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Washington, DC -- The American Health Law Association (AHLA) is pleased to announce the appointment of four distinguished individuals as AHLA Fellows for 2026.
The AHLA Fellows Program has grown to be a collection of the Association's most talented and illustrious members. Fellows have distinguished themselves in their health law practice or work in the health law community; health law expertise, knowledge, and skills; and through their service and contributions to AHLA. The number of AHLA Fellows selected each year varies; selection by the AHLA Board of Directors is an honor and recognition of outstanding service and commitment.
"These four individuals have dedicated decades of expertise to advancing health law and serving AHLA's mission with distinction," said David S. Cade, Chief Executive Officer of AHLA. "Their leadership, scholarship, and service reflect the very best of what the AHLA Fellows Program recognizes. We are proud to welcome Kirk Dobbins, Jim Flynn, Charles Oppenheim, and Tom Shorter to this distinguished group and look forward to their continued impact on the health law community."
The 2026 Class of AHLA Fellows comprises the following individuals who have demonstrated remarkable dedication to the Association and the health law community:
Kirk Dobbins
Kirk Dobbins is Vice President and Regional Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals in Portland, OR, where he leads legal, compliance, and regulatory matters while championing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the legal department. With a career spanning private practice, government, and in-house corporate legal roles, Kirk brings a broad and distinctive perspective to health law. He has implemented metrics to evaluate diversity among outside counsel, fostered programs to advance women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC attorneys, and received a commendation from former Oregon Governor Kate Brown for his advisory role in establishing a mass vaccination center during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirk serves as Secretary of the National Bar Association's Health Law Section, is a Sustaining Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and is a legal advisor to the Lewis and Clark Law School Center for Business Law and Innovation. An AHLA member since 2006, Kirk served on the Board of Directors from 2017-2023 and on the Diversity + Inclusion Council from 2015-2019, where he helped develop the D+I Practice Group Post-Activity Assessment Tool and advanced AHLA's IDEA Action Plan. He also partnered with AHLA and his alma mater, the University of Houston Law Center, to establish an annual scholarship for students to attend the Fundamentals of Health Law Conference.
James (Jim) Flynn
James (Jim) Flynn is a health law attorney at Bricker Graydon LLP in Columbus, OH, with 35 years of experience advising clients on regulatory, accreditation, and payment matters. A recognized thought leader in health law, Jim has built a distinguished reputation both within Ohio and nationally, with particular expertise in Medicare and Medicaid. He speaks regularly at the Ohio Hospital Association's Annual Meeting and other regional forums and is known for his ability to bring clarity and accessibility to complex regulatory topics. An AHLA member since 2000, Jim served on the AHLA Board of Directors from 2015-2021, where he was a founding member of the task force that established the Board Governance Committee. He served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment Practice Group from 2006-2015, during which he launched an Accreditation and Certification Affinity Group, developed member resource toolkits, and introduced new programming formats. Jim is a longtime educator at AHLA conferences and webinars and has been a consistent donor to the Association.
Charles B. Oppenheim
Charles B. Oppenheim is a partner at Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC in Los Angeles, CA, where he has built one of the country's preeminent practices in health care regulatory law, with particular expertise in the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. Recognized by Chambers USA as an outstanding California health law attorney, Charles is widely regarded as a premier expert in fraud and abuse compliance, having guided major health care organizations through complex regulatory challenges for over three decades. He has served in firm leadership as a Board of Directors member and as Chair of the Business Department for six years, serves as a guest lecturer at several law schools and schools of public health, and has dedicated significant time and legal services to charitable organizations including The Accelerated School in Los Angeles. An AHLA member since 2001, Charles is the author of The Stark Law: Comprehensive Analysis and Practical Guide — one of AHLA's best-selling publications of all time, now in its eighth edition, and cited by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in United States ex rel. Drakeford v. Tuomey (2015). He co-authored AHLA's Best Practices Handbook for Advising Clients on Fraud and Abuse Issues (2017) and has been a consistent speaker at AHLA conferences and webinars for over two decades.
Thomas (Tom) Shorter
Thomas (Tom) Shorter is a partner at Husch Blackwell in Madison, WI, where he has built a distinguished health law practice focused on labor and employment matters and health care transactions. A recognized leader in Wisconsin's health law community, Tom has served as President of the Wisconsin Health Law Section and holds leadership roles in the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE). He has worked closely with the University of Wisconsin's law school and Master of Health Administration program to shape the next generation of health lawyers and health care executives and provides pro bono legal services through the Wisconsin Veterans Clinic. An AHLA member since 1996, Tom served six years on the AHLA Board of Directors and served as AHLA President during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, where he championed the Association's collegial culture as a cornerstone of its strategic direction. He previously chaired the Labor & Employment Practice Group, has been a consistent speaker at AHLA's Annual Meeting, Health Care Transactions conference, and Physicians & Hospitals Law Institute, and is a member of the Greenburg Lifetime Giving Club.
On behalf of AHLA leaders, members, and staff, we honor the dedicated support these individuals have offered the health law community over their extensive careers. To see a full list of current and past AHLA Fellows, please see AHLA's website.