PHR Student Blog

Ali Khan is the Student Member of PHR’s Board of Directors and member of the Student Programs Student Advisory Board.

Greetings from (semi-) warm Richmond! If you’re reading this, then you should be either already registered for or considering attending Physicians for Human Rights’ 2009 National Student Conference, hosted by Brown University.

For those of you that are considering attending – trust me, the trip to Providence will be well worth it. If you’ve ever wanted to gain a thorough grounding in health and human rights, this is the place to be.  At the conference, you’re in store for:

• Incredible seminars on human rights violations around the globe
• Substantive training in leadership, advocacy, policymaking and generating change at home and around the world
• Interaction with leaders in global health, human rights and public health policy, including renowned HIV/AIDS activist Stephen Lewis and former WHO official/Mexican Secretary of Health and incoming dean of the Harvard School of Public Health Julio Frenk
• Networking with other dedicated current and future student leaders in health and human rights from around the nation, enabling you to share your dreams, ideals and strategies with those who share your passion and dedication for effecting change
• Original artwork, research and photography from your fellow students engaged in human rights activism, allowing you to flex your artistic and scientific analytical muscles

The list is endless, and you don’t want to miss out on an incredible weekend with PHR, the leading voice for health and human rights both at home and abroad.

(Aside: I’m more than a little excited about this year’s conference, as evidenced by the goosebumps I develop every time I think about the schedule and the speaker lineup. Nerdy response? Probably – but I’m pumped nonetheless!)

In my opinion, however, PHR has saved the best part of the conference for last: the regional bunches taking place on Sunday morning. Training in the health professions is never easy, and it is often incredibly difficult to find support among your fellow students for your efforts in health and human rights activism. At the regional brunches, however, you’ll encounter students with similar drive – and street addresses! As a region, you will help shape PHR strategy while developing the networks needed to generate powerful actions on a local and regional level – and you might gain a future roommate or social group out of the whole morning. All this, plus brunch (and who can say no to brunch?)!

To my fellow Mid-Atlantic and Southern region members, get ready for some quality time with me on Sunday. To everyone else, I look forward to meeting and talking with you during the entire weekend – look for the brown guy with the occasional Southern drawl. If you’ve any questions about the conference, how to secure funding or what PHR seeks to accomplish, just hit me up – alikhan28 [at] gmail [dot] com.

See y’all in Providence!