News - Middle East Initiative

Building Bridges: An Interdisciplinary Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

February 14, 2017

Multimedia recordings of sessions of the Building Bridges joint study group on the Syrian Refugee Crisis, led by Lara Jirmanus, MD, MPH, and sponsored by the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School.

Overview

The Syrian refugee crisis has been described as the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. With half of the Syrian population displaced, including over 500,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria, an interdisciplinary approach is urgently needed to address their complex needs. Many of the host countries neighboring Syria struggle to serve their own populations, and new strategies are essential to support institutions in host communities to cope with the Syrian crisis and facilitate co-existence. As the Syrian conflict continues and refugees emigrate to Europe, innovative approaches are needed to maintain the long-term political, economic and social capabilities of Syrian refugees and to promote the political stability of Syria and the surrounding region.

The Seminar Series on the Syrian refugee crisis will gather scholars, practitioners, and thought leaders from across the Harvard and Boston communities engaged in research on Syrian refugees to discuss challenges and innovative solutions to promote refugee well-being. Bringing together academics from fields ranging from international law to education and public health, the seminar will foster collaboration and a global understanding of the complexity of the crisis.

Session 1, 9/29/2016

Documentation of Attacks on Medical Infrastructure and Personnel in Syria: Opportunities and Challenges
Adrienne Fricke, JD, Senior Fellow, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Visiting Scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

&

Spotlight on Aleppo and the Current State of the Syrian Health System
Mahmoud Hariri, MD, General and Trauma Surgeon from Aleppo, Syria

Session 3, 10/27/2016

Childhood Illness in an Underserved Neighborhood in Beirut: Health Practices and Barriers Faced by Lebanese Residents and Syrian Refugees
Lara Jirmanus, MD, MPH, Fellow, Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard School of Public Health

&

Health Needs and Priorities of Syrian Refugees in Camp and Urban Settings in Jordan
Tala al Rousan, MD MPH, Lown Scholar, Harvard School of Public Health

Session 4, 11/03

Refugee Crisis in Greece: Child protection Challenges in Lesvos
Vasileia Digidiki, PhD, Visiting Scholar, Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights

Session 5, 11/10

The Syrian Humanitarian Health Response: Challenges and Opportunities
Fouad Fouad, MD, Assistant Research Professor, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

&

War, Disasters and Data
Jesse Berns, PhD, MPH, NREMT-CCP, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Dharma

Session 7, 02/02/2017

Understanding Resilience Among Syrian Refugees
Sarah Tobin, PhD, Associate Director of Middle East Studies, Brown University

Presentation starts at 14:55.

Session 9, 03/30/2017

Protection for Syrian Refugees: Laws, Policies and Global Responsibility Sharing
Susan Akram, Clinical Professor of Law and Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Boston University School of Law and BU Law Students

Presentation starts at 07:50

Session 10, 04/06/2017

U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Processing: Challenges and Barriers
Sabrineh Ardalan, Assistant Director, Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, Harvard Law School

Presentation starts at 13:30

Session 11, 04/20/2017

Trauma and Torture among Syrian Refugees
Hussam Jefee-Bahloul, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: “Building Bridges: An Interdisciplinary Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis.” News, Middle East Initiative, February 14, 2017.
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