Olivia Krivitsky

Olivia Krivitsky (NYU Gallatin) | Bellevue Hospital – Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT)| NYC, United States

For my final blog post, I would like to take a moment to reflect upon all the incredible work that my peers and I have conducted over the summer. During the human rights course in the spring semester, I was immersed in the world of human rights through reading varying scholars, engaging in Socratic discussions, and learning from peers and faculty. This gave me a great foundation in understanding the theoretical aspects of the sector and pillars of the field of human rights. When I began my internship, I was able to translate the theory discussed in class to my own summer work. My summer internship allowed me to truly see the applications of the theoretical in informing my work in health and human rights.

In the field of human rights, I think it is very important to stay positive and continue to be diligent in working towards protecting and promoting human rights. It is very easy to lose hope, which is something that Vesuki warned us about. However, when I felt myself losing hope, I would take a step back, realign myself, and come back and work even harder. I am very grateful for being given this opportunity to help make strides in health and human rights alongside Dr. Allen Keller this summer! 

Olivia Krivitsky (NYU Gallatin) | Bellevue Hospital – Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT)| NYC, United States

I wanted to continue to tell you guys about my summer work. As I continue my internship with Dr. Keller,  the importance of teamwork and collaboration is even more evident. Each member of the team plays a unique and key role in helping the individuals they work with. All the team members of the Program for Survivors of Torture demonstrate an incredible understanding, commitment, and passion for the work that they do and that greatly translates into the care and services provided for patients. An excellent synergy that I too hope to emulate. They truly go above and beyond for every patient. At the end of the day, it is a team, not an individual alone that makes the difference. Many patients who Dr.Keller treats have experienced FGM, domestic violence, torture, and more. As a future physician, I feel very passionately about gaining a toolset to help and advocate for my patients and feel through observing the team at the Program for Survivors of Torture, I am in awe of the amazing world they do and am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I have been first-hand able to see what it means to inspire individuals and simply be there for them.  I am currently helping to locate a patient’s children with whom she lost contact during her trip to the United States. Although a difficult challenge, I am committed to helping in every capacity possible to work toward this family reunification.

I look forward to my continued work with Dr. Keller and the team at the Program for Survivors of Torture!

 

Olivia Krivitsky (NYU Gallatin) | Bellevue Hospital – Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT)| NYC, United States

For my second blog post, I am going to tell you a little more about my work and interest as well as the organization I am working for. I am based in New York City and love it here, especially in the summer!

I work under the supervision of Dr. Keller at the Program for Survivors of Torture, an organization that works extensively to provide care and legal aid for survivors of torture and asylum seekers. Through shadowing Dr. Keller and interacting with patients, I have had the opportunity to observe a very important sector of medicine and the responsibility that physicians have in advocating for their patients’ human rights.

During my time at this organization, many of the patients that Dr. Keller and I have interacted with expressed their inability to cook due to the lack of accessibility to a kitchen and a cooking space. Hence, I have been working to find a kitchen that would make this a possibility.  Additionally, I have been learning about the intersection between law, policy, and medicine. Gaining this toolset is pivotal when entering the human rights sector! 

Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Olivia Krivitsky (NYU Gallatin) | Bellevue Hospital – Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT)| NYC, United States

My name is Olivia Krivitsky and I am a rising senior at NYU Gallatin, where my concentration focuses on Translational Medicine and Health Equity. This summer, I will be working under the supervision of Dr. Allen Keller at the Bellevue Hospital with the Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT). Here, I will truly have the opportunity to work in both the human rights and medical fields, merging both of my passions. Specifically, my passions lay in the intersection of health equity, capacity building, and medical accessibility examined through a human rights framework.

I hope to have the opportunity to delve into working on varying legislation, such as anti-torture legislation. As a future physician, I hope to emulate Dr. Keller’s work. I truly hope to understand how to not only diagnose and treat my patients but also hope to learn how to advocate for my patients by applying a human rights framework. I hope by the end of my internship that I will be able to hone gain my knowledge and skillset in the field of human rights to further enable to me advocate for my future patients.

My summer work will focus on assisting asylum seekers and refugees with gaining access to medicine as well as helping them with legal assistance. I hope to dive into a deeper understanding of capacity building and learn about the intersection of law and medicine. I believe that it is pivotal that we can not only recognize and report that disparities exist in medicine but make tangible strides in reducing those disparities, in bridging the gap between the two. As a child of a Ukrainian immigrant, I am motivated to help others who have similar experiences to my own family. I hope to further understand the tangible actions that individuals, such as physicians, can take to bridge the gap between availability and accessibility. In the summer, I plan to delve into operationalizing these two terms in the context of a human rights framework.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions and I look forward to telling you about my journey this summer!