Tara Sklar

Faculty Director, Health Law & Policy Program
Associate Scholar; Distinguished Public Service Scholar

Professor Tara Sklar is Faculty Director of the Health Law & Policy Program at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and Associate Director of Telehealth Law & Policy at the Arizona Telemedicine Program in the College of Medicine-Tucson. She also serves as a subject matter expert with the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers.

Sklar's scholarship focuses on improving access to healthcare through digital health and, in particular, how health technology is evolving with the growth of a diverse aging population. Her work examines legal, regulatory, and ethical issues surrounding interstate practice, healthcare financing, health data privacy, and AI use in healthcare.

Her research is published in leading health and law journals, including the New England Journal of MedicineJournal of Empirical Legal Studies, and Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, as well as in books with Cambridge University Press, New York University Press, and American Public Health Association Press. A nationally recognized expert, Sklar is featured on major media outlets, including Good Morning America, NPR Science Friday, ABC News, Bloomberg, CBS News, KFF Health News, MIT Technology Review, and The Verge.

At Arizona Law, Professor Sklar pioneered an expansive online curriculum featuring over 35 Health Law & Policy courses, five certificate programs, and a concentration in the Master of Legal Studies. This interdisciplinary portfolio has attracted over 2,000 students since its launch in 2019. Sklar developed this curriculum in collaboration with faculty across seven University of Arizona colleges and industry leaders from global companies. She teaches cornerstone courses in Telehealth Law & PolicyAging & the Law, and provides guest lectures across the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

Before joining the University of Arizona, Professor Sklar established the first online Master of Aging degree as Founding Faculty Director at the University of Melbourne, connecting nine colleges and building an international Industry Network in Aging. Her professional background includes work with Ascension Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Health & Human Services, Food & Drug Administration, and State Bar of California. Professor Sklar has secured over $4 million in grants and philanthropic support from federal agencies, private donors, and funding awards at the University of Melbourne and the University of Arizona. 

Representative Publications

Regulating Digital Health Care for the Cognitively Impaired, 19 J. of Health & Life Sci. L. 97 (2024) (with Kathryn Huber). 

Digitally Enabled Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, in Digital Health Care Outside of Traditional Clinical Settings, I. Glenn Cohen, Daniel B Kramer, Julia Adler-Milstein, & Carmel Shachar, eds., Cambridge University Press (2024) (with Kathryn Huber).

Immigrant Workers’ Voices as Catalysts for Reform in the Long-Term Care Industry, 55 Ariz. St. L. J. 3 (2023) (with Shefali Milczarek-Desai).

Addressing State-Based Barriers to Decentralized Clinical Trials, 7 J. of Clinical & Translational Sci. 162 (2023) (with Stephanie Zawada, Kevin Ruff, & Bart Demaerschalk).

The Research Exemption Carve Out: Understanding Research Participants Rights Under GDPR and U.S. Data Privacy Laws, 60 Jurimetrics 1 (2020) (with Mabel Crescioni).

Preparing to Age in Place: The Role of Medicaid Waivers in Elder Abuse Prevention, 28 Annals Health L. & Life Sci. 2 (2019) (with Rachel Zuraw).

Affordability Boards: The States’ New Fix for Drug Pricing, 381 New Engl. J. Med. 1301 (2019) (with Christopher Robertson).

Elderly Gun Ownership and the Wave of State Red Flag Laws: An Unintended Consequence That Could Help Many, 27 Elder L.J. 1 (2019).

SSRN Published Papers

Education

  • J.D. University of Houston Law Center
    2007
  • M.P.H. University of Texas Health Sciences Center
    2007
  • B.A. Tulane University
    2002
    Graduated magna cum laude.

Work Experience

  • Professor of Health Law and Director, Health Law & Policy Program
    James E. Rogers College of Law
    2019 - present
  • Professor of Health Law and Director of Graduate Health Sciences Programs
    James E Rogers College of Law
    2018 - 2019
  • Fellow in Law and Public Health Group
    School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
    2016 - 2018
  • Director of Aging Programs
    School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
    2013 - 2016
  • Adjunct Associate Professor in Health Management and Policy
    School of Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University
    2011 - 2013
  • Director of Access and Community Health
    Carondelet Health Network
    2008 - 2010
Faculty
Admin/Staff
Elder Law
Health Law
Privacy & Information Law
Technology Law