Challenges in Founding and Developing Medical School Student-Run Asylum Clinics
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2-1-2021
Journal
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume
23
Issue
1
DOI
10.1007/s10903-020-01106-2
Keywords
Asylum seekers; Forensic medical evaluation; Human rights education; Student-run asylum clinics
Abstract
© 2020, The Author(s). In response to the rapidly rising number of asylum applications, student-run asylum clinics (SRACs) designed to provide pro bono forensic medical evaluations have emerged at medical schools across the United States. Distinct from traditional student-run clinics in the services they provide and in their operational models, SRACs face a unique set of challenges. This study aims to identify the common challenges in building SRACs and to collect insights to inform a structured approach to collaborative problem-solving. This study gathered data from online surveys and semi-structured phone interviews with representative medical student SRAC leaders. 14 clinics participated in the 2017 online survey, 15 clinics in the 2018 online survey, and eight clinics in the 2018–2019 phone interviews. We identified common challenges in five areas: volunteer recruitment, clinic operations, case demand, institutional support, and leadership. SRACs stand to benefit from ongoing extramural collaborations to overcome shared challenges.
APA Citation
Gu, F., Chu, E., Milewski, A., Taleghani, S., Maju, M., Kuhn, R., Richards, A., & Emery, E. (2021). Challenges in Founding and Developing Medical School Student-Run Asylum Clinics. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 23 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01106-2