Humanitarian Crises

The Medical and Public Health Response

Edited by Jennifer Leaning, M.D.

Edited by Susan Briggs, M.D.

Edited by Lincoln C. Chen, M.D.

    The editors have assembled the thoughts and experiences of many of the leaders in the field of humanitarian relief. [Humanitarian Crises] reflects the collective wisdom garnered from the experiences of nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations in responding to crises in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the former Yugoslavia. It is rich in thoughtful discussion of the complexity of such crises and the limitations as well as the successes of humanitarian-relief programs.
       --Douglas Lyon, New England Journal of Medicine

    Peace-keeping operations which are not based on the humanitarian dimension are useless and doomed. This book will help us to understand that reality, too often forgotten.
       --Boutros Boutros-Ghali

    "Humanitarian crisis" is a term of the nineties that denotes the extreme suffering of tens of millions of people driven from their homes--dependent on humanitarian aid and destitute for lack of shelter, security, food, clean water, and basic care. These emergencies can be sudden-onset events or last for years of civil strife. The health impact is evident, but not well studied or documented. A body of knowledge related to the adverse health effects of humanitarian crises is now accumulating, but it requires careful analysis so we can apply the experience gained during one emergency to the management of the next. Humanitarian Crises provides the results of such analysis as well as practical recommendations about how to apply these painfully learned lessons.
       --Gro Harlem Brundtland, M.D., M.P.H., Director-General, World Health Organization

  • 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.