Physicians for Human Rights at Baylor College of Medicine (PHR-BCM) is a student-led organization that leads a forensic evaluation clinic to support asylum seekers’ cases, and provides education and outreach to the BCM and Houston community. We are part of the national Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) organization, and through the platform of medicine, advocates for the firm belief that health is a human right. PHR-BCM strives to aid not only asylum seekers, but also the local immigrant and refugee community, those who are uninsured, and those who seek mental health support. Our ultimate mission is the advancement of human rights for all.
The Asylum Clinic
The Baylor College of Medicine Human Rights and Asylum Clinic enables attorneys seeking forensic evaluations for their clients to be connected to medical providers trained in conducting evaluations. The clinic is affiliated with the national organization PHR and PHR-BCM student chapter.
Connect with the clinic:
- Attorneys: If you are an attorney seeking a forensic evaluation for your client, register your clinic with the national PHR organization via this form. If you have already spoken with a member of our clinic team and we have agreed to conduct the evaluation, then select “clinic direct referral”, and select “Baylor Asylum Clinic”.
- Trained Evaluators: If you are a forensic evaluator who completed a PHR-approved forensic evaluation training, or registered with PHR as an approved evaluator, make sure that you have submitted the training completion certificate to us at phr-sig@bcm.edu. Once you are on our list of trained evaluators, make sure to whitelist emails from phr-sig@bcm.edu to see calls for evaluators when an asylum seeker’s attorney requests our aid.
- Interested in Being Trained: If you are a clinician who is interested in being trained to conduct forensic evaluations, refer to this list of upcoming PHR-approved trainings. If you completed a training that was not hosted by PHR-BCM, submit the training completion certificate to us at phr-sig@bcm.edu.
The Student Organization
The PHR-BCM student chapter seeks to educate BCM and the surrounding community regarding human rights issues, and actively intervene in tangible ways. In the past, PHR-BCM had taught BCM students how to fill out insurance applications for the most vulnerable members of our community, and made and distributed packages that contained essential health items to immigrant and refugee families. PHR-BCM also hosted video seminars, book discussions, and documentary screenings on topics such as human rights crises during the COVID-19 pandemic, institutional racism in medicine, and international refugee crises.
Connect with the student organization:
- Students: If you are a student interested in joining the student organization and receiving email updates for our events, email us at phr-sig@bcm.edu. If you are interested in participating in a forensic evaluation training, look for upcoming trainings in future emails. Students are allowed to shadow forensic evaluations, and are often asked to scribe for evaluations, and work with the clinician evaluator in writing an affidavit.
- Student Organization: If you are a student organization who is interested in collaborating with us, reach out to us at phr-sig@bcm.edu.
For questions about PHR-BCM overall, the asylum clinic, or the student organization, email us at phr-sig@bcm.edu.
Executive Director: Ila Gautham, ila.gautham@bcm.edu
Co-Executive Director: Erica Ding, erica.ding@bcm.edu
