On March 26, 2015, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition and two steering committee members will present a special session, Protection of Health Workers in Conflict, at the 6th Annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health Conference in Boston.
The session will address recent attacks on health workers, facilities, and patients during armed conflicts and situations of political instability. Speakers will review the scope of the problem, impacts on health systems in affected countries, initiatives in evidence development and documentation, and strategies for increased protection through both humanitarian and human rights approaches.
Speakers include Leonard Rubenstein, chair of the coalition; Widney Brown, director of programs at Physicians for Human Rights, a coaltion steering committee member; Jonathan Quick, president and chief executive officer of Management Sciences for Health, also a coaltion steering committee member; and Michael J. VanRooyen, interim chair of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The Consortium of Universities for Global Health is a member of the coalition. The conference's theme, Mobilizing Research for Global Health, will bring together some of the leading researchers from around the world to address global health challenges.
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition is a group of over 30 organizations who share a commitment to the protection of health workers, services, and infrastructure from violence. Members include notable academic institutions, international and country-level NGOs with a strong focus on human rights and/or health, relief organizations, and professional associations. The secretariat is shared by the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and IntraHealth International.