ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTIONS

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Since its founding in 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has continually worked to advance science. From its early, specific aims concerned with communication and cooperation among scientists, the Association's goals now encompass the broader purposes of "...furthering the work of scientists, facilitating cooperation among them, fostering scientific freedom and responsibility, improving the effectiveness of science in the advancement of human welfare, advancing education in science, and increasing the public understanding and appreciation of the importance of the methods of science in human progress."

AAAS enrolls more than 145,000 scientists, engineers, science educators, policymakers, and others interested in science and technology who live in the United States and in many other countries throughout the world. AAAS is the world's largest federation of scientific and engineering societies, with 280 organizations that cooperate with the Association on a variety of projects, including Annual Meeting symposia, fellowships, international programs, annual analyses of the federal research and development budget, equal opportunity activities, and science education.

A staff of nearly 300 people, headquartered in Washington, DC, handles the Association's day-to-day activities, including editing and producing Science magazine and other publications in print and on the World Wide Web; planning and supporting the Annual Meeting and a variety of colloquia and other meetings; developing special programs in science education and human resources, international scientific cooperation, and science and public policy; managing a variety of fellowships, grants, and prizes; and disseminating information about these activities. In addition, twelve staff members are located in Cambridge, England, as part of the international office for Science magazine.

The Science and Human Rights Program is part of the AAAS Directorate for Science and Policy Programs, which furthers AAAS objectives in areas where science, government, and society intersect, and operates under the auspices of the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility.

AAAS Contact Information:

AAAS Science and Human Rights Program
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202 326 6790
Fax: 202 289 4950
Email: shrp@aaas.org
http://shr.aaas.org

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) mobilizes the health professions and enlists support from the general public to protect and promote the human rights of all people. PHR believes that human rights are essential preconditions for the health and well-being of all members of the human family.

Since 1986, PHR members have worked to stop torture, disappearances, and political killings by governments and opposition groups; to improve health and sanitary conditions in prisons and detention centers; to investigate the physical and psychological consequences of violations of humanitarian law in internal and international conflicts; to defend medical neutrality and the right of civilians and combatants to receive medical care during times of war; to protect health professionals who are victims of violations of human rights; and to prevent medical complicity in torture and other abuses.

As one of the original steering committee members of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, PHR shares the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the Campaign and its coordinator, Jody Williams. PHR currently serves as co-chair of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines.

The President is Charles Clements, M.D.; Vice President is Carola Eisenberg, M.D. The Executive Director is Leonard S. Rubenstein, J.D.; Deputy Director is Susannah Sirkin; Advocacy Director is Holly Burkhalter; Senior Program Associate is Richard Sollom; Director of Communications is Barbara Ayotte; Director of Finance & Administration is Lori Maida; Development Coordinator is Steve Brown; Campaign and Education Coordinator is Gina Cummings; and Media Relations Coordinator is Caitriona Palmer. William Haglund, Ph.D., is Director of the International Forensic Program and Senior Medical Consultant is Vincent Iacopino, M.D., Ph.D.

PHR Contact Information:

Physicians for Human Rights
100 Boylston Street, Suite 702
Boston, MA 02116
Tel: 617 695 0041
Fax: 617 695 0307
Email: phrusa@phrusa.org
http://www.phrusa.org

Physicians for Human Rights
110 Maryland Avenue, NE, Suite 511
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: 202 547 9881
Fax: 202 547 9050

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the American Nurses Association (ANA) is the only full-service, professional organization representing the nation's entire registered nurse population. From the halls of Congress and federal agencies to the board rooms, hospitals and other health care facilities, the ANA is the strongest voice for the nursing profession and for workplace advocacy.

The ANA represents the interests of the nation's 2.6 million registered nurses through its 53 constituent state and territorial associations and over 180,000 members. Dedicated to ensuring that an adequate supply of highly-skilled and well-trained nurses is available, the ANA is committed to meeting the needs of nurses as well as health care consumers. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the general public.
Human Rights and Health

ANA Contact Information:

American Nurses Association
600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 100 West
Washington, DC 20024-2571
Tel: 202 651 7000
Fax: 202 651 7006
http://www.nursingworld.org

The Committee for Health in Southern Africa (CHISA) was formed in the early 1980s as the major voice of health professionals in the United States and Canada in support of the African National Congress and the anti-apartheid health sector in South Africa. Over the ensuing decade, CHISA helped to document and publicize the health effects of apartheid, support anti-apartheid physicians and other health workers imprisoned or exiled by the South African government, and enlisted the support of other U.S. and Canadian professional organizations. CHISA also organized biennial workshops, attended by South Africans in exile and others from Mozambique and Namibia, on issues of health and health care in southern Africa, and organized the 1990 Maputo Conference that brought together exiled health leaders and the ANC Health Secretariat for the first time. Since liberation, CHISA has worked to muster technical assistance and support for the government's efforts to reform and improve health care in South Africa.