PHR Student Blog

Hey student members! Interested in affecting how the PHR student program is run at a national level? Do you think big and get excited about health and human rights? Did you go to the national conference, and want to meet and work with some of those amazing speakers? Applications for student advisory board (SAB) and regional chapter mentor (RCM) positions are now being accepted for the upcoming year, and we encourage anyone interested to apply!

SAB members work closely with PHR leadership to coordinate priorities for the student program, manage student advocacy efforts, and work to create a cohesive body of student chapters throughout the US. RCMs are assigned a number of chapters within their geographic area, and work with student chapter leaders and SAB members as an interface between local and national efforts.

You can find the application form for both positions below. The due date is March 25, by email to cedric.h.bien[at]gmail[dot]com.

SAB/RCM Combined Application Form

The PHR Student Advisory Board (SAB) warmly welcomes you to apply for a national leadership role as a member of the SAB or for a regional position as a Regional Chapter Mentor (RCM)! Applications (pdf) for both positions must be submitted no later than April 20th, 2012.

PHR Student Advisory Board Member

The Student Advisory Board (SAB) is composed of seven to ten students from across the country. Members serve as liaisons between regional and national leaders and provide strategic and operational support related to the mission and direction of the National Student Program (NSP). Members are expected to be self-starters and motivated individuals interested in developing and strengthening the NSP. Members of the SAB are expected to be excellent in oral and written communication, time management, as they will be expected to volunteer and complete assigned duties, and teamwork leadership skills, as they will need to work well with fellow SAB members at a distance. SAB members must be comfortable thinking critically and working actively to improve the NSP during PHR’s current transition period, particularly in the face of financial and managerial support constraints.

Tasks for PHR’s Student Advisory Board members include:

• Attend the SAB retreat in summer 2012
• Participate in monthly SAB conference calls (with a maximum of 3 missed calls over the year)
• Actively participate in discussions regarding the Student Program via email
• Reach out to chapters in your region and be available via email and phone for inquires and requests for support, responding in a timely manner
• Attend and provide guidance for the National PHR Student Conference in early 2013

The average time commitment for the Student Advisory Board is 10-12 hours per month, with peak activity at the beginning of the fall semester, the approach of the National Conference, and the closing of the academic year. Members generally remain on the SAB until graduation.

Desired qualifications include:

• Commitment to the PHR Student Program’s mission to advance health professional students’ understanding of and lifelong investment in health and human rights activism
• Prior organizing, advocacy, activism, and leadership experience
• Excellent oral and written communications skills

PHR Regional Chapter Mentor

The Regional Chapter Mentor (RCM) serves the critical role of providing peer-based advising and support to student chapter leaders in the RCM’s region to aid in these chapters’ development and organizing. Mentors will liaise between chapters, SAB, and staff. Mentors will be selected for their personal experiences and passion for chapter organizing, developing a peer-based network, and promoting inter-chapter collaboration.

Tasks for PHR RCMs include:

• Reach out via phone, email, or in-person to student chapters on a quarterly basis, and be available for chapter inquiries and requests for support, responding in a timely manner
• Promote inter-chapter collaboration and participation in PHR events and advocacy initiatives
• Communicate regularly with the SAB by phone or email
• Facilitate a networking opportunity for your region at the 2013 National Conference

The average time commitment for the Regional Student Chapter Mentor is 3-4 hours per month, with peak activity at the beginning of the fall semester, the approach of the National Conference, and the closing of the academic year.

Desired qualifications include:

• Commitment to the PHR Student Program’s mission to advance health professional students’ understanding of and lifelong investment in health and human rights activism
• Prior organizing, advocacy, activism, and leadership experience is preferred, but not required
• Excellent oral and written communications skills

Application for PHR SAB and RCM Positions

This application must be submitted to phr.sab[at]gmail[dot]com no later than April 20, 2012.

  PHR SAB RCM Application 2012

For questions please contact Shaheja Sitafalwalla at shaheja[at]gmail[dot]com.

On the 2^nd and 3^rd of July, the new Student Advisory Board (SAB) held its first annual retreat in New York City.  Our goals were threefold: ensure a smooth transition for the new board members, create a cohesive picture of our plans for the following year, and have a little bonding time as a group.  While each of us share a very similar vision, we also have our own unique perspectives on PHR.  Over the next year, the SAB will be blogging about their thoughts and experiences.

Health and human rights education (HHRE) is my number one priority for the Physicians for Human Rights National Student Program.  I firmly believe that HHRE is essential to a quality medical school education and for the continued development of our health care system – both nationally and internationally.  Without a clear understanding of human rights and how human rights violations impact individual and group health, the failures in the health care systems around the world will persist.

