Transforming global health education through student-led human rights training

A critical knowledge area to develop through global health education is a deep understanding of how to plan, manage, and evaluate public health interventions and clinical care from a rights-based approach. Though the World Medical Association has called on medical schools to make human rights part of medical curricula, in 2008, only 32% of US medical schools and 54% of US public health schools offer Health and Human Rights Education (HHRE). For health professionals to provide comprehensive and culturally competent care for their patients, students must be educated about the relationship between human rights and health and to identify and respond to human rights violations. The integration of HHRE into interdisciplinary curricula is an essential step in training future global health professionals. The student-driven HHRE movement is rapidly growing, suggesting that there is an unmet need for education in this area.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) strives to meet this need, providing an unparalleled network of resources for global health students who wish to engage in human rights. PHR's support and training system offers students direct training opportunities, nation-wide HHRE conferences, online teaching modules, and online social networking tools including a dedicated student blog and twitter account. Through these various methods, students across the country connect with one another and are given ample leadership and advocacy opportunities. As a result of their PHR training, students are transforming medical and public health education by demanding, introducing, and leading courses dedicated to integrating and mainstreaming HHRE.