Professor Cortez teaches and writes in the areas of health law, administrative law, food and drug law, and legislation.  His research focuses on emerging markets in health care and biotechnology, and he has become one of the world’s leading legal scholars on medical tourism, patient mobility, and cross-border health insurance.  Professor Cortez has published several articles and book chapters on cross-border health care, as well as articles on medical malpractice in developing countries, federal agencies’ use of alternative modes of regulation, the First Amendment implications of FDA regulations, immigration federalism, and European law on patient mobility. 
 
Professor Cortez has presented his research around the country, to professional societies, at industry conferences, to regulators, and at several law schools, including Harvard, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Texas, and Yale.  He also frequently provides legal commentary to the media, including the Chicago Tribune, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and the Associated Press.
 
Before joining the SMU faculty, Professor Cortez practiced with the Washington D.C. law firm Arnold & Porter, as part of its pharmaceutical, health care, and biotech practice.  He represented clients in health care regulatory matters, with a special emphasis on health care fraud and abuse, FDA enforcement, privacy, and the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  He represented clients in litigation, in transactions, during agency enforcement actions, and during Congressional investigations and hearings.  While at Arnold & Porter, Professor Cortez litigated pro bono cases with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and was a Board Member of the D.C. Hispanic Bar Foundation.  In 2006, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Rutgers-Camden Law School.