PHR Student Program South Regional Hub

Over the next month, PHR chapters in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions will be collaborating on a Regional Advocacy Institute that will take place on November 13 at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The Mid-Atlantic and Southern Institute promises to be an engaging, informative, and exciting event.

The Institute will address a number of topics that are relevant to students: the research and advocacy of PHR, how students can contribute, the resources available to Chapters (like the new Toolkits), and the new online community (everyone in your Chapter should register!). This weekend, the Midwestern Regional Advocacy Institute took place in Chicago, and they covered a lot of the same topics. Chapters from all over the Midwest connected and shared resources, ideas, and plans.

For me, the most prominent issue is Health and Human Rights Education (HHRE), which Jake already identified as our number one priority for the year. We need to identify ways to implement HHRE, provide support for our chapter leaders as they spearhead curricular initiatives, and ultimately come up with an evidence base for the importance of HHRE in medical education.

HHRE initiatives could range from health and human rights electives (something that we are currently implementing at my school, as part of the preclinical public health course) to colloquia on human rights and justice issues as they pertain to health. Health and human rights issues could also be incorporated into academic inquiry – as medical students, our research, whether basic sciences, translational, clinical, public health, or something else, would only be enriched by an awareness and understanding of human rights issues. I could go on ad infinitum about the benefits of HHRE, but I’ll end for now.

At the Institute, I look forward to collaborating with other Mid-Atlantic and Southern chapters, and working with fellow SABer Mona Singh at VCU College of Medicine, to bring the goals of National Student Program in alignment with those of our individual chapters.

Keep on fighting the good fight!

Less than two weeks until the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Institutes on Saturday, November 7 — there is still time to register! You can register up until the night before, but we prefer that you do so as soon as possible to help us better prepare and provide the best Institute experience possible.

Help make sure we get a great crowd by inviting all of your friends who may be interested, via email or our Facebook group!

Here is some key information to help you prepare to for the Institutes:

Mid-Atlantic Institute (Washington DC)

The Mid-Atlantic Institute will take place in Ross Hall, 2300 Eye Street, at George Washington University. Make sure you’re there by 10:00am to hear the opening presenter, Leonard Rubenstein, JD, Visiting Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Human Rights and Public Health and former President of PHR!

• Mid-Atlantic Agenda
• Guide to Getting There, including helpful info on transit and accommodations.
• Address and Directions
• Sample Email Invitation to easily invite your friends

Northeast Institute (Boston, MA)

The Northeast Institute will take place by the Tosteson Medical Education Center (TMEC) at Harvard Medical School. Make sure you’re there by 10:00am to hear the opening presenter, Helen Potts, PHR’s Chief Health Program Officer and former Senior Research Officer UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health.

• Northeast Agenda
• Guide to Getting There, including helpful info on transit and accommodations.
• Address and Directions
• Sample Email Invitation to easily invite your friends

I also want to personally introduce the amazing Regional Training Coordinators, who made these Institutes possible and are a great resource to those who will attend:

• Regan Gage, George Washington University (M3). Regan has been actively involved with PHR since she began medical school in 2007and is also a part of the national leadership of Medical Students for Choice, a group working to preserve women’s reproductive rights. Her interests lie in advancing sex education and healthcare in the adolescent Latino and immigrant community
• Alexandra Coria, Dartmouth Medical School (M2). Alexandra is planning to pursue a career in pediatric infectious disease. Prior to medical school, she worked for three years as a consultant on high-level communications and advocacy surrounding global health issues, particularly focusing on malaria, childhood pneumonia and meningitis, and vaccine science and financing.

If you have more questions about getting to DC or Boston, or need further location-specific advice, contact me and I will put you in touch with one of these great coordinators.

See you there!

With just about a month away, we have some exciting presenter updates for the November 7 Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Institutes, along with logistical information and publicity materials.

Don’t forget to register for your region’s Institute!

