Where will year two of the pandemic take us?

WINTER 2021 NEWSLETTER

A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR

Dear Colleagues,

As we enter year two of the pandemic, we continue to examine the lessons learned from the initial global response. While social inequities revealed by COVID-19 continue to deepen, we look to the development and deployment of vaccines as a moment of reflection on humanity's gains during this unprecedented time.

Just days ago, we welcomed a new president of the United States and have already seen an immediate shift in leadership of this health crisis. Although the new executive orders signed by President Joseph R. Biden will go far in addressing exposed inequities, much work remains to fully ensure an equitable public health response to COVID-19 and vaccination distribution among Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities most at-risk. The change in administration also presents an opportunity to address long-standing institutional racism and refocus on the opioid overdose crisis through policies we outlined in our new report: From the War on Drugs to Harm Reduction: Imagining a Just Response to the Overdose Crisis (read my letter to President Biden here).

In my review of Isabel Wilkerson’s new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, published in The Lancet, I reflect on the year 2020, which highlighted how the U.S. race problem endures with lethal impact. The health consequences of the racial hierarchy long preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, extending beyond police-involved killings. Premature mortality is 50% higher for Black people compared with white people, with deaths due to causes as varied as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease up to about two times higher in Black than in white populations.

We at the FXB Center are committed to ensuring social justice and human rights are central to both the pandemic response and addressing the lethal impact of racism. This newsletter highlights our reports and writing, which expand upon these topics and more. Our upcoming events feature insightful guests whose voices are critical to an equitable response and moving the needle forward on social harms caused by failed policies, including the War on Drugs and mass incarceration.

We welcome you to visit our webpage to join our events, read our latest updates, and learn more about our ongoing work. Thank you for your support.

In solidarity,

Dr. Mary T. Bassett

Director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights and FXB Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Upcoming Events

The State of Human Rights: 2020 Reflections and Lessons Learned

TOMORROW

Jan. 27 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EDT

Examining the unprecedented events that unfolded in the year 2020, the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University invites you to join this special event. A keynote speech will be presented by Director of the FXB Center Dr. Mary T. Bassett, followed by discussion with United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng.

Discussion topics will focus on:

How the pandemic has deepened inequities for vulnerable populations
The impact of the U.S. Presidential election and new administration
Social activism in the wake of persistent police and racial violence

Leveraging the Arts for a Healthier and Just America

Jan. 28, 2021 | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. EDT

Motivated by the need to help the nation charter a pathway for an American recovery, DrPH Candidate and FXB Center for Health and Human Rights Fellow Amanda Taffy is working on a thesis entitled, The Role of the Arts During COVID-19: Gendered Expressions of Resilience and Empowerment. With the help of faculty from the FXB Center, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, this thesis aims to understand artists’ potent role during COVID-19, particularly on vulnerable populations. On Jan. 28, 2021, the Doctor of Public Health Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will sponsor an Art Seminar, “Leveraging the Arts for a Healthier & Just America.” Visit the event page for more details and registration.

Critical Public Health Questions for 2021: Closing (and Reopening) Schools and Workplaces

Driving Progress in Social Policy: Education, Public Health and Carceral Systems

Jan. 28, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. EDT

The COVID-19 pandemic—the greatest public health challenge in more than a century—has forced many hard decisions. The partial or full closures of schools nationwide have become a flashpoint with very strong opinions on both sides and have reinforced the critical role that schools play in supporting the health of our children. As we move toward reopening schools and other workplaces, it is clear that buildings themselves are vital to the public’s health, and the need for proper ventilation and air filtering to slow the viral spread has become essential. The lack of “healthy buildings,” particularly for Black and brown populations, leaves millions of children and adults vulnerable. In this program, the participants will discuss disparities and key issues related to school closures, as well as strategies to enhance the built environment as we move toward reopening our workplaces and schools. Visit the event page for more details and registration.

Professional Engagement with Climate and Health

Feb. 1, 2021 | 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. EDT

Lighting talks and a discussion with panelists at every level of training, including Dr. Caleb Dresser, climate and human health fellow at the Dept. of Emergency Medicine at BIDMC in Boston, Harvard C-Change and FXB Center for Health and Human Rights. Dr. Dresser's work focuses on means to address health needs during and after climate-related disasters, with particular attention to heat waves, tropical cyclones, and wildfires, and is supported by the Climate and Health Foundation. Visit the event page for more details and registration.

Can WE Solve the Migration Crisis?

Feb. 9, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. EDT

A webinar with Long Island University Associate Prof. Vincenzo Pascale and FXB Center Director of Research Prof. Jacqueline Bhabha, one of the most worldly acclaimed scholars on migration and human rights. Prof. Bhabha's current research focuses on adolescents at risk of violence, social exclusion or discrimination. She is actively engaged in several research projects in India, examining the factors that drive access of low-caste girls from illiterate families to higher education, and that transform gender norms among children and adolescents. She also works on similar issues within the Roma community in Europe. Visit the event page for more details and to register.

