PHD THESIS
Title : International Law and the Financialization of the Global Pharmaceutical Market (working title)
PhD Supervisors & Co-Supervisor: Anne Saab & `Vinh-Kim Nguyen
Expected completion date: 2024
There has been a recent shift in the structure and functioning of the global economy that has been characterized as financialization. The financialization of economies carries with it implications for economic stability and creates new challenges for the management of health. The pharmaceutical and financial industries are highly regulated, mediated through the technology of law. Therefore, the research asks: what is the constitutive role of international law in shaping a financialized pharmaceutical marketplace, and what is the impact on the realization of the right to health.
Profile
Dena holds degrees in Human Sciences B.Sc. from University College London, and an LL.M. in Global Health Law and International Institutions from Geneva Graduate Institute and Georgetown Law. Dena is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales (not practicing) They practiced law in the City of London for several years, specializing in banking and finance law before turning her attention to global health. They have also worked with the World Health Organization - Western Pacific Regional Office on matters of law, development and health. Their research adopts an inter-disciplinary and mixed methods approach, combining critical legal analysis and sociological methods. Their research aims to highlight the broader political economy that shapes questions on access to medicine and the realization of the right to health. She maintains a commitment to teaching and learning both in and outside the classroom.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Law and Political Economy
- Health Financing, Health and Human Rights
- Law of International Institutions
- Legal Theory
- TWAIL and Feminist Approaches to International Law
- Critical Legal Studies
Academic work experiences
Research Assistant, Global Health Centre
other work experiences
- Trainee Solicitor, England & Wales (2010 - 2012)
- Solicitor, England & Wales (2012-2016)
- Research Assistant, Business and Health through Economic and Political Lenses: Concepts, problems and strategies for governance Project, Global Health Centre
- Consultant, Health Law & Ethics, World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office (2018-2020)
Publications and Works
- Book Chapter - Ayelet Berman, Dena Kirpalani Elisa Liu. “Legal frameworks for outbreak response” in Infectious Disease: Preparedness and Response. Ed. Dale Fischer. Published by National University of Singapore Press. https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/infectious-disease-emergencies (Forthcoming)
- Book Review - Kirpalani, D. The Right to Science: Then and Now edited by Helle Porsdam and Sebastian Porsdam Mann. Hum Rights Rev 23, 579–581 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12142-022-00676-y
- Blog Post - Kirpalani, D., Decolonizing Global Health: The opportunities and pitfalls presented by reform of the Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPR) Architecture. The Graduate Press. https://thegraduatepress.org/2022/05/28/decolonizing-global-health-the-opportunities-and-pitfalls-presented-by-reform-of-the-health-emergency-preparedness-response-and-resilience-hepr-architecture/ (May 2022)
- Blog Post - Aloudat, T., Kirpalani D., and Davis M,, Decolonization and Global Health. Global Challenges, 10, Article 9 (2021) https://globalchallenges.ch/issue/10/decolonisation-and-global-health/ (Oct 2021)