Howard Shelanski

Howard Shelanski earned his B.A. from Haverford College and received his J.D. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. After graduating from law school he clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge Louis H. Pollak of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, and Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court. After practicing law in Washington, D.C., Professor Shelanski joined the Berkeley faculty in 1997, where he remained until coming to Georgetown in 2011.

Professor Shelanski has held several positions in the federal government. From 2013 to 2017, he served as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Before President Obama nominated him to OIRA, Professor Shelanski was Director of the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission from 2012 to 2013, where he had previously been Deputy Director from 2009 to 2011. Earlier in his career, he was Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission (1999-2000) and a Senior Economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers at the White House (1998-1999).

In addition to being a member of the Georgetown Law faculty, Professor Shelanski practices antitrust law and is a member of the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

Securing the Future of the U.S. Biopharmaceutical Industry: The Most-Favored-Nation Paradox

By Sujai Shivakumar and Anne Pritchett The Trump administration is pursuing lowering prescription drug costs primarily to end what it describes as “global freeloading” and to ensure U.S. patients pay prices comparable to those in other developed nations. The administration argues that while the United States represents less than 5 percent
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Universities, Patents, and the Future of U.S. Competitiveness

By Shruti Sharma and Chris Borges Universities are among the most powerful engines of U.S. innovation, transforming federal research investments into scientific discoveries that underpin economic growth, technological leadership, and national security. Current law, via the Bayh-Dole Act, allows universities to patent inventions and license them to private companies, with royalties
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How Counterfeit Drugs Threaten U.S. Health and Innovation

By Anne Pritchett According to the Department of Homeland Security, counterfeit drugs “threaten national security and public safety directly when introduced into government and critical infrastructure supply chains, and indirectly if used to generate revenue for transnational criminal organizations.” Furthermore, counterfeit drugs harm pharmaceutical innovation by eroding profitability and investor
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