Poverty and Inequality Speaker Series, Fall 2026

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, October 22
Pre-Trial Detention and Bail Reform: Progress and Possibilities

Madeline Bailey, Advocacy Manager, Vera Institute of Justice
Brianna Williams, Senior Program Associate, Vera Institute of Justice
In October, we will welcome Madeline Bailey, advocacy manager, and Brianna Williams, senior program associate, both of the Vera Institute of Justice, for a discussion of the relationship between poverty and pre-trial detention and the evolving movement to reform cash bail in the United States. Moderated by Itay Ravid, professor of law and Reuschlein Emerging Scholar, the conversation will explore recent efforts to reform pre-trial systems in states including New York, Illinois and California; the political and public backlash that followed some of the reforms; and the role of media coverage in shaping public perception. It will also consider what these experiences reveal about the possibilities—and challenges—for future reform. 

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.