Student Opportunities at CHAMPS

For Law Students

The CHAMPS Clinic provides students with the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary learning in the context of live-client legal cases.  Students take legal cases n behalf of pediatric patients referred from Prisma Health.  These cases address the social determinants of clients’ health and include SSI, Medicaid, housing conditions, SNAP, and end of life planning matters.  Law students work collaboratively on their legal cases with doctors, social workers, and other health professionals.  Students also have opportunities to go to Prisma Health Children’s Hospital to learn from doctors how to understand clients’ patient records, attend patient rounds, discharge planning, and ethics conferences. In addition to case work, the course includes seminar component during which students will learn the doctrine, theory, lawyering skills, and policy relevant to their case work. 

For Medical Students

Additionally, CHAMPS offers a medical-legal partnership elective rotation for third and 4th year medical students as well as a field placement for MSW students. These students work both with CHAMPS Clinic students and a staff attorney for CHAMPS as well as other law students to develop interdisciplinary skills to better address children’s health needs.

In 2020 alone, CHAMPS has educated 10 law students through the CHAMPS Clinic, 2 additional law student through a summer internship program, 4 MSW students, and 3 fourth year medical students. These students have provided over 1400 hours of supervised legal services.