February 19, 2025

MLS student navigates health care as a patient and professional

Ann Lewandowski, an online Master of Legal Studies student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, grew up surrounded by health care professionals. Both of her parents worked in the field. She also spent time working at a large pharmaceutical company, which cemented her interest in health care.

However, it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 24 years old that Lewandowski truly began to understand the complexities patients face within the health care system. This personal experience and her professional background gave her a unique perspective that eventually drove her to learn more about the law and policies driving the health care industry.

Her career includes serving as a health care policy and advocacy director for a multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology corporation, where she later filed a class action complaint against the company. The lawsuit alleged the company's mismanagement of prescription drug benefits cost employees and the company millions of dollars in higher medication prices, insurance premiums, copays and lower wages.

“I enjoy being able to remind the health care ecosystem that not all patients are health care illiterate,” Lewandowski said. “Engaging with those who speak the language can make or break your business because losing consumer confidence will ultimately damage your business.”

Her experience ignited a passion for health equity. Lewandowski wanted the ability to talk with lawyers and understand the intricacies of health care law, something she knew she would learn through the ASU Law Master of Legal Studies in Corporate and Health Care Compliance. Through courses like Health Insurance Law and Data Privacy and Protection, she was able to apply what she learned almost immediately.

“Two compliance courses I took during my MLS highlighted that most corporations see whistleblowers as disgruntled ex-employees, and many don't consider all the steps someone might take before filing with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or other legal avenues. I can’t comment on the perspective of my former employer, but from my perspective, I tried hard to resolve things internally.”

While this case is ongoing, Lewandowski is set to graduate in May 2025 and is working to launch her own company that will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a more equitable health care system.

“I studied how science was a part of philosophy and religion until it began separating with Descartes in the 16th century. I think we still have a ton of biases included in our foundational assumptions of differences across populations and how we approach health care as a country,” Lewandowski explained. “AI could help us identify the biases to begin to diminish them. For example, the data gaps around pregnancy are huge. I’m now pregnant with my first child, and I’ve had some complications. When I’ve asked about stopping an intervention with a blood thinner, I’ve gotten nearly non-answers because no one can tell me if it will help or hurt. I’d love to use AI to identify whether stopping the intervention helped women like me.”

While building her business, Lewandowski has used data analytics and AI to address ‘ghost networks’ in mental health, a significant gap in compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

Through her work, she received the 2024 Independent Advocate of the Year award from the Healthcare Advocate Summit and was named one of the most influential people in 2024 by The MarketWarch 50.

Eventually, she plans to pursue a JD at ASU Law, focusing on the intersectionality of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Lewandowski believes her experience as a patient helped her become a better professional, and the MLS program gave her the tools to advocate for herself. She plans to continue shaping the future of health care by using the best data available.

For information on the health and wellbeing area of expertise, visit law.asu.edu/health-and-wellbeing.

Written by crystal jimenez