Mid-Atlantic Institute (Washington DC)

We are excited to welcome our newest afternoon session panelist on Health and Human Rights Education: Steve Hansch, Adjunct Professor from American University School of International Service, former President of Cuny Center for the Study of Societies in Crisis. Steve has extensive experience in developing, managing and evaluating projects associated with humanitarian field operations, including health, nutrition, and economic analyses in Malawi, Kenya, Mozambique, Sudan, and Somalia. Now a professor, he is excited to share his analysis of the importance of health and human rights education and ideas for incorporating such education in your academics.

• Read more about Steve Hansch here.
• Check out the updated Institute Agenda.
• Use our updated flyer and sample email to spread the word.
• Get info on how to get to the Institute.

Northeast Institute (Boston, MA)

The Northeast Regional Institute will be closed by our newest presenter, Sondra Crosby, MD, Assistant Professor at BU School of Medicine, former Director of Medical Services at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights. With experience in examining almost 300 survivors of torture, providing instruction to health care professionals on caring for survivors of torture, and serving as a clinical evaluator in a number of human rights investigations, Dr. Crosby is excited to share her knowledge and advice about fusing a passion for human rights with your profession.

• Read more about Dr. Crosby here.
• Check out the updated Institute Agenda.
• Use our updated flyer and sample email to spread the word.
• Get info on how to get to the Institute.

Help make sure we get a great crowd by inviting all of your friends who may be interested, via email or our Facebook group!

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about the Institutes’ program or getting to DC or Boston.

With the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Advocacy Institutes just over a month away, here are some updates on the Institutes’ programs, logistics, and publicity. As you get ready for your region’s Institute, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. And don’t forget to register for your Regional Advocacy Institute!

Mid-Atlantic Regional Institute

Hosted by PHR and the George Washington University Student Chapter
Saturday, November 7^th 9:30am-4:30pm
George Washington University, Washington DC (Directions)

Presenter Update: Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD, Visiting Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Human Rights and Public Health, was just confirmed to open the Institute with a session on “Advancing Human Rights in Health Practice.” Read about Leonard’s groundbreaking work on a variety of health and human rights fronts. Check out this Institute’s working agenda to learn more about this educational and engaging day.

Getting to George Washington University: Download information on how to get to Washington, DC, navigate the campus, and invite your friends to the Institute.

Help Us Publicize: With the team of PHR staff and student leaders working to provide a top-notch program, we now need your help to make the training a lively, rewarding experience. Help Publicize the institute to friends, colleagues and classmates:

• Send this email to other campus groups
• Hang up and distribute this flyer around your campus
• Join our Facebook group and invite others to join too

Read our Recruitment Plan and Tips. Remember that recruiting more students to attend the Institute also helps you to recruit new chapter members, build a presence on campus, reach out to other campus groups, boost chapter members’ enthusiasm and involvement, and ensure your chapter members receive great training.

Northeast Regional Institute

Hosted by PHR and the Harvard Student Chapter
Saturday, November 7^th, 9:30am-4:30pm
Harvard Medical School, Boston MA (Directions)

Presenter Update: Physicians for Human Rights’ CEO Frank Donaghue will open the day’s events. Read about Frank’s three decades of experience in the non-profit sector including his extensive work with the American Red Cross before coming to PHR. Helen Potts, PHR’s Chief Health Program Officer, will lead a session that will take attendees through a critical analysis of what the Right to Health means and how it should be applied to the health profession. Learn more about her landmark work as the Senior Research Officer to Paul Hunt, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and check out this Institute’s working agenda.

Getting to Harvard Medical School: Download information on how to get to Boston, navigate the campus, and invite your friends to the Institute.

Help Us Publicize: With the team of PHR staff and student leaders working to provide a top-notch program, we now need your help to make the training a lively, rewarding experience. Help Publicize the institute to friends, colleagues and classmates:

• Send this email to other campus groups
• Hang up and distribute this flyer around your campus
• Join our Facebook group and invite others to join too

Read our Recruitment Plan and Tips. Remember that recruiting more students to attend the Institute also helps you to recruit new chapter members, build a presence on campus, reach out to other campus groups, boost chapter members’ enthusiasm and involvement, and ensure your chapter members receive great training.