Bradley A. Connor, M.D. is a clinical professor of medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and attending physician at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. He is founder and medical director of the New York Center for Travel and Tropical Medicine, a facility devoted to patient care, teaching, and research in Travel and Tropical medicine. […]

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) welcomes yesterday’s U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s decision to lift the injunction that required the continued implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), also known as Remain in Mexico, which forced people seeking asylum in the United States to wait in often-dangerous environments in Mexico. We […]

Theresia Njeri is the Finance Manager based in the Kenya office supporting both Kenya and DRC in budget development, preparing donor financial reports, leading closure of accounting books, and managing processes and procedures. Prior to joining PHR, Njeri worked for both Local and International organisations in the capacities of Finance Administration Manager and Senior National […]

Medical experts and human rights advocates from Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) filed an amicus brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today highlighting key public health evidence in support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) efforts to rescind Title 42 border expulsions. Since the policy was […]

Ahead of Kenya’s general election on August 9, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) warns of potential election-related violence, including sexual violence, and calls on the Government of Kenya to proactively enact policies and plans to both prevent and respond to any violence perpetrated around the upcoming vote.   At least since the 1990s, elections in Kenya […]

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) today announced the hire of Joel Lamstein, MBA, as Interim Executive Director, effective July 1, 2022. Lamstein brings a lifetime of organizational expertise in the global health and education fields, which will provide leadership and vision during PHR’s  search for a new permanent Executive Director. PHR also welcomes a new […]

As Director of Finance, Gaffar Mohamed has direct responsibility for the organization’s budget and finance-related activities, including assisting in developing a fiscal strategy, creating projections and reports, managing payroll, accounts payables and receivables, cash disbursements, the general ledger, and the technology and other systems used to manage PHR financial systems. Prior to joining PHR, Mohamed […]

As PHR’s Interim Executive Director, Joel Lamstein oversees all aspects of the organization’s finance, human resources, and administration activities. Lamstein is the founder and president of John Snow, Inc. and the nonprofit JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., international public health consulting firms which together employ more than 2,000 staff worldwide. In 1982, he assumed […]

As Russian artillery shells fall indiscriminately in Ukraine, efforts are under way by the international community to document the resulting human rights violations, including a range of attacks that likely constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. These efforts may indeed be the most robust in recent history. But as the International Criminal Court (ICC) […]

Program Officer, Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones (French-speaking) Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which shared in the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, is a U.S.-based international advocacy organization working at the intersection of medicine, science, and law. With a global network of thousands of medical, scientific, and legal experts, PHR uses the power of medical […]

Advocacy Associate Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which shared in the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, is a U.S.-based international advocacy organization working at the intersection of medicine, science, and law. With a global network of thousands of medical, scientific, and legal experts, PHR uses the power of medical and scientific evidence to document human […]

After a lengthy decision process, the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted today to renew Resolution 2585, which effectively reauthorizes the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey into Idlib, Syria for six months. The compromise will require member states to hold another vote on a further six-month extension in January. The vote comes […]

Olivia Dupont is the Program Manager of PHR’s Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones (SVCZ), a training and advocacy initiative to increase capacity to forensically document and prosecute sexual violence cases. Dupont provides day-to-day support to the SVCZ program and manages the full range of processes related to program and grant management including the […]

We investigate and document human rights violations, give voice to survivors and witnesses, and plant seeds of reconciliation by ensuring that perpetrators can be held accountable for their crimes. We believe that medical ethics are deeply bound to the protection of human rights. PHR uses our core disciplines – science, medicine, forensics, and public health – […]

Today 11human rights organizations that champion the right to be free from all forms of sexual and gender-based violence welcomed the signing into law of the Mental Health (Amendment) Act, 2022 by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya. This comes after the Kenyan Senate unanimously passed the Mental Health Amendment Bill on June 21, 2022. […]

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) welcomes today’s United States Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Biden v. Texas, holding that the Biden Administration can end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Enacted by the Trump administration in January 2019, MPP is a disastrous policy that has placed tens of […]

On July 7, the UN Security Council (UNSC) will hold a vote on Resolution 2585, which authorizes the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, the only remaining available route for international aid into the besieged region of northern Syria. More than 4.2 million Syrians rely on aid supplied through the crossing, a number that […]

In response to the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization by the U.S. Supreme Court, the following statement is attributable to Payal Shah, J.D., director of PHR’s Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones:   “PHR condemns the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which rolls back reproductive rights in […]

On July 10, 2022, the one remaining border crossing for humanitarian aid into Syria will expire. If the UN Security Council allows it to lapse, the closing of this border will force millions of Syrians into grave danger. Today, the Bab al-Hawa border crossing along the Syria-Turkey frontier is the only remaining entry point for […]

As Institutional Development Coordinator, Casey Grittner supports the cultivation and stewardship of current and prospective institutional donors to further the mission of PHR. She works closely with colleagues across the organization to manage proposal and reporting timelines, provide relevant and timely communications, conduct prospect research, and maintain records. Prior to joining PHR, Grittner worked in […]

MediCapt Toolkit and Curriculum Consultant Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which shared in the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, is a U.S.-based international advocacy organization working at the intersection of medicine, science, and law. With a global network of thousands of medical, scientific, and legal experts, PHR uses the power of medical and scientific evidence […]

Erika Dailey serves as Director of Advocacy and Policy. In this role, she leads the expansion of PHR’s advocacy work, mobilizing and leveraging PHR’s vast network of health and science professionals to promote human rights worldwide. Dailey comes to PHR with thirty years in the international human rights field and in NGO management, principally at […]

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu is a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is the former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission. Odinkalu conducts research on contemporary challenges of multilateralism in regional systems in development, human rights, and governance. Odinkalu received his LLB from Imo State […]

Medical professionals are often on the front lines in conflict situations, providing life-saving health care to civilian communities suffering from violence, abuse, and deprivation. Nowhere has this been truer than in Syria.

PHR urges UNSC Member States to renew the Bab al-Hawa border crossing authorization for at least 12 months.