Physicians Against Trafficking Humans - American Medical Women's Association

Physicians Against Trafficking Humans - American Medical Women's Association
Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans (PATH)
Our Work
Improving Healthcare
Public Health Campaigns
Physicians Against Trafficking Humans
LINKED IN
EMAIL
Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans (PATH) was founded by AMWA in 2014 to educate physicians, residents, and medical students about issues surrounding human trafficking.
Read about our history
AMWA-PATH Mission Statement:
To help medical professionals better care for victims of human trafficking by:
Enhancing awareness of the scope of the problem
Identifying at-risk patients by utilizing victim-centered interviewing techniques
Providing and promoting trauma-informed care
Equipping health professionals to intervene safely on behalf of patients
Connecting patients, providers, clinics, and hospitals to resources
Join Our Efforts
Newsletter Sign Up
Donate
Our Advocacy Efforts
We believe that health care professionals, working through a preventive public health lens, can be a real force in anti-trafficking efforts by identifying vulnerability factors in our patients before exploitation and providing access to stabilizing interventions for those most at risk.
We advocate for federal and state policies that provide funding, resources, and training for health care professionals to recognize human trafficking better so that they can intervene early.
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) Series
The LIFT series is a virtual, 1- to 3-hour interactive training designed to educate healthcare providers at all levels on how to identify and assist patients who have been trafficked. The training explores what human trafficking is, where and how it occurs, who is most at risk, and how it intersects with healthcare. Participants examine the impact of trafficking, barriers to care, and the roles healthcare professionals can play in identifying, supporting, and advocating for survivors. The session also addresses the ethical dilemmas that may arise and highlights the importance of resilience and the path to recovery. Thanks to generous donors, all trainings are free of charge.
REQUEST TRAINING
Get Involved:
Follow AMWA-PATH on
, and
Host a training
Write to your local and state politicians
to share your concerns
Learn about the
anti-trafficking laws in your state
Host a journal club
Hold a clothing drive to benefit survivors of human trafficking
Buy slave free
and support survivor businesses and businesses that support anti-trafficking efforts
Learn about
trauma bonds
AMWA-PATH Educational Series – Sex Trafficking and Labor Trafficking
Human Sex Trafficking – PATH: Watch These Short Videos
– Parts I – IV
Part I: Introduction, Scope of the Problem
Part II: Tools for Screening
Part III: Intervention Strategies
Part IV: Information & Resources
Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest-growing criminal industry globally. Labor trafficking is a crime that robs victims of basic human rights and has lifelong health consequences. While there is increasing education about sex trafficking, there is little around labor trafficking, despite how common it is and the large impact it has on a person’s health. Importantly, we encounter these victims and survivors in our clinical settings, allowing us to provide trauma-informed care and resources for a vulnerable population. These short videos are designed to educate medical professionals and others in the healthcare industry about labor trafficking and its intersection with healthcare, and to explain how we can best care for these patients.
Labor Trafficking Series (Parts I-V)
Part I: Introduction, Scope of the Problem
Part II: Presentations in the Healthcare Setting
Part III: Trauma-Informed Response, Resources
Part IV: Barriers to Care, Cultural Perspectives
Part V: Long-Term Impact
Human Sex Trafficking Part 1: Introduction & Scope of the Problem
Human Sex Trafficking Part 2:
Tools for Screening
Human Sex Trafficking Part 3:
Intervention Strategies
Human Sex Trafficking Part 4: I
nformation & Resources
Labor Trafficking Part 1: Introduction, Scope of the Problem
History:
In 2012, AMWA President, Dr. Gayatri Devi, identified sex trafficking as an important issue for AMWA to address. This led to the development of the Human Trafficking Committee by co-chairs Dr. Suzanne Harrison and Dr. Holly Atkinson, which authored AMWA’s position statement on human trafficking. Dr. Kanani Titchen, then AMWA Resident President, conducted a survey to assess healthcare providers’ knowledge in this area and found it to be significantly lacking. These findings led to the creation of a series of educational videos and an interactive website to educate medical professionals about sex trafficking victims. Two years later, the SUSTAIN curriculum was developed and a few years later, the LIFT Curriculum.AMWA-PATH a summit in 2015 at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and over 40 local trainings across the United States.
