Poverty and Inequality Speaker Series, Fall 2026

Thursday, September 24
Thursday, October 22
Thursday, November 12 
4:00–5:15 p.m.

Laurence E. Hirsch ’71 Classroom (Room 101)
John F. Scarpa Hall

Each month, the Poverty and Inequality Speaker Series brings leading scholars, advocates, policymakers and practitioners to Villanova Law for timely conversations about the legal, policy and social challenges shaping poverty and inequality today.

This interdisciplinary event is part of a university-wide initiative on poverty and inequality made possible by a gift from Paul Tufano Esq. '83 VSB, '86 CWSL and Christine Tufano '84 CLAS, '86 MA.

Thursday, September 24
Health Care at a Crossroads: Medicaid, Access and Affordability

Danna Casserly ’12, Co-executive Director of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project
The inaugural event will examine the changing landscape of health care access and affordability in the United States, with a particular focus on the significant changes to Medicaid enacted through H.R. 1. The conversation will be moderated by Ana Santos Rutschman, professor of law, faculty director of the Health Innovation Lab and director of International Programs. They will explore what these changes mean for low-income and other vulnerable communities, how advocates are preparing for their implementation, and what they reveal about broader challenges to ensuring access to affordable health care.