Health and human rights are interrelated. When human rights are promoted health is promoted. When human rights are violated there are devastating health consequences for both the individual and the community. The NYU School of Medicine Center for Health and Human Rights is committed to exploring and promoting this critical interrelationship.

Founded in 1999, the Center for Health and Human Rights is the first of its kind based at a school of medicine. The Center is an outgrowth and expansion of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, the first and only program in the New York City area providing comprehensive medical mental health, social and legal services to refugees and asylum seekers who have experienced torture and other human rights violations.

The Center focuses on health policy and advocacy, coupled with research, in its efforts to uphold the achievement of optimal health as a fundamental right.