Humanitarian Crises

The Medical and Public Health Response

Editor Jennifer Leaning, M.D.

Editor Susan Briggs, M.D.

Editor Lincoln C. Chen, M.D.

    Since the late 1980s the international relief community has seen its resources and personnel stressed beyond capacity by humanitarian crises--large-scale, man-made catastrophes such as the conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Zaire, and elsewhere. Waged within collapsing states, political and ethnic strife targets civilians, causes mass population dislocation and widespread human rights abuses, and impedes the efforts of relief organizations to respond effectively. Covering topics ranging from emergency public health measures to the psychological trauma of relief workers, this volume presents both a seasoned assessment of current practice and proposals for improving operational efforts in the future. The discussion also raises important questions relating to the definition and direction of the overall humanitarian mission.
  • Cover: Humanitarian Crises

Jennifer Leaning is Professor of International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she directs the Program on Humanitarian Crises and Human Rights, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Susan M. Briggs is Attending Surgeon in General and Trauma Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School.

Lincoln C. Chen is Director of the Global Equity Initiative at The Asia Center, Harvard University.