Johanna Barde is a lawyer for the Tennessee Department of Health. In her capacity as assistant general counsel, Johanna creates public health policy—researching and writing rules of conduct—and prosecutes medical professionals during administrative hearings before state health boards. For a medical professional, her property right (a license) is at stake during these hearings. When the government tries to take that right away, she's afforded due process. At the hearing, just like at a trial, Johanna must litigate the facts and the law to persuade the decision-maker of her case. She subpoenas and interviews witnesses, makes opening and closing statements, argues rules of evidence and procedure, and ultimately wins or loses. The work can be repetitive, Johanna admits, but her colleagues and her desire to protect public health keep her motivated. Johanna is a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School.

This episode is hosted by Debby Merritt. 

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