Colonel Noel Christian Pace is a giant among men. Not only does the 6-foot, 3-inch former paratrooper stand a head or more above some, he has supported legions of veterans through his work at the University of Miami School of Law Health Rights Clinic, and through the founding of the Miami Law Chapter of the Student Veterans of America.
In addition to a chest full of medals, Pace has accumulated even more awards and accolades at Miami Law.
Pace will graduate with a Juris Doctorate from UM School of Law, having focused on Health & Health IT Law. He will also be receiving his Master in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, where he was chosen from thousands of officers to study the application of diplomatic, informational, military, and economic instruments of power.
“The Medical-Legal Partnership at the University of Miami provided me an outstanding opportunity to learn from some of the best faculty in the world, which enabled me to take my Health Law, Health IT Law, and Legal Informatics skills to the next level,” Pace said.
Pace spent much of the last year in the Health Rights Clinic as an Equal Justice Works/AmeriCorpsJD Legal Fellow fighting on behalf of veterans to secure disability benefits from the Veterans Administration and the Social Security Administration. Ironically, Pace had completed a science fair project when he was younger on polychlorinated biphenyl contamination that aided in his discovery of a link between one of his clients’ exposure to carcinogens during his years of service and his leukemia diagnosis.
The El Portal, Florida resident has been named to the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges 2014-2015, co-authored the Affordable Care Act section in the 2015 Health Law and Compliance Update, served as President of the UM Health Law Association 2013-2014, and helped the Miami Law Veterans’ Rights Project secure over $1 million in benefits for their clients, where he won the Miami Law Innovative Service in the Public Interest Award.
When Pace arrived at UM School of Law, he already had an MBA from the University of Denver, a Master of Health Administration from Baylor University, and a B.S. in Management as a Distinguished Military Graduate of Tulane University. A Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Pace also served as Chief, Medical Operations and Deputy Brigade Surgeon for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Pace will be sitting for the Florida and New Jersey Bar Exams this summer.
