Friday is World Refugee Day. In Rochester, it marks the second day of the 2014 North American Refugee Health Conference.
Health care providers from across the United States and Canada come together to discuss the most effective approaches to treating refugee populations many of whom have experienced significant trauma fleeing from conflict zones.
There are between four and five million refugees in the U.S. and their experiences often result in unique health needs. The conference is bringing together practitioners, researchers, navigators and community members under the auspices of the Rochester Academy of Medicine and Rochester General Hospital.
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Paul Boyle, is of Irish/Scots descent but now lives with his family in Kenya. He’s a trainer and trauma therapist who, after a long period of time working in refugee camps is using his experience to support and empower care providers.
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Hussam Jefee-Bahloul was born and raised in Syria and studied medicine there before arriving in the US in 2008 to do a residency in psychiatry. He’s currently a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Jefee Bahloul presented about how he uses technology to help refugees from his country of origin.
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Doctor Kathleen Connors is the executive director of Georgia Refugee Health and Mental Health based in Atlanta. During day one of the conference, Connors discussed the lessons she learned running a Navigator organization that helped enroll mostly refugee communities.