Title of Abstract: Medical Student Initiatives in Refugee Health

Designated Presenter: Tara Kiran

Type of Session Preferred: Poster Presentation

Proposed Track: Health, Human Rights, and Advocacy

Learning Objectives: By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to describe at least five refugee-related initiatives developed by medical students.

Project: Global crises can have a devastating impact on the physical, mental, and social health of populations they displace. Medical students have the unique opportunity to improve the health of these populations, both as advocates for justice and as future health care providers.

We organized a Workshop on Refugee Health that aimed to provide medical students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to develop refugee-related initiatives at the local, national, and international level

The workshop focused on the following five topics: refugees and human rights; health care delivery in a refugee camp; mental health issues of refugees, determinants of health of refugees in a new society; and conflict prevention. Each topic was addressed through a common format that included interactive lectures, case studies, and discussion.

Setting: International Training Congress for Medical Students held in Aalborg, Denmark in August 2001.

Partners: International Federation of Medical Students Association and IMCC-Denmark

Results: Each participant left the workshop with a concrete action plan outlining their agenda for the coming year. Ideas ranged from promoting awareness of the issues through articles, seminars, and curriculum development to improving conditions in local refugee centers or camps. Follow up of their initiatives will be provided through internet contact and a meeting at the next IFMSA general assembly.

Conclusions: There are a number of ways in which medical students can positively influence refugee health. Medical students can directly address the physical, mental, and social health needs of refugees by working in asylum centers and refugee camps. They can also influence health indirectly through advocacy and awareness raising.

Additional Authors: Liv Lyngå and Darrell Tan