News and Events

Research: New publication discussing COVID-19 vaccine prioritization in carceral facilities

• Rachel Strodel, Lauren Dayton, Henri Garrison-Desany, Gabe Eber, Chris Beyrer, Len Rubenstein, and Carolyn Sufrin review COVID-19 vaccine prioritization for incarcerated people. Read here. 

Research: Andrea Wirtz new publication

• Andrea Wirtz and other authors evaluated a modified respondent-driven sampling approach for Black and Latinx sexual and gender minority youth. Read here.

Research Brief with Physicians for Human Rights and Insecurity Insight

• The document highlights reported incidents of violence against health workers, facilities, and transport in Myanmar/Burma between February 11th and May 11th, 2021. Read here.

Art of Medicine: A pandemic anniversary: 40 years of HIV/AIDS

• Chris Beyrer wrote an Art of Medicine piece for the Lancet discussing the past 40 years of the discovery of HIV/AIDS. Read the full essay here.

Protecting the Right to Health in Myanmar/Burma's Spring Revolution

• Watch the Center for Public Health and Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights' webinar on the military coup and the ensuing Spring Revolution in Myanmar/Burma here.

Chris Beyrer Quoted in NPR Article

• Chris Beyrer is featured in an NPR article titled "Vaccine Passport Debate Goes Back to 1897 Plague Vaccine." Read the full article here.

Human rights and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines: the International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights

• Our Center's faculty are members of International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights. They recently published an article in the Lancet highlighting the lack of attention given to "human rights in discussions of access to COVID-19 vaccines." Read the full article here. 

Opinion: What is the way forward for PEPFAR amid COVID-19?

• Chris Beyrer wrote an Opinion piece in Devex about PEPFAR's future in the midst of the pandemic. Read the full article here. 

Blind spots: What COVID-19 revealed about global development's biggest gaps

• Chris Beyrer is featured in a Devex article about the structural gaps and inequities that COVID-19 pandemic has exposed. Read the full article here.

Len's Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition launched an interactive map recording violence and threats against health care (COVID-19 & all)

• A new interactive map highlights 1172  attacks and threats against health workers, facilities, and transport around the world during 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed health systems to their limit and sparked widespread violence against frontline health workers.
• Len Rubenstein is the chair of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, who spearheaded the effort in creating this map. Read about the map here.

Chris Beyrer Co-Author on Viewpoint Article Published in the Journal of International AIDS Society

• Chris Beyrer was a co-author on a Viewpoint article entitled "Ending unjust HIV criminalization: leave no‐one behind," recently published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS). Read the full article here.

Chris Beyrer Featured in Bloomberg Philanthropy

• Chris Beyrer was featured in Bloomberg Philanthropies on Twitter, where he answered 10 questions on vaccines. Watch the feature here.

Community Forum with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett: Everything You Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccines

• Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett was joined by a panel of public health experts and community leaders during the January 27th event to discuss the development of the COVID-19 vaccines and the impact vaccination can have on our communities.  Speakers and panelists included: Dr. Chris Beyrer, Dr. Sherita Golden, Rev. Debra Hickman, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, Dr. Chidinma Ibe, Dr. Risha Irvin, and Dr. Kathleen Page. 
• Read the coverage here and watch the full panel conference here.

Centering Voices of Formerly and Currently Incarcerated Leaders in the Movement

• The Center for Public Health and Human Rights & From Prison Cells to PhD is hosting a webinar series called Centering the Voice of Formerly and Currently Incarcerated People and Leaders in the Movement. The first of a three part webinar series is called From Prison Cells to Ph.D.: Education Over Incarceration. It will be on February 16th at Noon (EST). The speaker will be Keynote Speaker, Stanley Andrisse, PhD. Dr. Andrisse is an Assistant Professor from Howard University College of Medicine and the Executive Director of From Prison Cells to PhD.