Women’s Leadership in the COVID-19 Response: Distinct, Effective and Successful Approaches

Feb. 9, 2021 | 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. EDT

Join an exciting virtual panel discussion featuring prominent women leaders and academics, including FXB Center Executive Director Dr. Natalia Linos, discussing the important role played by female leadership at various local, national and global levels in successfully responding to public health challenges posed by COVID-19. The focus will be on the compassionate value-based approach, reliance on expert advice, good judgment and effective communications, which have marked the leadership style of many women leaders. Visit the event page for more details and to register.

Health and Human Rights Journal:

Artificial Intelligence and Health Rights Explored

Published on Human Rights Day (Dec. 10), the latest issue of the Health and Human Rights Journal features a special section on Big Data, Technology, Artificial Intelligence and the Right to Health.

Reflecting on the 11 articles from authors in multidisciplinary fields, editors of the section, Sara (Meg) Davis and Carmel Williams wrote about the need for human rights linked to health to adapt to a new domain with new standards that build on the old norms and that encompass rapidly changing capabilities. Topics in the section address human rights risks from digital surveillance tools developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, use of apps to monitor drug compliance, the commercialization of health data and the risks this poses to access to health care in the future, and the need to conduct health rights impact assessments on all health-related technology and AI tools before they are deployed.

The general section has a further 26 articles covering human rights concerns across the world including several papers based on research in Kenya, Canada – including a look at their military arms transfers to Saudi Arabia – and an analysis of human rights concerns related to migration in Lesvos, Greece.

A Student Essay feature commences in this issue and we encourage all our academic readers to promote this opportunity to their health and human rights students. Click here to explore the journal.

Course Opening For Spring 2 2021

Homelessness and Health: Lessons from Health Care, Public Health and Research

Course Instructor: Dr. Margaret Sullivan

While homelessness in the US is a complex issue intersecting the fields of health care, public health, and policy, this course will lead students through a concise introduction. We will examine pathways to homelessness, disproportionately affected communities, and unique health care needs including COVID-19. The history of Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) programs and examples of model programs will be discussed. Strategies for incorporating trauma-informed care into practice will be identified. There will be a specific focus on the fundamentals of research in homelessness and health, including innovative directions and ethical considerations. Individuals with lived experience of homelessness, clinicians and practitioners will share their perspectives. Active learning and solution-oriented approaches to challenging and persistent issues for homeless persons will be used. For more information on this course, please click here.

New Publications

Romani Realities in the United States: Breaking the Silence, Challenging the Stereotypes

This FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University report explores the social and economic conditions of Romani people in the United States. The research project was undertaken to improve the understanding of Romani Americans and generate an empirical base to challenge inaccurate characterizations. The FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard and Voice of Roma collaborated on this research project. Read the report here and view the infographic.

From the War on Drugs to Harm Reduction: Imagining a Just Response to the Overdose Crisis

In Spring 2020, the FXB Center, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, First Focus on Children and Open Society Foundations convened a group of experts in public health, harm reduction, drug policy and child welfare. The experts shared ideas on how to direct the opioid litigation settlement funds toward structural and policy reform that advances public health and health equity. This cumulative report was released on Dec. 16, 2020 and reflects the views of these leading experts and contains specific recommendations for policy makers and advocates. Read the report here and view the infographic.

FXB Center Writing in Other Recent Publications:

How Structural Racism Works — Racist Policies as a Root Cause of U.S. Racial Health Inequities

New England Journal of Medicine | Dec. 16, 2020

Authors: Zinzi D. Bailey, Mary T. Bassett and Justin M. Feldman

Training Clinical And Public Health Leaders In Climate And Health

Health Affairs | Dec. 7, 2020

Authors: John Balbus, Satchit Balsari, Caleb Dresser, Emile Calvello Hynes, Jay Lemery, Caitlin Rublee and Cecilia Sorensen

Critical Insight: Climate Change and Vibrio

The 2020 Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change | Dec. 1, 2020

Authors: Caleb Dresser and Caitlin Rublee

Perspective: EU Migration Pact Fails to Address Human Rights Concerns in Lesvos, Greece

Health and Human Rights Journal | Dec. 2020

Authors: Vasileia Digidiki and Jacqueline Bhabha

Climate Change, Migration, and Civil Strife

Topical Collection on Climate Change and Health | Springer Nature | Dec. 2020

Authors: Satchit Balsari, Caleb Dresser and Jennifer Leaning

Now Hiring: Climate and Human Health Fellow

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is seeking to hire its next Climate and Human Health Fellow.

The two year fellowship offered to U.S. board eligible or board certified EM physicians, is jointly hosted with Harvard’s Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment, and the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard, and seeks to train national physician leaders in Climate and Human Health research and advocacy.

The intensive program includes a master’s degree in public health or public policy at Harvard; internships at National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); opportunities to learn and engage in advocacy on the Hill; and training to lead independent research at the intersection of climate change, human health and policy.

Fellows will participate in the academic life of the affiliated Centers at Harvard, and will have opportunity to develop expertise in one of several domains including climate-related migration, adaptation and health system resilience. Please click here to learn more.