Read the full article
Jain, Juhi; Bennett, Mackenzie; Bailey, Mark; Liaou, Daniel; Kaltiso, Sheri-Ann; Greenbaum, Jordan; Williams, Kimberly; Gordon, Mollie; Torres, Melissa; Nguyen, Phuong; Coverdale, John; Williams, Victor; Hari, Cayla; Rodriguez, Samantha; Salami, Temilola; Potter, Jonell. “
Human Trafficking and the Role of the Medical Professional: Creating a Collaborative Trauma-Informed Interdisciplinary City-Wide Victim Services Model Focused on Healthcare for Survivors of Human Trafficking
,” Public Health Reports, the official journal of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service. Volume 137 Issue 1_suppl, July/August 2022
The Impact of Human Trafficking Training on Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge and Attitudes. Hayoung Lee, Julia Geynisman-Tan, Sarah Hofer, Emily Anderson, Sahar Caravan and Kanani Titchen. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development Volume 8: 1–7 2021
AMWA-PATH is an organization committed to the education of healthcare professionals on human trafficking: how to recognize and care for this patient population. We are a team composed of practicing physicians, dentists, and nurses, as well as professional and undergraduate students. Please visit the other tabs to learn more.
As Student Co-Chairs, we have sought to connect with other students at various national training sessions and within our own communities. Many of you have your own initiatives at your institutions and come from a wide array of backgrounds, professions, and goals. Engaging with you is the best next step for the student section of AMWA-PATH. As a result, we have created the Student Interest Group.
We aim to expand student involvement by fostering collaboration across pre-medical and medical school chapters, increasing advocacy and fundraising, and more. We want to uplift each other and stay true to what makes AMWA so special – deliberate mentorship and guidance at every level of training, from high school to attending level.
As we progress through our training, we have so many experiences and perspectives to offer one another, and AMWA-PATH can participate in this model as well. In doing so, we aim to increase our visibility and engagement at the local, state, and national levels as student members of AMWA-PATH.
To get started, please complete the Student Interest Form
(link)
so we can learn more about you.
Once we have a core group, we will be in touch! Thank you for your patience as we start this next exciting part of AMWA-PATH’s journey.
Warmly,
Student and Resident Co-Chairs
Monthly Newsletter
This is an initiative from the PATH Student group — a quarterly series in research and advocacy news summaries created by the PATH residents and medical students. Newsletters will feature brief breakdowns on some of the most recent scholarly publications, policy changes related to human trafficking, and recent and upcoming PATH events.
October 31, 2024
September 30, 2024
August 27, 2024
July 30, 2024
June 24, 2024
May 30, 2024
April 28, 2024
March 27, 2024
February 27, 2024
January 29, 2024
December 21, 2023
November 29, 2023
October 31, 2023
September 18, 2023
June 28, 2023
May 30, 2023
April 30, 2023
March 11, 2023
January 19, 2023
October 14, 2022
August 16, 2022
July 5, 2022
May 9, 2022
April 12, 2022
March 14, 2022
February 9, 2022
January 8, 2022
December 14, 2021
October 8, 2021
June 5, 2021
May 3, 2021
April 5, 2021
March 3, 2021
February 1, 2021
December 7, 2020
October 17, 2020
September 4, 2019
March 29, 2019
August 16, 2018
March 19, 2018
March 5, 2018
January 18, 2018
January 8, 2018
November 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
September 2025
AMWA-PATH Advocates for Human Trafficking Legislation
May 15, 2025 – AMWA-PATH release
position statement
supporting the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025 (HR 1379)
January 2022 – AMWA-PATH Statement for Human Trafficking Awareness Month
AMWA-PATH (Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans) wants to commend the 117th Congress for passing the Counter Human Trafficking Act of 2021, which, among other things, establishes a Department of Homeland Security Center for Countering Human Trafficking. We also want to recognize the Justice Department for providing over $90 million in grant funds, with over 500 awards given to organizations that provide services to survivors, support research, and evaluate responses to human trafficking. To learn more about the federal efforts to combat human trafficking, read our complete statement here (link).