• The three part series discusses the historic complexities of America’s systems of punishment and its links to race, class, gender, political suppression, and religion. The first webinar will explore how access to higher education can not only deter crime and have rehabilitative impact, but also spark the kind of political and social awareness that leads to true freedom. Each webinar series will have a keynote speaker, panelists, and a moderator from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• Part 1: From Prison Cells to Ph.D.: Education Over Incarceration, February 16th
  • Keynote Speaker: Stanley Andrisse, PhD, Assistant Professor, Howard University College of Medicine and Executive Director, From Prison Cells to PhD
  • Webinar link: https://jh.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qeUE8c2MRqWJJLTZeSp3zA

Stef Baral Guest Speaker at Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity Series

• Stef Baral was recently featured in a speaker series hosted by the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity. Watch his panel here. 

Chris Beyrer talks Pfizer Vaccine in Bloomberg Podcast

• Chris Beyrer talks about the FDA meeting regarding Pfizer vaccine authorization with hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec in a Bloomberg podcast. Listen here.

Chris Beyrer's ACLU & Family Support Network Press Conference 

• Chris Beyrer recently did a press conference today for the ACLU and the Family Support Network for people incarcerated in Maryland and COVID-19 issues. Watch the full conference here.
• Read the Maryland Matters coverage titled "‘The House Is on Fire’: Prisoners’ Rights Activists Call on Hogan to Act Immediately" here.

Dr. Beyrer discusses Effectiveness and Rollout of COVID-19 Vaccine

• Chris Beyrer joined the Julie Mason Mornings radio show to discuss the plan to rollout the COVID-19 vaccine to Americans. Listen to the interview here. 

World Human Rights Day - Letter from Chris Beyrer

• Chris Beyrer wrote a letter in commemoration of December 10th, the International Human Rights Day. Please read the full letter here.

COVID-19 and Holiday Safety Precautions

• Chris Beyrer discusses holiday safety precautions amid the pandemic, as well as COVID-19 transmission in this radio talk here. 

COVID-19 and the US Criminal Justice System: Evidence for Public Health Measures to Reduce Risk

• Chris Beyrer, Leonard Rubenstein, Lauren Dayton, and Rachel Strodel are co-authors on a report entitled "COVID-19 and the US Criminal Justice System: Evidence for Public Health Measures to Reduce Risk." You can read the full report here. 

Race for the COVID-19 Vaccine with Dr. Chris Beyrer

• Chris Beyrer was recently featured in the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs; the podcast is entitled "Race for the COVID-19 Vaccine with Dr. Chris Beyrer." Listen to the full podcast on Spotify and iTunes. 

LGBTQ Health Research Textbook Published

• Chris Beyrer has recently co-authored a published textbook entitled "LGBTQ Health Research." As the first book focused entirely on the growing field of LGBTQ health research, this volume provides the necessary public health tools to teach about and study LGBTQ populations effectively. You can find the book here.

What do stigma and the police have to do with HIV? A review of HIV syndemics

• Nikita Viswasam recently wrote a review paper on stigma & HIV syndemics with Sheree Schwartz and Stefan Baral currently published in Curr Opin HIV AIDS, with a (debut) Medium post. Read the medium post here. 
• Read the full published paper here. 

Masks Do More Than Protect Others During COVID-19: Reducing the Inoculum of SARS-CoV-2 to Protect the Wearer  

• Chris Beyrer's "Masks Do More Than Protect Others During COVID-19: Reducing the Inoculum of SARS-CoV-2 to Protect the Wearer" was recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Read the full article here. 
• Read the JHU HUB coverage of his article here.

Len Rubenstein's "Getting Serious About Protecting Health Care in War" published in Just Security

• Len Rubenstein recently published an article in Just Security, emphasizing the importance of the Senate's acceptance of the bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Read the full article here. 

Carrie Lyons' Research Abstract Highlighted in NAM Aidsmap

• Carrie Lyons' research presentation at the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020: Virtual) was highlighted in an article on NAM Aidsmap, a charity that shares HIV information for the lay audience. Her research was on the increased vulnerability to HIV for men who have sex with men (MSM) living in African countries that criminalize gay sex. Read the full coverage here. 

Stuck at Venezuela’s Border with Covid-19 All Around

• Dr. Kathleen Page and Tamara Taraciuk Broner co-wrote this piece published in The Caracas Chronicles.  Read the full article here. 

Safeguarding Health in Conflict - Health Workers at Risk: Violence Against Health Care.

• The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition recently released a report on the incidences of violence against health workers, facilities, and transport in 2019. Read the full report here. 
• Further, they released a fact sheet on the attacks on health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the fact sheet here. 
• The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition Report Launch can be viewed on YouTube here. 

Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation: "“I CAN’T BREATHE” – A CHILLING ANTHEM FOR GLOBAL INEQUALITY"

• The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation wrote a blog post reflecting on George Floyd's death and its parallels to a similar case of South African police brutality. Read the full post from the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation here. 

Venezuela: Urgent Aid Needed to Combat Covid-19

• Human Rights Watch and the Centers for Public Health and Human Rights and for Humanitarian Health are pleased to invite you to a virtual news conference at 10:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 for the release of a joint report that shows how Venezuela’s collapsed healthcare system is failing to cope with Covid-19.  Join online via Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82545095541 
• A detailed PDF of this new conference can be accessed here. 
• An article published in the Human Rights Watch website showing highlights of the conference can be accessed here.
   

Public Health Experts Urge U.S. Officials to Withdraw Order Enabling Mass Expulsion of Asylum Seekers

• Chris Beyrer is one of the signatories of a letter drafted to HHS Secretary Azar and CDC Director Redfield "[urging] the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw – not extend or expand indefinitely – this policy [that enables the mass expulsion of asylum seekers and unaccompanied children] and instead direct U.S. officials to use rational, evidence-based public health measures to safeguard both the health of the public and the lives of adults, families, and unaccompanied children seeking asylum and other protection." Read the full letter here. 

Emerging Human Rights Issues in the COVID-19 Response

• Chris Beyrer and Tom Quinn's zoom session entitled "Emerging Human Rights Issues in the COVID-19 Response - Strategies to Support the COVID-19 RESPONSE IN LMICs" can be accessed here. 

Chris Beyrer's Issue Brief in Refugees International

• Chris Beyrer co-wrote an issue brief with Yael Schacher in Refugees International. The issue brief entitled "Expelling Asylum Seekers Is Not The Answer: U.S. Border Policy In The Time Of COVID-19" can be accessed here. 

Chris Beyrer's Comment Submission Published in The Lancet

• Chris Beyrer's "A COVID-19 conference at AIDS 2020: Virtual" was published in The Lancet, discussing the AIDS 2020 conference that will be held online. Read the full article here. 

Leonard Rubenstein Mentioned in The Washington Post and  The Baltimore Sun

• Leonard Rubenstein was mentioned in The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun for the follow-up letter sent to Governor Hogan regarding prisons and COVID-19. Read The Washington Post's article here and The Baltimore Sun's article here. 

Chris Beyrer Interviewed on Bloomberg TV

• Chris Beyrer discusses the reasoning behind the release of prisoners held in U.S. jails amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. He speaks with Bloomberg’s Vonnie Quinn on “Bloomberg Markets." Listen to the interview here. 

Council on Foreign Relations: The Middle East Response to the Coronavirus

• Leonard Rubenstein is featured panelist in the discussion of the Middle East response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges countries in the region are facing, and the long term effects this will have on stability, governance, and economics. Listen to the full podcast here. 

NPR: As Jails And Prisons Reduce Populations, Advocates Call On ICE To Do The Same 

• Chris Beyrer talks with NPR host Scott Simon on the need for ICE to release detainees to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to the full talk here.

Public Health on Call: COVID-19 in Prisons, Jails, and Detention Centers

• Chris Beyrer talks to Stephanie Desmon in a podcast about the difficulties of protecting people in these facilities, the low-risk/high-reward strategy of releasing those held on administrative misdemeanors, and how undocumented people may be one of our most vulnerable populations. Listen to the podcast here.
   

Chris Beyrer's Publications on the Lancet and the Health and Human Rights Journal

• Chris Beyrer's article "Two Men, Two Losses, Two Eras" is available now, published in the Lancet. 
• His viewpoint article "Impunity: Undermining the Health and Human Rights Consensus" has been published in the Health and Human Rights Journal. 

Len Rubenstein Testifies at the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Chris Beyrer Facilitating November 22nd Event led by Center for AIDS Research

• On November 22nd, Chris Beyrer will be facilitating an event led by the Center for AIDS Research. The talk is titled "A Conversation with the Architects of the Proposed 10-Year Federal Initiative to End the U.S. HIV Epidemic" and will be held in Sommer Hall, E2014 from 12:15 to 1:20 PM. 
• Watch the C-SPAN coverage here. 

