Twelve tips for incorporating the study of human rights into medical education

Abstract

In order for patients to be adequately cared for by clinicians, an awareness and acknowledgement of the factors that affect their well-being, including adherence to internationally recognized human rights, should be part of the professional education of all health care professionals. Worldwide conflicts, which have led to record forced global displacement, and ongoing international human rights violations have had profound effects on the health and well-being of millions of patients. Trainees early in their careers should be educated about these and related population-level issues that affect the health of their patients, so they can better care and advocate for their patients and communities throughout their careers.

Disclosure statement

Dr. McKenzie has also been paid in the past to lead asylum trainings for Physicians for Human Rights.

Dr. Mishori is a paid medical consultant for Physicians for Human Rights.

Dr. Ferdowsian is a paid medical consultant for Physicians for Human Rights.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katherine C. McKenzie

Katherine C. McKenzie, MD, FACP is an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine and the director of Yale Center for Asylum Medicine, where she performs medical forensic evaluations of asylum seekers.

Ranit Mishori

Ranit Mishori, MD, MHS, FAAFP is Professor of Family Medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, where she directs a Health and Human Rights course, her department’s Global Health Initiatives and serves as the faculty leader of the school’s Asylum Program.

Hope Ferdowsian

Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH, FACP, FACPM, is an internist and preventive medicine and public health specialist whose expertise also spans the fields of ethics, human rights, and animal protection. She is an associate professor at the University of New Mexico.