Nanette Elster, JD, MPH, is an associate professor at the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She is an active educator in the graduate program, teaching a variety of courses in areas related to law, pediatrics, oral health, genetics, and professionalism. She also supervises the graduate program’s writing courses, master's capstone course, and doctoral capstone courses.
She has spoken nationally and internationally and is the author of numerous articles on the legal, health policy and ethical implications of a range of public health issues. She has appeared on such media staples as CNN, Good Morning America, the Today Show, NPR and Chicago Tonight.
She served for many years as the chair of the Special Committee on Bioethics and the Law for the American Bar Association and was the Manager of Ethics Outreach for the Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs of the American Dental Association. She is the legal consultant to the Committee on Bioethics for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is also the director of communications for the American College of Dentists and serves as the editor for the Journal of the American College of Dentists.
In 2017, she received an honorary fellowship to the American College of Dentists. This is bestowed on individuals who do not hold a dental degree but have significantly advanced the profession of oral health and have shown exceptional leadership in areas such as education, research, public health, administration, public service, or related fields of health care. This is the highest honor the ACD awards to non-dentists.