Georgetown Medical Students provide practical support for refugee integration
Since 2017, Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) collaborates with NoVa Friends of Refugees, a grassroots refugee support organization, to direct a course focusing on the medical needs of newly resettled refugees. Together with Catholic Charities, the Virginia Department of Health, and locally resettled refugees, students discuss resettlement, invisible barriers to services, and specific medical issues faced by refugee populations in the Washington DC area and identify a project they can positively impact.
Recognizing how complex navigating the U.S. healthcare system is for those coming from other countries, over the years, the medical students have developed several projects including producing a series of videos to help explain in simple terms How To Visit the Doctor in the U.S. and How To Visit the Pharmacy in the U.S., as well as organizing a network of volunteers to assist refugees with specific medical needs to navigate the U.S. healthcare system.
Upon completing the course, these future physicians not only have a greater understanding of refugees’ experiences and needs but also are providing solutions for many of the challenges of successful integration.
Both are necessary components to providing quality and compassionate health care for newly-arrived refugees.
2020-2021 GUSOM Participants
TSOS is pleased to document and support the 2021-2022 GUSOM NoVa Friends of Refugees cohort, in collaboration with the George Mason University refugees student organization Safe Haven Space, Northern Virginia Coalition for Refugee Wellness, and Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington.
In response to the number of displaced Afghans who are and will be relocating to the greater Washington D.C. area, many of whom suffer from the effects of trauma, the class will be identifying a project which focuses on refugee mental health and wellness.
Refugee Doctors Advocate for Legislative Change
The inspiring journey of refugee doctors advocating for legislative changes to ease their path back into medical practice in the U.S. Discover how their efforts led to the unanimous passing of House Bill 995 in Virginia, offering a temporary licensure pathway for International Medical Graduates (IMGs).
Voices of Resilience: 3 Afghani Refugees Use Their Professions to Make a Better World
This month marks the three year anniversary of the fall of Kabul. When the city fell, many were forced to flee their homes. Women who had careers, women who dreamed of careers, and women who lifted their voices to fight for equal rights were some of those most at risk. To America’s great benefit, some of these women landed in the US.
Their Story is Our Story Applauds the Signing of Virginia House Bill 995 and Continues Efforts to Open Doors for Foreign-trained Medical Professionals in Other States
Their Story is Our Story (TSOS), a non-profit organization that collects and shares the experiences of refugees to deepen understanding and influence action, applauds the signing of Virginia House Bill 995 into law by Governor Glenn Youngkin, after its unanimous passage through the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. It will create a pathway for foreign-trained doctors who have immigrated to the state, including those whose careers were interrupted by forcible displacement, to fill workforce gaps in medically underserved communities.