Liberation Medicine & Public Health Praxis: Reflection, Theory and Action of Doctors for Global Health

Liberation Medicine is defined as, “The conscious and conscientious use of health to promote human dignity and social justice.” The framework of Liberation Medicine was born in the early 1990’s when doctor Lanny Smith, who was invited by refugees in rural El Salvador to help rebuild their communities soon after the civil war ended, sought to define the type of “medicine” he was practicing alongside community members. Years later, Smith founded Doctors for Global Health (DGH), a non-profit organization made up of hundreds of volunteers from all over the world who work on a variety of international health projects. DGH practices Liberation Medicine, a framework that has it’s roots in liberation psychology, social medicine, liberation theology, human rights, and participatory research.

This presentation will explore how liberation medicine can inform public health praxis with a special emphasis on the essential, but often neglected component of “Reflection.” The “Theory” of Liberation Medicine is best understood by analyzing its historical roots. We will describe the “Action” of how liberation medicine functions in the context of global public health work by utilizing several case studies.  Finally, we will argue that what sets DGH with its framework of Liberation Medicine apart from other international relief organizations and models is its particular process of “Reflection” where intimate, long-term relationships with community members inform decision making, problem solving and future planning for the organization’s public health projects.