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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Silvia Amesty, MD, MPH, MSEd, Center for Family Medicine, Columbia University, 630 W. 168th St., VC 12-217, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-9107, sc1242@columbia.edu and Alicia Gurdian, PhD, Institute of Educational Research, University of Costa Rica, San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica.

Higher education has always been affected by the historical periods that contextualize it. We are constantly speaking of curricular reforms that better respond to the needs of the society at a given time; it is difficult to keep up with an ever changing, globalized world and to partake in the construction of knowledge and meaning if we do not assume a commitment to social justice, equity, peace, and the protection of the environment. Education should transcend the reproduction of knowledge, and be the vehicle for individuals to become agents of change, to understand the world they live in and make sense of their reality in order to transform it. Human rights principles may provide curricular programs with tools to define a methodology for reading the world, to delineate an approach to our quest for knowledge, to participate in the political-educational project of society, and to internalize and practice our humanity in all our endeavors. Human rights philosophy is multidimensional, and encompasses many areas of knowledge: philosophy, pedagogy, law, politics, and environment. Because of this, it cuts across all disciplines. Our proposal addresses the introduction of human rights principles across all curricula, rather than teaching these in one specific course. We are currently working with medicine and public health students and professors in developing and implementing a program that integrates human rights principles across every course.Our preliminary results show how this program has motivated participants to reflect on disparities and to “look at the world around us with different eyes”

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe the methodology used to integrate human rights principles in the curricula
• 2. Discuss ways to reflect and take action in eliminating health disparities
• 2. Analize how the program promotes the development of a more critical approach to practice and research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No