At the national level, we will provide as much support as possible for local chapters that are working to implement HHRE.  This includes increased communication between interested chapter leaders, the development of resources, model curricula, and Toolkits online.  A group of students, who have already implemented some form of HHRE at their schools are available to you as HHRE Mentors who can offer information and ideas.  If you are interested in any of these, please don’t hesitate to contact Hope O’Brien with the National Student Program and she can put you in touch with the correct people.

At the University of Kansas Medical Center where I attend, the student chapter is working to gather the information and allies we need to attempt to introduce HHRE as a formal part of the curriculum.  We operate under a modular, systems-based curriculum and our chapter hopes to integrate at least one lecture on a human rights issue into each module.  Ideally, these lectures will be related to the module being discussed. For example, the curriculum of a sexuality and reproduction module would benefit from a lecture discussing the historic and continued oppression of women and the lasting health impacts that this has had.  Most of our modules (GI/Nutrition, Infectious Disease, Foundations of Medicine, etc.) offer fantastic opportunities to discuss human rights issues.

We are currently struggling with content for the lectures as well as a cohesive vision for the larger goals of the curricular change.  To address this, we have opened our discussion up to other students and physicians across the US to find out what are the most important parts of an HHR curriculum and what is the best framework to present it in.  I am happy to say that a number of colleagues, in and out of PHR, are assisting us with this.  We have also identified a number of faculty allies, but feel like we have not found a champion to take the mantle when we head into curricular discussions.  I am confident that we will be able to get investment from a physician by the time we have a more cohesive, complete vision.

I know that this will be a long process, both here in Kansas and nationally, but I think it is a battle worth fighting.  It always excites me when I hear about what other schools are doing and have done.  I would love to hear from some of you about what you are doing, planning, or dreaming of.

Jake Imber
Chair, PHR Student Advisory Board

(Cross-posted from the Midwest Regional Hub.)

Want to provide national leadership to PHR’s National Student Program? Apply to join the PHR Student Advisory Board (SAB)!

The SAB is a national board of 7 or 8 students. The role of a Student Advisory Board member is:

1. to serve as a liaison to student chapters within a certain geographic region, and
2. to provide strategic and operational advice to the mission and direction of the National Student Program.

An SAB member is expected to be engaged in the development of the Student Program by completing his/her assigned duties, maintaining open lines of communication, and actively seeking areas for improvement in the National Program. These expectations include:

1. attendance at a Student Advisory Board retreat in early July,
2. attendance and involvement in the Student National Conference in early 2011, and
3. participation in monthly conference calls (with a maximum of three missed over the course of the year).

Please apply only if you feel you can meet these commitments. Other leadership roles are available for students who are not on the SAB, including Regional Mentors.

The application must be submitted to phr.sab[at]gmail[dot]com no later than Tuesday, March 29, 2010. Those selected for an interview will be contacted by Friday, April 2. Interviews will take place by phone or in person.

Questions? Please contact Jake Imber at jimber[at]kumc[dot]edu.

Please consider applying to the SAB. Your leadership can shape the course of PHR’s National Student Program.

On behalf of PHR’s National Student Advisory Board, I’d like to welcome all of you to the launch of the 2009-2010 Student Program. I’m confident that you will find the National Student Program to be a home for your passion for health and human rights! As a member of the Student Program, you benefit from having a program and peer-network dedicated solely to helping you grow and contribute as an advocate, along with the expertise of PHR’s network of internationally recognized health and human rights leaders.

As health professional students, we are uniquely poised to advocate for patients both domestically and abroad. Together we can bring our collective passion, knowledge and expertise to our classrooms, our clinics and our Congress. Having been involved with PHR for over six years, as a staff member and now as a medical student at Loyola, I can unequivocally say that this will be our most important year yet. At this moment, we have an opportunity to profoundly shape the way our present and future generations think about health and human rights. We have a phenomenal year planned, filled with opportunities to strengthen and expand your role as health and human rights advocates, as well as connect with mentors and peers all across the country.

As the academic year gets underway, the Advisory Board recommends these three simple ways to start this year strongly:

1. Get to know your fellow chapter members, both as individuals and as advocates. Many chapters are holding informal potlucks to get to know one another, discuss their goals as a chapter and develop action plans for the year.
2. Sign up for your upcoming Regional Advocacy Institute. These institutes can better your understanding of some of PHR’s priority issues, further develop your advocacy skills and foster collaboration between chapters in your region.
3. Learn about all the resources available to your chapter! The strongest chapters have a good sense of their strengths, connections, and resources. As your chapter core begins to brainstorm activity ideas, be sure to check out what resources the Student Program provides, and use this guide to assess additional resources available within your chapter, on your campus and in your community.

Finally, the Student Advisory Board members, Training Coordinators, Chapter Mentors, and, of course, Danielle, are always here to help! Don’t forget to keep in touch with us so we can offer advice and assistance for all that you are doing. Email Danielle to contact me or any of the other volunteer leaders. We are excited to support all your ideas, your creativity and your commitment to advancing health and human rights!