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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jennifer S. Hirsch, PhD, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-1185, jsh2124@columbia.edu and Alice Miller, JD, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University, 60 Haven Avenue, New York, NY 10032.

Early intersections between public health and human rights were framed primarily in terms of tensions between the two, exploring ways in which state goals for controlling infectious diseases or limiting population growth might infringe on the exercise of individual human rights. In recent years, however, there has been a growing interest in framing sexual and reproductive health within a broader context of human rights, and specifically in the use of human rights frameworks to provide political strategies and moral leverage to advance a public health agenda. In this panel we will explore this new and important intersection. Panelists will provide background on the growing field of rights-based approaches to sexual and reproductive health, describe concrete examples of ways that a focus on rights can serve as a resource for public health from the grassroots to the global levels, and present audience member with specific suggestions for the ways in which they can integrate human rights into their own work in public health advocacy, programs, and research.

Learning Objectives: