Nina A. Kohn, professor of law at Syracuse University College of Law, has been named a 2012 Judith Greenberg Seinfeld Distinguished Fellow. The fellowship—endowed by Judith Greenberg Seinfeld ’56, distinguished alumna of the University and member of the Board of Trustees—is bestowed upon a faculty member at the University who has shown a passion for excellence and exceptional creativity in any academic or artistic field or endeavor.
“I am honored to be recognized by the University,” she says. “The fellowship is not only welcome support, but also another reminder of how fortunate we are to have alumni like Ms. Seinfeld who really care about the University and its interdisciplinary work.”
Kohn teaches torts, elder law, family law and an interdisciplinary gerontology course. Her research focuses on elder law, with a focus on the civil rights of senior citizens. Her recent articles have addressed such issues as the potential for an elder rights movement; the practical and constitutional implications of elder abuse legislation; financial exploitation of the elderly; voting by citizens with cognitive impairment; legal education; and health care decision-making.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Kohn is a faculty affiliate with the SU Gerontology Center, chair of the Elder Rights Committee of the Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section of the American Bar Association, a commissioner for the ABA Commission on Law and Aging, a distinguished fellow of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law, and was the 2009 chair of the Aging and the Law Section of the American Association of Law Schools.
The Syracuse College of Law Class of 2011 awarded Kohn the Res Ipsa Loquitur Award, which recognizes an outstanding member of the faculty for his or her service, scholarship and stewardship to the students. Each graduating class nominates and then votes on a faculty member whose dedication to these areas “speaks for itself.”
Kohn earned an A.B. degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, and a J.D. degree magna cum laude from Harvard University. She clerked for the Hon. Fred I. Parker of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following her clerkship, she was awarded a fellowship by the Skadden Fellowship Foundation to provide direct representation to nursing home residents and frail elders.
Individuals honored as Judith Seinfeld Distinguished Fellows do not apply for the recognition. A selection committee of distinguished active and retired members of the University faculty review nominations put forth by academic deans, with the Chancellor making the final fellowship selection. Judith Seinfeld Distinguished Fellows receive a grant of $10,000, to be used without restriction by the honoree. The purpose of the fund is to encourage honorees in their work, and make possible an initiative or project of special interest to the recipient.
