PHR Student Program South Regional Hub

Have you spearheaded a project, such as an accredited elective course, to educate your classmates about human rights? Have you organized a reading, writing or film group that works to further human rights advocacy? Does your medical or public health school have an innovative curriculum you’d like to share?

Attend PHR’s 2010 National Conference and present your project at the Education Innovations Expo!

The Education Innovations Expo provides an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their initiatives and to serve as examples for others in how to further human rights awareness in the health community. Presenters will display their projects on posters during breakfast and lunch on the day of the conference, and will receive a Presenter’s Invitation to the conference from PHR!

To apply for the expo, first apply to attend the conference. Then email 300 words or less about your educational innovations to expo[at]phrusa[dot]org. We’ll get back to you about two weeks after you apply. Apply early, as you can use your status as an expo presenter to secure funding from your school. The last day to apply is January 20th.

We hope to see many of you there, presenting your great work!

With an innovative approach and new format to this year’s annual PHR National Conference, you may have a few questions about what to expect and how to attend. Below, we’ve answered some “Frequently Asked Questions” about this year’s conference, Health and Human Rights Education in 2010, being held on February 20 at Boston University School of Medicine (Boston, MA).

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 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).

We are thrilled to announce that PHR’s National Conference will take place on Saturday, February 20^th, at Boston University Medical School. This year’s conference, Health and Human Rights in 2010, will empower students and faculty to advance the medical profession to one which embraces human rights.

The conference is the first of its kind to solely focus on bringing students and faculty together to integrate health and human rights into the health education field. The day will bring together over a hundred of the country’s most committed student leaders and fifty pioneering educators and Deans as a springboard for initiatives to advance health and human rights education. Attendees will have the incomparable opportunity to be a part of a national movement to change the paradigm of the health professions to one that promotes health and human rights worldwide.

You have the opportunity to be one of a select group of students to represent your school and help lead the way towards a more comprehensive inclusion of human rights in medical education! Have a PHR student chapter in your school? Get the members together to discuss who will apply to represent your school. Don’t have a PHR chapter? You can still join us if you have a vision for health and human rights education in your school. Fill out an application to represent your school at the conference!

The jam-packed day will include:

• World-renowned, dynamic leaders to facilitate panel discussions about the best way integrate human rights curriculum in medical education.
• Ground-breaking discussions in panels, strategy sessions, skill development workshops, and planning sessions.
• The Education Innovations Expo, during which student presenters will share successful health and human rights educational programs and provide tips and ideas for other students striving to do the same. (Click here if you’d like to present an elective, reading or film group, or other educational programming to further human rights advocacy.)
• A town-hall style forum to discuss the need for a human rights approach in the health profession, with a focus on the fight against some of the globe’s greater health burdens.
• A unique opportunity to develop your networking and hands-on advocacy skills alongside some of the nation’s leaders in health and human rights.

Check out the conference website at PHRStudentConference.org for information about attending the conference and getting to and staying in Boston. And stay tuned to the student blog for the official conference agenda, presenter announcements, and other conference updates as the event approaches. Contact me with any questions in the meantime.