Human Rights Initiative

The Human Rights Initiative at the University at Buffalo (formerly the WNY Human Rights Clinic) was founded in 2014 to serve the need for medical and psychiatric forensic evaluations of survivors of torture seeking asylum status in the Buffalo area. We partner closely with the Refugee & Immigrant Center for Healing (RICH) through Jewish Family Service of Buffalo and Erie County to identify clients who may benefit from our assessments. The RICH is an organization funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement that provides person-centered and trauma informed care to survivors of torture through care coordination and community connections. The goal of HRI is to reinforce this endeavor by providing objective forensic examinations and creating affidavits based on our findings for use in legal asylum cases.

Our clinic is medical student-run, and we are motivated by the knowledge that forensic examinations we facilitate significantly increase the likelihood that asylum seekers will be successful in obtaining protection in the USA. HRI is a unique opportunity for medical student volunteers to learn about the profound nature of the struggles of our clients and work directly in the forensic examinations and legal affidavit preparation.

To date, we have served over 150 clients from over 30 countries, including multiple from the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Rwanda, Afghanistan, and Angola. Our services have now been used by multiple applicants who have successfully received asylum in the United States.

Our efforts extend to include public awareness and clinician outreach events, and within the past year we have held a Physician for Human Rights Forensic Evaluation Training here in Buffalo. In the past, we have given Grand Rounds presentations for the UB Departments of Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Please contact us via admin@hribuffalo.org if you are interested in becoming involved!