Working in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights, The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, and Physicians for Human Rights, NYCAT has been at the forefront of education and advocacy efforts intended to address this issue at the state level.  One of the group’s primary goals is to see the passage of the Gottfried-Duane Anti-Torture Bill (S. 4495-A /A. 6665-B), which is pending in the New York State Legislature. This bill is the first of its kind in the nation and explicitly addresses the role of health professionals in the abusive treatment of prisoners.

The bill explicitly states that NY-licensed health professionals’ duty to do no harm applies to their relationships with all patients and employers, and affirms that they are prohibited from any involvement in torture or other abuse of prisoners. This can be a way to help health professionals resist unlawful instructions that may expose them to risk of criminal prosecution and civil damages lawsuits.

“As future doctors, we are committed to restoring trust in our profession and respect for the rule of law. We look forward to garnering additional support for the bill and to raising awareness about this critical ethical and human rights issue,” says Hana Akselrod, medical student and member of PHR’s active student chapter at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

Today, NYCAT and interested medical students will go to Albany to meet with legislators to advocate for the Gottfried-Duane Anti-Torture Bill. They have been gathering signatures for the petition to demonstrate widespread support for the legislation, including at the PHR National Conference in February, and will present the petition today.

Show your support by sign the petition now.

First order of business: selecting new leadership for your Chapter. Chapter Leaders offer their Chapter vision and direction, while also taking care of the logistics, relationships, and finances for Chapter activities. Your Chapter may have already chosen Chapter Leaders for 2010-2011 — If not, now is the time!

Once you’ve chosen your leaders, please let us know. Email hobrien[at]phrusa[dot]org with the leaders’ names, year of graduation, and contact information — email addresses, phone numbers, and the best address to mail packages to.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to the outgoing leaders and all PHR members who are entering residency or graduating and moving on. The PHR National Student Program is sustained by your passion for protecting and promoting human rights, your dedication to educating others, and your willingness to speak up to end injustice. Please stay involved with PHR and continue to fight for your convictions in the years to come.

Later this week:

• Finals Getting to You? Help PHR Make the Grade.
• Putting the Fun into Fundraising for a Strong Start Next Fall
• Opportunities for Student Leadership in Your Region

Stay tuned!

PHR made the following video in collaboration with our Kenyan partner group, the Health Rights Advocacy Forum. In this 6-minute video, four health workers at Mbagathi Hospital talk about  the challenges they face every day — and why they stay and practice medicine in their home country. This moving video can be shown on campus or at your workplace to stimulate discussion and urge people to take action.

For more personal stories, check out Africa’s Health Care Worker Crisis: Views from the Ground, a PowerPoint presentation that outlines six main drivers of the health workforce crisis in Africa and explores these challenges through the eyes of four Ugandan medical student leaders. Feel free to use this to make a presentation on campus or in your community, or use facts from it to drive home the need for action.

And watch our slideshows of Dr. Fred Katumba and Clinical Officer Jane Byarugaba following them through a typical day as they provide health care to the rural poor in Southwestern Uganda. Dr. Katumba’s work has propelled Lyantonde District to #2 out of more than 90 districts in terms of health outcomes — a phenomenal accomplishment and testament to Dr. Katumba, his staff, and the millions of hard-working health professionals who help communities realize the right to health every day.

Initiatives could include:

• Offering a new elective
• Persuading professors to devote a class session to human rights
• Helping professors integrate human rights into discussions of other topics
• Dedicating a journal club meeting to human rights literature
• Inviting a human rights advocate to speak at your school
• Demonstrating a commitment to the right to health through direct service

Don’t be bashful – your idea could be an inspiration for other schools!

Presenters will display their projects on posters during breakfast and lunch on the day of the conference. To be considered for the Expo, please email 300 words (or less) about your school’s human rights education to expo[at]phrusa[dot]org.

Don’t forget to ask your school if support is available for students who present at conferences.

Questions? Just contact me.

Have you been accepted? When you’re accepted, you will be sent a confirmation email with a link to the official registration page. Please be sure to click on that link and complete the registration process.

If you’ve already registered, thank you! Make your arrangements for travel and lodging soon to get the best deals. If you’re interested in meeting other students from your region, join your regional social the Friday evening before the conference. More information will be announced soon.

Are you bringing a faculty member? Need ideas about who to invite, or how? We’ve put together a guide to inviting faculty who might be interested in the Conference’s Educator track.

If you have any questions, contact me and let me know how I can help.

Students from NEOUCOM’s PHR chapter held an AIDS Week of Awareness surrounding World AIDS Day. Daily speakers and activities covered a wide range of topics from harm reduction and access to anti-retroviral medications to the feminization of AIDS. As a visual representation of this week, the student body received red ribbons and many students participated in creating Peace Tiles. These tiles were a depiction of students’ emotions regarding HIV/AIDS and what should be done to help fight this epidemic. As a first year chapter at NEOUCOM, the members were extremely excited by the interest from the student body and faculty and look forward to implementing what they’ve learned at local Syringe Exchange Programs and HIV/AIDS support agencies.

Check out these photos from NEOCOM’s WAD events.

Got great photos from your chapter’s WAD events? Email me at skalloch[at]phrusa[dot]org and we’ll post them here!

Who should attend the conference?
We hope that the majority of our National PHR chapters will attend, with two to three students and a faculty member or dean representing each school. We also welcome applications from medical students who may not have a PHR student chapter but are committed to furthering human rights education in their curriculum. Students are encouraged to apply online. If you are a Dean or faculty member and are interested in attending, email Sarah Kalloch, PHR Director of Outreach, at skalloch[at]phrusa[dot]org.

What will the conference include?
The National Conference will feature world-renowned speakers, panel discussions, strategy plenary sessions, skill development workshops and action planning sessions to address all aspects of integrating health and human rights into the health education field. The jam-packed day will provide information on the critical need to integrate health and human rights into education, strategies for incorporating quality human rights education in curriculum, as well as tangible skills and solutions to help lead your campus on this issue.

How does this conference differ from previous PHR National Student Conferences?
This year’s conference is the first of its kind. It will focus on empowering students and faculty to change the paradigm of medicine to one which embraces human rights through the incorporation of human rights in health professional education. We will bring together a select group of roughly 150 committed students and faculty members who plan to be the frontrunners of the curriculum change movement on their campuses. This select group will gain vital ideas, strategies, skills, and connections to make health and human rights education a reality for their student bodies.

What will I gain from attending?
The conference will provide an excellent opportunity to network and strategize with dedicated students, faculty members and Deans who strive to bring a greater understanding of human rights to their classrooms, and to meet experts in the human rights field who have dedicated their careers to furthering this cause. You will learn from and engage with student leaders around the country who are passionate about health and human rights in their education. You will also gain new insights on the health and human rights approach, tools to create electives at your school, valuable resources and connections, and tangible ideas for getting your campus involved to shape your own education and that of your peers.

How should I prepare to have the best conference experience?
If you are accepted to represent your chapter and/or campus, you will be called on to prepare a preliminary plan for a tangible educational-change project you would like to see on your campus. As the conference approaches, we will also give you a short reading assignment to help you prepare for some of the conference’s key topics.

Whether you are looking to improve a current project or proposing a new initiative for you school, we recommend you draw on our Health and Human Rights Education Toolkit for guidance and resources for your planning process.

Questions? Email us at conference[at]phrusa[dot]org.

Download a printable version of the National Conference FAQs (pdf).

(Cross-posted on the PHR Student Blog.)