Chris Beyrer Quoted in Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

• Chris Beyrer has been quoted in the Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine's Fall 2019 Agenda. You can find the article titled "Under Threat" here. 

2 Rohingya Study Group's Qualitative Studies Published in Conflict and Health

• Spearheaded by Physician’s for Human Rights with Parveen Parmar, Jen Leigh, and the Rohingya Study Group, two qualitative papers have been accepted and published by Conflict and Health.
• You can read their full articles in these links:
  • "Documentation of human rights abuses among Rohingya refugees from Myanmar"
  • "Qualitative evidence of crimes against humanity: the August 2017 attacks on the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar"

Chris Beyrer's Co-Authored Comment Published in the Lancet HIV

• Chris Beyrer is a co-author on a comment published in the Lancet HIV. The article is titled Silver bullets and structural impediments to HIV prevention​ and can be read in full here.

Len Rubenstein's Article Featured in Multiple Media Outlets

• Can physicians work in U.S. immigration detention facilities while upholding the 2017 Declaration of Geneva pledge to make the health and well-being of their patient the first consideration?
  Leonard Rubenstein co-authored the featured JAMA commentary article within the Forbes article. The JAMA full article can be found here. 
• Also, his article has been covered in the Washington Post and NBC News. 

Chris Beyrer's Opinion Piece Published in the New York Times

• Chris Beyrer co-wrote a piece on how scientific evidence on actual harm and transmission does not support the singling out of people living with H.I.V. through the heavy hand of criminal law. You can read his full article here.

Fall Symposium 2019

• Please join us for our annual Fall Symposium/Meeting on October 15, 2019 (Tuesday) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We will have the Advisory Committee meeting in the morning, symposium in the afternoon, followed by a working lunch. This year is the 15th anniversary of the center, so we hope you can all join us. As more details are finalized, we will update this invitation.

IAS 2019

• Many of our faculty members and Center coordinators will be leading sessions and presenting their projects at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science, or IAS 2019! Check out the program information here.

Chris Beyrer quoted in Science

• Chris Beyrer is quoted in Science, commenting on North Korea's surge of HIV-positive individuals over the past few years. Read the full article here.

Michele Decker quoted in the Baltimore Sun

• Michele Decker has been quoted in an article published in the Baltimore Sun. Violent crime rose by nearly 18 percent in the first five months of 2019 compared to the year before in the three central county precincts – Towson, Cockeysville and Parkville – according to police statistics. Nearly all can be attributed to domestic assaults, which spiked by 68 percent. Read the full article here.

Michele Decker quoted in the Daily Times

• Michele Decker has been quoted in an Op-Ed published in the Daily Times. The article is titled and explores the "Emerging rape culture in Pakistan." Read the full article by Barrister Needa Chaudry here.

Len Rubenstein's Letter to the Editor: Adherence to the laws of war is essential

• Len Rubenstein's letter to the editor "Adherence to the laws of war is essential" was featured in the Washington Post. In his letter, he outlines the current US administration's attempts to undermine the Geneva Conventions at the United Nations. Further, his letter highlights the importance of adhering to such conventions in times of conflict. Read his full letter here. 

Stop the Carnage: Doctors Call for an end to Syria Hospital Airstrikes ​

• Dozens of prominent doctors have called for urgent action to halt the bombing campaign by Syrian and Russian planes that have targeted more than 20 hospitals in Syria’s north-west, putting many out of action and leaving millions of people without proper healthcare. Our Center's faculty Chris Beyrer & Len Rubenstein along with David Celentano (an affiliated faculty member) are among the letter's signatories. Read the full letter published in The Guardian here. ​

Len Rubenstein's Report: "Impunity Remains: Attacks on Health Care in 23 Countries in Conflict"

• In collaboration with the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, the report contains recommendations to protect healthcare workers in areas of conflict - the recommendations are made for parties to conflict, the WHO, UN member states, the UN Secretary General, and the UNSC. Read the full report here. 

Len Rubenstein's Report: "Reality Makes Our Decisions: Ethical Challenges in Humanitarian Health in Situations of Extreme Violence."

