Sara H. Shanti is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's Chicago office. She is the host of the Health-e Law podcast, produced by Sheppard's Digital Health Team.
Sara's practice sits at the forefront of health-technology by providing practical counsel on healthcare innovation and complex data privacy matters. Using her medical research background and HHS experience, Sara advises providers, payors, start-ups, technology companies, and their investors and stakeholders on digital and novel healthcare regulatory compliance matters, including artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), data assets and privacy, gamification, implantable and wearable devices, and telehealth.
Sara has deep experience advising clients on data use and protection under Part 2, HIPAA, GINA, and state privacy laws, such as BIPA and CCPA, and multinational border transmissions. She also assists clients in implementing compliance programs, launching health innovations and investments, and responding to governmental investigations. Her experience extends to consumer and patient rights, including under the American Disabilities Act and Section 1557, medical staff relationships, and navigating the evolving regulatory landscapes for next-generation technology.
At the cutting edge of advising on "data as an asset" programming, red team technology reviews, and information blocking and interoperability under the 21st Century Cures Act, Sara's practice includes mergers and acquisitions involving crucial, high-stakes, and sensitive data in areas of digital health platforms, medical and wellness devices, and web-based applications and treatment.
Sara also has deep experience with telehealth prescribing laws, including the Ryan Haight Act, and with entities offering services in sensitive healthcare areas, such as behavioral health, fertility, genetics, and substance abuse.
Sara serves as an advocate for minor and patient rights, working as a court-appointed guardian. Before receiving her law degree, Sara applied her biology degree towards medical research projects, concentrating on epigenetics and immunologic responses in cancer patients. Prior to private practice, Sara worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.