We will be hosting our first meeting of the year on Tuesday, 12/19/23 at 12pm in GH 148. Lunch from Fresh Corn Grill will be served. Please complete the RSVP form by Sunday, 12/3/23 to reserve your spot and lunch. We look forward to seeing you there! For questions, please feel free to reach out to contact@lahumanrights.org.
This Immigrant Youth Speaker Series “Essential and Exposed”: Immigrant Workers in a Pandemic will be a discussion on the current legislation and rights of immigrant essential workers during COVID-19 with an emphasis on how the pandemic affects immigrant youth. Our speakers included Professor Hiroshi Motomura, JD, from the UCLA Law School and Professor Abel Valenuela Jr, Ph.D., from the UCLA Urban Planning and Chicana/o Studies Department. The speaker series will be moderated by Jennifer Silvers, Ph.D., and Dr. Alice Kuo, MD, Ph.D., MBA (Professor and Chief, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics; Associate Director, Preventive Medicine).
Please register at: http://bit.ly/2CBPJqT to receive the Zoom Link
DATE: Saturday 09/28/2019
TIME: 8:30 am - 4 pm
ADDRESS: UCLA Geffen Hall B36
Thank you for your interest in this training session on conducting forensic medical evaluations for individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. hosted by the LA Human Rights Initiative and the OVMC Human Rights Clinic.
This specialized training will include:
- An overview of the operations of the PHR Asylum Network
- An introduction to asylum law and updates on new legislation impacting asylum applicants
- The foundations of scientifically-based forensic evidence collection and documentation
- Basic and advanced interviewing techniques with asylum clients
- Detailed instruction on how to conduct physical and psychological evaluations and document the sequelae of torture and other forms of persecution
- An overview of the U.S. immigration detention system and a discussion on issues affecting the health of detained immigrants
- The content of the training is derived from the Istanbul Protocol, PHR’s training manual and the experts own experiences.
The training is open to everyone. After completing this training, licensed clinicians will be qualified to conduct forensic asylum evaluations within the PHR Asylum Network through a PHR-affiliated clinic (such as LAHRI or OVMC Human Rights Clinic) or independently. Students studying in clinical fields and clinicians that are not yet licensed will be qualified to observe and assist with evaluations through one of our PHR-affiliated clinics.
A light breakfast, refreshments, and lunch will be provided.
More details coming soon.
When:
Wednesday, May 29, 6:00-8:00 pm PDT
6:00-6:30 pm: Networking and Light Refreshments
6:30-8:00 pm: Program
Where:
Laurie and Steven C. Gordon
Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium, UCLA
635 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles
Panelists:
Adam Richards, MD, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Board Member
Physicians for Human Rights
Almas Sayeed, JD
Deputy Director of Programs
California Immigrant Policy Center
Samuel Stratton, MD, MPH
Senior Program Analyst
Orange County Health Care Agency
Adjunct Professor
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Moderator:
Maria-Elena Young, PhD, MPH
Research Scientist, Center for Health Policy Research
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow
UC Merced
To RSVP (only if attending in person): please click HERE.
Online: to join the livestream on Wednesday, May 29, please visit HERE. Please note that the program begins at 6:30 pm PDT.
DATE: Saturday 09/22/2018
TIME: 8:30 am - 4 pm
ADDRESS: UCLA Geffen Hall B36
Thank you for your interest in this training session on conducting forensic medical evaluations for individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. hosted by the DGSOM Asylum Clinic and the OVMC Human Rights Clinic.
This specialized training will include:
- An overview of the operations of the PHR Asylum Network
- An introduction to asylum law and updates on new legislation impacting asylum applicants
- The foundations of scientifically-based forensic evidence collection and documentation
- Basic and advanced interviewing techniques with asylum clients
- Detailed instruction on how to conduct physical and psychological evaluations and document the sequelae of torture and other forms of persecution
- An overview of the U.S. immigration detention system and a discussion on issues affecting the health of detained immigrants
- The content of the training is derived from the Istanbul Protocol, PHR’s training manual and the experts own experiences.
The training is open to everyone. After completing this training, licensed clinicians will be qualified to conduct forensic asylum evaluations within the PHR Asylum Network through a PHR-affiliated clinic (such as the DGSOM Asylum Clinic or OVMC Human Rights Clinic) or independently. Students studying in clinical fields and clinicians that are not yet licensed will be qualified to observe and assist with evaluations through one of our PHR-affiliated clinics.
A light breakfast, refreshments, and lunch will be provided
Q&A:
1. What is a forensic evaluation?
A forensic medical evaluation documents evidence of torture and ill treatment and effectively communicates this evidence to adjudicators. Physicians provide expert opinions on the degree to which clinical findings corroborate allegations of abuse and educate adjudicators on the sequelae of trauma. They document their findings in a legal affidavit submitted to the court and are occasionally called upon to give testimony.
