Deedee Bitran Named 2016 Winner of 2nd Annual Law Student Writing Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Academy of Social Insurance is pleased to announce Deedee Bitran as winner of the 2nd Annual Law Student Writing Award. Bitran wrote her paper, "What is Due with a Due Date: Reasonable Pregnancy Accommodations in the Workplace," as a 3rd year law student at Florida International University College of Law. The paper was nominated for the award by Keri L. Stone, Professor of Law, at Florida International University College of Law.

The award, which includes a $2,500 prize, will be presented at the membership luncheon during the Academy’s 28th Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging supports the award.

Honorable mention was awarded to Lindsey Weltman of the University of Illinois College of Law. Weltma's law paper, "The Nation's Wealth Above Seniors' Health? Drug Shortages Resulting from Medicare Part B Legislations," was nominated by Richard L. Kaplan, Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law.

The Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging furthers education and research that will improve the lives of older persons, particularly the disadvantaged. This award was created to recognize talented legal scholars by virtue of their important contribution to the growing evidence base in social insurance policy and to give them prominence in their field. In partnering with the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging, the Academy hopes to attract bright and motivated students who produce scholarship of high quality and to raise awareness to the importance of social insurance related research within the field of law.

The award selection committee is chaired by Renée Landers of Suffolk University Law School, and consists of the following members: Timothy Jost of Washington and Lee University School of Law, Michael Greatz of Columbia Law School, Lance Liebman of Columbia Law School, and Emily Spieler of Northeastern Law School.

The Academy will soon be accepting nominations for the 2017 Law Student Writing Award. To obtain application forms and additional information, visit the “student opportunities section” of www.nasi.org.