We urge additional federal focus and efforts on providing funding, resources, and training for all health care professionals who are in a unique position to interact with potential victims prior to and during their exploitation and can better recognize and intervene early when trained on risk factors and indicators for human trafficking. Health care professionals, working through a preventative public health lens, can become a real force in anti-trafficking efforts by identifying vulnerability factors in our patients before exploitation and providing access to stabilizing interventions to those most at risk. PATH provides this education through our LIFT (Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking) training, a free 3-hr CME course that is taught by our volunteer physicians and survivors, thanks to generous donations to PATH.
View the Online Training
Request A LIFT Training
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) Series
The
AMWA-PATH curriculum
is a human trafficking training designed to educate healthcare providers at all levels of training on how to identify and assist patients that have been trafficked. The LIFT series is a virtual, 3-hour, interactive training that grants 3.0 Category 1 CEU credits to participants free of charge, covering essential information about labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. LIFT is a CME-accredited training through the American Medical Women’s Association, Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans (AMWA-PATH).
The
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
series covers the following:
What Is Human Trafficking?
Where Is Human Trafficking?
Who Is At-Risk?
How Are Humans Trafficked?
Trafficking & Health Care
The Impact: Why Should We Care?
Barriers to Care
What Can We Do?
The Dilemma
Resilience & the PATH to Recovery
Learning objectives are as follows:
Describe the scope and prevalence of the problem of labor trafficking and sex trafficking in the United States.
Recognize the warning signs that raise suspicion for trafficking victimization and identify trafficked persons who present to the health care setting.
Commit to incorporate assessing suspected victims of trafficking into routine practice.
Commit to clinically evaluate and treat any patient suspected of being trafficked, using trauma-informed reporting techniques and local and national resources.
AMWA-PATH partners with community resources
engaged in the fight against human trafficking. These community partners comprise a panel of local experts whose knowledge around human trafficking is specific to the city/location of the training. The role of community partners is to educate participants on the available resources in the area, and to provide pamphlets, business cards, and any other handouts that may be useful to medical professionals. The community partners are also able to provide detailed accounts of a patient’s path to recovery, which frequently involves legal advocacy, medical care, housing, psychological care, job training/placement, and other resources.
Upcoming Events & Registration
The LIFT curriculum is now available as a virtual option or in person depending on facilitator availability. We offer an intensive/interactive 3 hour training (2 hour didactic and 1 hour panel Q&A), comprehensive/interactive 2 hour training (1.5 hour didactic with 0.5 hr Q&A) and basic 1 hour training (0.75 hr didactic with 0.25 hr Q&A). Check our list of upcoming events that you might be able to attend. Please contact
[email protected]
if you are interested in hosting an event.
Online LIFT Training
(on demand)
Please note that the online LIFT recording does not offer CME credits; only the live or virtual LIFT trainings grant continuing education credit for members of AMWA.
Accreditation
You may earn continuing education credit by participating in this activity. Powered by CMEfy – a seamless way to earn continuing education credit for Point-of-Care co-learning for reflections rather than just for viewing content. Learn more at
about.cmefy.com/cme-info
To obtain credit, one must be an active member of AMWA. You will be awarded 1 credit per hour of content participation when you respond the reflective prompts earned though links produced for each course; provided at to registered participants at the end of the course.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Indiana University School of Medicine and American Medical Women’s Association, Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans. The Indiana University School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Indiana University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Indiana University School of Medicine has been approved by the Indiana Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist and Mental Health Counselor Board to provide Category I Continuing Education program. This activity qualifies for 3.0 Category I CEU as outlined by the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board.
All trainings are FREE thanks to our generous donors.
To schedule a training,
please complete the
LIFT Training Request
or email
[email protected]
Past LIFT Trainings:
2022 Events
January 2022 – UCLA DGSOM (Virtual)
Tacoma, Washington (Virtual)
February 2022 – Tacoma, Washington (Virtual)
Baltimore, John Hopkins
March 18, 2022 – Baltimore, Johns Hopkins
October 22, Los Angeles
2021 Events
March 6th, New Jersey: 120 attendees, 9 community partners.
April 26th, Alabama: 60 attendees, 4 community partners.
May 11th, Las Vegas: 74 attendees, 5 community partners.
July 19th, Shreveport: 74 attendees, 8 community partners.
August 6th, New York: 55 attendees, 7 community partners.
