Human rights are a modern guide for public health, a vision that all public health scholars and practitioners shall uphold in their work. With human rights inextricably linked to the achievement of public health goals, a growing public health field has arisen in health and human rights, examining the human right to health and the interconnected rights to underlying determinants of health.
Reflective of this rise of the field of health and human rights, the APHA International Human Rights Committee, or IHRC, began in 1983 as an appointed committee of the APHA Executive Board, working over three decades to introduce human rights into public health discourses and to develop principles on public health and human rights. The APHA Human Rights Forum represents the next chapter in APHA's leading role in championing the cause of human rights in public health, increasing the overall APHA membership focused on rights-related issues and mainstreaming rights in public health practice. With the support of over 200 APHA members the APHA Executive Board voted unanimously in 2014 to transition from the 10-member IHRC into the Human Rights Forum, allowing all APHA members to join the Human Rights Forum in advancing human rights in public health.
The Human Rights Forum now sponsors a poster session and four scientific sessions during the APHA Annual Meeting and works with its members throughout the year to apply human rights law to public health promotion. To become a member of the Human Rights Forum, at no charge for APHA members, please update your component preferences on your Communities Page.
Chair: Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, PhD, MS
Chair-Elect: Arduizur Carli Richie-Zavaleta, DrPH
Immediate Past Chair: Mirna Amaya
Secretary: Donna Davis
Program Co-Chairs: Sofia Karimi, Meredith Gaffney, Arduizur Carli Richie-Zavaleta
Policy Committee Chair: Donald M. Osgood Sr.
Communication Co-Chairs: Meg Denny and Ayesha Akhtar
Communication Vice Chair: Yutian Li
Membership Chair: Juliana Musonda
EPI Section Liaison: Ayo-Oluwa Adesanya
IH Section Liaison: Jamie Zigterman
PHEHP Section Liaison: Ayesha Akhtar
Student Assembly Liaison: Star Purdle
For leadership contact information, log in to APHA LEAD using your member credentials.
Join the Human Rights Forum
[i] Easley, C. E., Marks, S. P., & Morgan, R. E. (Dec. 2001). The Challenge and Place of International Human Rights in Public Health. American Journal of Public Health, 91 (12), 1922-1925.
Beracochea, E., Weinstein, C. & Evans, D.P. (Eds.) (2010) Rights-Based Approaches to Public Health. Springer