A Student-run Program for Social Justice An interview with Salina Bakshi, Marie Hennelly, Andrea Jakubowski and Aisha James Dani Dumitriu In the increasingly complex world of medicine where clinical knowledge is estimated to double every 18 months, four Mount Sinai School of Medicine students recognized that their education was missing an important component. Salina Bakshi, Marie Hennelly, Andrea Jakubowski and Aisha James took a critical look at the medical school curriculum and realized that while anatomy trains future surgeons and child development trains future pediatricians, there was no designated course discussing important issues in social justice. Thus, in 2011, in the midst of their busy first year schedule, they started the Human Rights and Social Justice Scholars Program (HRSJ), a comprehensive one-year track giving students the tools, resources and mentorship to pursue the diverse aspects of
health equity and social justice. I met Salina, Marie, Andrea and Aisha in the student lounge during the week before they would begin their third year clerkships. Given their tremendous accomplishment, I was expecting a rambunctious group, eagerly speaking and interrupting each other. Instead, I was met by a group which exuded quiet confidence and intelligence. They spoke thoughtfully and precisely – each contributing their unique expertise and experiences. What is meant by “social justice”? As Salina explained to me: “a biopsychosocial approach to health and wellness to understand the underlying factors of a patient’s condition both scientifically and socially in order to better understand what factors might prevent them
Andrea Jakubowski, Aisha James, Dr. Holly Atkinson (immediate past president of PHR, faculty advisor of MSSM's PHR student chapter, faculty advisor of the HRSJ Scholars Program), Salina Bakshi, Dr. Phil Landrigan (Dean for Global Health, faculty mentor of the HRSJ Scholars Program, Chair of Dept of Preventive Medicine, and Director of MSHC's Children's Environmental Health Center), and Marie Oliva Hennelly. In May 2012 at the end of year Human Rights Celebration, a reception celebrating the inaugural year of the HRSJ Scholars Program. 5
from receiving equitable and adequate healthcare.” Marie was quick to note the inspiration provided by being physically located on the border between Manhattan’s very rich and very poor. “Being a student chapter of Physicians for Human Rights we believe health is a human right, so equitable delivery of healthcare is a justice issue. Harlem residents and Upper East Side residents should receive equal health care.” The first group of 11 students accepted into the HRSJ scholars program started the program in September 2011. The curriculum is comprised of five interlinked components: coursework, career panel series, research, a policy and advocacy service project and mentorship. The coursework consists of an 8-week student-run “Health, Human rights, and Advocacy” course, taught by a combination of clinicians, researchers and advocates. The course was originally started in 2010 by the Mount Sinai leaders of Physicians for Human Rights, and remains open to all students as an elective, though it is now mandatory for students enrolled in the HRSJ program. Topics feature a variety of domestic and global health issues, such as disaster response, environmental toxins, and minority health. The career panel series complements the didactic curriculum and provides an opportunity to engage with pioneers who have dedicated their lives to human rights and health, such as Homer Venters, head of the NYC Correctional Health Services. These round table dinner discussions offer students the opportunity to interact one-on-one with leaders in social justice and learn about a variety of career paths within the field. The research component – in many ways the central aspect of the HRSJ track – is designed to demonstrate that research methods within the field of social justice can be as academically rigorous as those within clinical and basic sciences. The ultimate goal, Marie explained, is “evidence -based advocacy.” An excellent historical example is the Campaign to Ban Landmines run by Physicians for Human Rights, who in 1991 published comprehensive research reports on the overwhelming devastation of innocent civilians by landmines in Cambodia. By 1997, their efforts led to an international Mine Ban Treaty signed by 122 countries, a momentous achievement awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the same year. The take-home message, Aisha explains, is that Physicians for Human Rights accomplished this major policy change via rigorous research and facts, not by publishing educated opinions. Could these data have been gathered by non-physicians? Maybe. But physicians have the unique