October 23, Indiana (Virtual)
November 1, 2021, Arizona (Virtual)
Past Events (2014-2020):
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) – Tucson, AZ; TBD
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) – Miami, FL; TBD
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) – Tallahassee, FL; TBD
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) – Salt Lake City, FL; TBD
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) POSTPONED – Houston, TX, May 23rd, 2020, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
POSTPONED – Las Vegas, NV, May 2nd, 2020, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
POSTPONED – Hattiesburg, MS, April 18th, 2020, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
POSTPONED – San Diego, CA, April 15th, 2020, 4:00p-8:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Tacoma, WA, February 25 2020, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– St. Louis, MO, February 22 2020, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Phoenix, AZ, January 18 2020, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Washington, D.C., December 6 2019, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Portland, OR, December 7 2019, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT) at ACOEP Scientific Assembly
– Austin, TX, November 4, 2019, 3:00p-6:00p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Ivins, UT, September 14, 2019, 9:00a-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Des Moines, IA, May 18, 2019, 9:30a-1:45p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Houston, TX, May 11, 2019, 9am-1:15p
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Harlem, New York, April 10, 2019
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– San Diego, California, March 7, 2019
Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking (LIFT)
– Santa Barbara, California, March 6, 2019
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Tacoma, Washington, December 4, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Indianapolis, Indiana, September 15, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Davis, California, August 20, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Oakland/Berkeley, California, August 18, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Phoenix, Arizona, August 11, 2018
Human Trafficking: A Call to Action for Health Care Professionals
— Madison, FL, May 4, 2018
Human and Sexual Trafficking Discussion
– Miami, FL, April 27, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Philadelphia, PA, March 25, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Honolulu, HI, February 10, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Philadelphia, PA, January 20, 2018
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– Chicago, IL, September 30, 2017
Stand Up to Sex Trafficking: Awareness, Implementation, and Networking (SUSTAIN)
– New York, NY, April 29, 2017
Human Trafficking Summit
— Washington, DC, September 21, 2015
DHHS and AMWA Co-sponsored Human Trafficking Summit
— Washington, DC, September 21, 2015
Human Trafficking: Training for Healthcare Providers
— Berkeley, CA. Co-sponsored by AMWA and FPCB, March 14, 2015
Webinar on Human Trafficking – Legal and Public Policy Issues
— October 29, 2014
Trafficking Laws by State
State by State Policy Guidelines on Mandated Reporting Requirements
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
AMWA-PATH Leadership:
President:
Dr. Zayn Gerakitis and Dr. Juhi Jain
Treasurer:
Dr. Traci Kurtzer
Past President:
Dr. Traci Kurtzer
Admin & Operations Mgr:
Kayla Li (
[email protected]
Past Admin:
Zayn Gerakitis, Sarah Melin
Co-Chairs:
Aarti Vala, Liz Berdan, Preeti Panda, Juhi Jain, Traci Kurtzer, Zayn Gerakitis
Survivor/Lived Experience Experts (content, curriculum, speaking):
Ellora Nyhan, Jennifer Hammer, and Suleman Masood
AMWA-PATH Student Interest Group Leadership/Chairs:
President:
Lindsey Maynard
Vice President:
Amina Ashraf
Advocacy:
Student Chair/Asst Chair:
Elizabeth Culpepper/Sarah Osborn/Gabriella Tangkilisan
Physician Chairs:
Drs. Preeti Panda, Juhi Jain
Education & Research:
Student Chair/Asst Chair:
Tessa Peredy/Pavithra Kathirvel/Mikayla Mefford
Physician Chairs:
Dr. Elizabeth Berdan
Public Relations:
Student Co-Chairs:
Megan Sherman/Hari Ponduri/Megan Slattery
Physician Chair:
Dr. Aarti Vala
Fundraising:
Student Co-Chairs:
Xori Green/Dr. Sheree Carter/Michelle Chan Sanchez
Physician Chair:
Dr. Traci Kurtzer (interim)
Specialty:
Chair Dentistry:
Trudy Reese
Chair PA/APRN/RN:
Jen Stout
Chair EMT:
Diana Vizza
AMWA-PATH Interns / Newsletter:
Newsletter editor: Amina Ashraf
Interns: Becca Song, Dana Shubai
Join the committee
Donate to the Initiative
AMWA-PATH is not a crisis response agency. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
The
National Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at 1-888-373-7888 and is available 24/7 in 200 languages.
If you are outside the United States, you can still reach the hotline through
this page