Aiding Survivors of Torture

Tulane University, New Orleans

Physical and Psychological Documentation of Torture Survivors

Register for a day of training to provide health professionals with the skills to perform medical evaluations of asylum seekers.

Saturday, February 6, 2010
7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Tulane University School of Medicine
Murphy Oil Building, DeBakey Education Center, 2nd Floor

131 S. Robertson St.
New Orleans, LA

7 CME Prescribed Credits Offered by
the American Academy of Family Physicians

Overview:

Each year thousands of survivors of torture and other forms of persecution seek asylum in the US. When they apply for asylum, they often have nothing more than their own words to substantiate their suffering. Some of the most compelling evidence available—physical and psychological sequelae of torture—will go unnoticed and unheeded. Documentation of that evidence by a health professional trained to identify and document the sequelae of torture can make the difference between achieving safety in the US and return to future persecution. Evidence shows that asylum cases supported by forensic documentation are almost three times more likely to result in a grant of asylum than cases without such documentation.

Nationwide, there are far more people—including torture survivors—seeking humanitarian protection than there are physicians and psychologists who are trained to provide a forensic evaluation that can substantiate claims of torture. This course is designed to fill the need for more trained health professionals to provide forensic evaluations for torture survivors seeking humanitarian relief in the United States.

Physicians for Human Rights' Asylum Network consists of hundreds of health professionals throughout the country who offer pro bono psychological and physical evaluations to document evidence of torture and other abuse for men and women fleeing persecution in their home countries.

This course will also enhance medicine’s contribution to assist the most vulnerable: those who have been subjected to human rights abuses. Trained health professionals will use their medical expertise for the common good and enhance the engagement by the medical community in assisting extremely vulnerable individuals. This course will increase health professionals’ capacity to identify the physical and psychological sequelae of torture.

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Target Audience:

This course is designed for physicians from all specialties who are interested in human rights, particularly: primary care physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists, and psychiatrists. It will also be of interest to psychologists. Registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and social workers are also welcome to attend.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop a greater understanding of the asylum process in the United States and the importance of the health professional role and the forensic documentation in this process;
• Identify, diagnose and evaluate medical evidence of human rights violations;
• Identify, diagnose and evaluate psychological evidence of human rights violations;
• Utilize health professional skills and expertise to provide medico-legal documentation of torture;
• Utilize health professional skills and expertise to provide presentations of the findings of torture;
• Utilize their knowledge, skills, and expertise, to provide pro bono forensic evaluations for indigent asylum seekers.

Register Today!

Registration for this training is available online only. Please visit the Event Registration page to sign up. Registration closes on Friday, January 29, 2010.

Hotel Information

PHR has reserved rooms at the Whitney Hotel which is within walking distance of the Tulane University School of Medicine. These rooms are available to you at a discounted rate. Note that the training is scheduled near Mardi Gras, which is an extremely busy time in New Orleans; it will be to your advantage to reserve early.

The Whitney: A Wyndham Historic Hotel
610 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: 504-581-4222
Fax: 504-207-0100

Call the hotel directly and indicate that you are affiliated with the Physicians for Human Rights event.

Room Rates: Single/double occupancy: $159
Booking cut-off date: Thursday, January 21, 2010