative Teaching Award from the Association of Teachers of Maternal Child Health.

Dr. McNulty also oversees the undergraduate health department internships, the health policy internship, and the Washington Semester.

Education

• Undergraduate degree(s): BA, American studies, Smith College, magna cum laude (1984)
• Graduate degree(s): JD, New York University School of Law (1988)
• Post-doctoral fellowship: Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship, Georgetown School of Law (1988-89)

Research Overview

Dr. McNulty is interested in the role of law and the policymaking process in health policy, focusing on health equity for the poor and underserved, with particular emphasis on maternal, child and adolescent health. She is also interested in innovative teaching methods, including community-engaged pedagogy.

Research Interests

• The role of law and the policymaking process in health policy
• Health equity for the poor and underserved
• Community-engaged pedagogy

Courses Offered (subject to change)

• PHLT 218:  Introduction to Health Policymaking
• PHLT/PSCI 230:  Public Health Law and Policy, Syllabus
• PHLT/PSCI 234:  Maternal Child Health Policy and Advocacy (forthcoming spring 2020), Syllabus
• PHLT/PSCI 236:  Health Care and the Law, Syllabus
• PHLT 394D:  Health Department Internship
• PHLT/PSCI 394F:  Health Policy Internship