2. What is schedule for the training?
8:30-9:00: Registration & Breakfast (Registration closes at 9!)
9:00-9:15: Welcome & Review Agenda
9:15-10:05: Introduction to Asylum Law
10:15-11:45: Documenting Physical Sequelae of Torture & Ill Treatment
11:45-12:40: Lunch
12:40-1:40 Documenting Psychological Sequelae of Torture & Ill Treatment
1:50-2:20 Best Practices for Writing Affidavits, Testifying in Court and Collaborating with Attorneys
2:30-3:30 Breakout Groups featuring discussion on specialized topics including advanced physical and mental health, gynecological, and child mental health evaluations
3:30-4:00 Group Q&A, Ways to Get Involved & Wrap-up
3. I have already participated in a PHR training before. What's new about this training?
In response to the large volume of psychological evaluation requests, this training aims to provide evaluators with practical tools to diagnose psychological disorders- including major depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD- commonly seen in asylum seekers. The focus will be on helping all providers, including general practitioners/internists, become more comfortable with mental health evaluations.
4. Who will be speaking at the training?
Coleen Kivlahan, MD, MSPH
Dr. Kivlahan is Senior Director of Health Care Affairs at the American Association of Medical Colleges and Professor of Family Medicine at UCSF. She has extensive experience conducting forensic evaluations for political asylum seekers and leading trainings on this topic with Physicians for Human Rights.
Nate Ewigman, PhD
Dr. Ewigman is a clinical psychologist certified by Physicians for Human Rights in the advanced forensic documentation of asylum seekers. He has experience training learners from several disciplines in the forensic documentation of psychological sequelae of torture in the U.S. and at the American University in Beirut.
Scott Ventrudo, JD
Mr. Ventrudo is a Staff Attorney at Human Rights First and previously served as an Asylum Officer for the USCIS in San Francisco. In addition to having a wealth of knowledge about asylum law he brings the valuable perspective of having previously adjudicated asylum cases.
5. How many evaluations are conducted each month at the DGSOM Asylum Clinic?
There is a nationwide backlog on asylum cases. Thus your contributions to our clinic are critical and much appreciated. However case volume varies months to months and we cannot guarantee case placement. Our phase I organizational goal is to process 3-6 cases/month with 30 active evaluators and 30 student volunteers. If our member grows faster than our case load, we will work hard to take in more cases from various sources to make sure every member has a chance to participate in asylum work.
6. Which asylum clinics can I join?
Please consult with each clinic on its policy on who are qualified to be enlisted in its network. Currently, DGSOM Asylum Clinic works with students, faculties, clinical staff, and volunteers affiliated with UCLA. USC-Keck Human Rights Clinic is open to those without USC affiliations (please contact contact@keckhumanrights.com).
7. How can I get more involved in the DGSOM Asylum Clinic?
If you are interested in a leadership role or would like to expand our efforts in asylum-related research and advocacy or in the continuation of healthcare for asylum seekers please reach out to us at dgsomasylumclinic@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
8. My schedule doesn't work for this training. What are other training options?
1. 9/15 in New York, NY, hosted by the MSHRP. Register at tinyurl.com/HRPfalltraining.
2. 9/15 in Philadelphia, PA, hosted by the PHRC. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/physician-training-asylum-evaluations-tickets-45880439630.
3. 9/22 in New York, NY, hosted by the WCCHR. Register at: https://goo.gl/forms/gWtIyQY7CO6k8WUJ2. Streaming option is available for those who cannot attend in person.
4. Potential Spring training hosted by USC-Keck
9. How can I learn more about and get involved with the Olive View Human Rights Clinic?
The Olive View-UCLA Human Rights Clinic is a monthly academic clinic established with the goal of providing forensic medical and psychological examinations for survivors of torture and persecution seeking asylum. The clinic, hosted by Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, is run in partnership with Physicians for Human Rights. It is staffed by volunteer UCLA and Olive View attending physicians across a range of specialties and is also a teaching site for the UCLA Internal Medicine Primary Care Track and OVMC Internal Medicine residency programs.
If you are interested in getting more involved, please reach out to Dr. Arash Nafisi (ANafisi@dhs.lacounty.gov) and Dr. Sural Shah (SuralShah@mednet.ucla.edu) for more information.
This event is co-hosted by the DGSOM Asylum Clinic and the OVMC Human Rights Clinic.
We are grateful for the support of our sponsors:
David Geffen School of Medicine
USC-Keck Human Rights Clinic
UCLA Healthy Campus LiveWell Initiative
UCLA Department of Psychiatry
UCLA Primary Care Department
SCoPHE
UCLA Center for World Health
Clementine Bakery
Bella Pita