BEYOND BORDERS
Global is Local : Establishing the Field of Asylum Medicine in Kentucky
TASNEEM KARIM , MD & BETHANIE MORGAN , MD
Traveling abroad is often considered a prerequisite for practicing global health . However , in a world increasingly interconnected because of globalization and the forced displacement of people fleeing violence , physicians have ample opportunity to engage in global health within their own communities . This engagement is particularly timely as sexual and reproductive rights as well as the health and security of the LGBTQ + community are severely threatened . Physicians are now being left to determine how they will defend the communities they serve . Asylum medicine is a growing field at the intersection of medicine and law . It empowers physicians to advocate on behalf of asylum-seekers and other migrants with precarious status ( MPS ) who are seeking political asylum or other protected status . Physicians are uniquely positioned to support MPS by conducting forensic medical evaluations ( FME ) to assess and document clinical evidence of physical and / or psychological trauma . FMEs can significantly increase the chances of people being granted humanitarian relief through legal protection as defined by the United States Refugee Act of 1980 . 1
Over the last 12 years , there have been consecutive increases in the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide ; the total number now exceeds 122 million people . 2 Refugees are just one subset of this population . They are afforded legal status upon arrival in the U . S . which allows them to pursue employment and receive essential public benefits . However , MPS are an even more vulnerable subset of the forcibly displaced population . They do not have guaranteed immigration status and therefore must pursue legal status after arriving in the U . S . MPS include asylum seekers who have suffered past persecution or have well-founded fears of future persecution on account of race , nationality , religion , political opinion or social
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