Valuing, vetting and visioning: Advancing health and human rights education in professional health programs

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Wael Noor El-Nachef¹, Jonathan Chevrier, MSc², L. Emily Cotter, MPH², Lisa Rahangdale, MD, MPH³, Rohan Radhakrishna⁴, Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH⁵, and Vincent Iacopino, MD, PhD⁶. (1) Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, (2) School of Public Health, University of California- Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, (3) Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California- San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Ward 6D-8, San Francisco, CA 94110, (4) Joint Medical Program, University of California-Berkeley/San Francisco, 570 University Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, 785-220-4266, viacopino@aol.com, (5) Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California- San Francisco, 50 Beale Street, Suite 1300, San Francisco, CA 94105, (6) Physicians for Human Rights, 2 Arrow Street, Suite 301, Cambridge, MA 02138

In 2002, the Health and Human Rights (HHR) Curriculum Project published a review of human rights teaching in schools of public health, medicine, and nursing. The purpose of the review was to develop a framework for discussions on future development of HHR curricula in graduate health education. Since this time, events such as 9/11/01, Abu Ghraib, the Doha Declaration, and Hurricane Katrina have drastically shifted public dialogue, as well as funding sources, around human rights. Other advances, including the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and growing global movements, such as the People's Health Movement, necessitate the incorporation of concepts such as global equity and the right to health into health professional curricula.

To assess changes that have occurred since the original HHR curriculum project review, a follow-up survey of graduate health professional schools is currently being conducted. The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the results of this analysis. This includes attempts to systematically incorporate HHR throughout curricula, create HHR electives and certificate programs, develop HHR lecture series, establish HHR internships, and secure sustainable funding. Beyond institutionalized attempts, student-initiated activities such as film festivals, education and action weeks, and HHR organization affiliated chapters, have furthered awareness and engagement in this field. The session will conclude with informants' suggestions of how to advance HHR education at individual institutions including the development of online courses (e.g. CME credits), case-based learning, and solicitation of funding for a national HHR education coordinator.

Learning Objectives:

Discuss the value of incorporating human rights principles and practice into public health, medical and nursing curriculum.
Identify and critique five different methods currently used to promote health and human rights in health professional education.
Articulate three potential approaches to advance future health and human rights education

Keywords: Human Rights, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation

Health & Human Rights: Teaching in the Community and the Classroom

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA