Visiting research fellow delivers inaugural lecture as professor of law

Her lecture at the Law School shed light on big data in public health research and related intellectual property rights (IPRs).

Professor Thomas Cottier, former Managing Director of the WTI, sent congratulations to Professor Andanda on her appointment and inaugural lecture on a very timely topic.

Pamela Andanda visited the WTI from 15 September 2011 to 15 March 2012, having been funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for the initial three months and by Wits University for the additional three months.

“My stay at the WTI was very fruitful,” writes Prof. Andanda. “The SECO project's aim of institutional and capacity building was indeed achieved. This is evidenced by the fact that I managed to link my experience and expertise in policy research in intellectual property law to trade issues. Participating in the weekly research meetings of NCCR Trade Regulation Work Package 3, innovation and creativity, provided me with an opportunity to engage with experts at the WTI by discussing project related papers with the group members while working on the two papers on managing IPRs, which I successfully published in international journals. These are: P Andanda ‘Managing intellectual property rights over clinical trial data to promote access and benefit sharing in public health’, IIC-International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law, 2013, 44(2)140-177; and P Andanda ‘Striking a balance between Intellectual Property Protection of Traditional Knowledge, Cultural Preservation and Access to Knowledge’, Journal of Intellectual Property Rights 2012, 17(6) 547-558.

“I continue doing research, lecturing, supervising postgraduate students in IP law and consulting. In April 2017 I acted as an academic expert for the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Standing Committee on the Law of Patents’ (WIPO/SCP) study on the constraints faced by developing countries and LDCs in making full use of patent flexibilities and their impacts on access to affordable medicines (especially essential medicines) for public health purposes in developing countries and LDCs. The study, which was submitted to the 26th session of the WIPO/SCP, was prepared in consultation with independent experts, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).”

Pamela Andanda was promoted to full professor in September 2013.