• In collaboration with the International Rescue Committee and SAMS (Syrian American Medical Society), the report addresses some of the unique and difficult challenges humanitarian health organizations working in settings extreme violence. The report, based on almost 100 interviews with organizational managers and front-line health workers, identifies these challenges and makes recommendations to humanitarian organizations to develop processes – now rarely in place – to address the questions in a structured and systematic way. Read the full report here.

Len Rubenstein's Testimony at the UN Security Council

• On Monday, April 1, our Director of Conflict and Health Len Rubenstein's testimony was recorded at the UN Security Council. You can watch the footage here and read his interview with the Telegraph.

Press Conference on Venezuela's Humanitarian Emergency​

• On ​Thursday, April 4 at 10:30 AM, the Center for Public Health and Human Rights participated in a conference on a joint effort with Human Rights Watch on the current Venezuelan Humanitarian crisis. This joint research effort was possible due to the generous support of the Tutu Endowment. Watch the press conference here. 

Spring Symposium 2019

• Please join us on April 3 in W1020 for our Spring Symposium on "Technology Health and Human Rights." It will feature an introduction by Chris Beyrer on current human rights related events and the role of technology. A rapid-fire session and panel will be moderated by Stefan Baral. The panel will feature some of our wonderful posdocs and the amazing work they have been doing in this realm. Please join us for this timely discussion on the benefits and challenges of integrating technology into human rights and the potential human rights implications.
   
  

Ending AIDS in US by 2030

• On March 3rd 2019, Dr. Chris Beyrer's policy piece on ending AIDS in the USA by 2030 was published on The Hill. Read the full piece here. 

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• February 7th 2019, at 12 p.m. the 26th Annual John P. Johnson Memorial Lecture "Innovations in Mobile Technology for Maximizing Youth Engagement and Behavior Change in HIV Treatment and Prevention Interventions" with Guest Speaker Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH Associate Professor University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Medical School.  This presentation will be in the Southern Management Corporation Center, located at 621 W. Lombard Street 2nd Floor Ballroom Baltimore, MD 21201. R.S.V.P. to the Peds Education Office 410-328-6662 for more information email: karen.webster@som.umaryland.edu
• On October 5th 2018, the Center for Public Health and Human Rights shared the Rohingya Mortality Assessment, a Physician for Human Rights report on the recent Rohingya crisis in Myanmar/Bangladesh.  View the full Assessment here.
• Rights and Sex Work, Exploring Human Rights Contexts among Female, Male and Transgender Sex Workers, presented April 13th, 2018 from the Center for Public Health and Human Rights. Watch the full Symposium here.
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Transgender Health Research at Boston Children's Hospital.  See the complete posting here.
• Human Rights Watch published a report on Russia's targeted health censorship, which cites Dr. Chris Beyrer and Dr. Andrea Wirtz's paper on the HIV epidemic in Russia. Please see the complete article here.
• On June 14, 2018, Center Director, Chris Beyrer, Dean Ellen MacKenzie and other key leaders in the Bloomberg School of Public Health issued a statement, "Separating Families at U.S. Borders is a Public Health Issue." Please see the full statement here.
• On October 17^th ​2017, the Center for Public Health and Human Rights hosted Françoise Girard, MA President of the International Women's Health Coalition and Michele Decker, ScD, MPH, Associate Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health presented on "The Assault on Women's Health and Rights in the Current Administration." View the full symposium here.
• On April 12^th 2017, the Center for Public Health and Human Rights and the Center for Humanitarian  Health jointly hosted United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. Watch the High Commissioner's talk here.
• 'America is not hived off from the rest of the planet.' Director Chris Beyrer on the importance of the Fogarty International Center, in The New York Times. 
• CPHHR Director, Chris Beyrer, comments on the newly-released health budget cuts by the Trump administration, including the proposal to eliminate the NIH Fogarty International Center. Read the article here.
• Leonard Rubenstein, Director of the CPHHR Conflict and Health Program, and Paul Spiegel, Director of the Center for Humanitarian Health, provide new commentary on the revised travel and refugee ban issued by President Trump in new Lancet article.
• In observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, CPHHR and Representative Barbara Lee, Co-Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus are hosting a luncheon and briefing on Mass Incarceration, Drug Policy and HIV/AIDS on Friday, March 10th, 2017. Details here.​